Astrophysics Valentines

An illustration of a supernova explosion caused by the collapse of a massive star. At the center is an animated pulsation heart with the text “You make my heart go boom!” around the heart.

Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KBRwyle)

Observations using the Very Large Array radio telescope (orange) reveal the needle-like trail of pulsar J0002+6216 outside the shell of supernova remnant CTB 1. The pulsar escaped the remnant some 5,000 years ago. Overlay text says: “I get a kick out of you.”

Image credit: Credit: Composite by Jayanne English, University of Manitoba, using data from NRAO/F. Schinzel et al., DRAO/Canadian Galactic Plane Survey and NASA/IRAS

A yarn illustration of a black hole pulling in an unfortunate star and getting pulled apart and unraveled by it. This type of cosmic occurrence is called a tidal disruption event. The material from the star will now orbits the black hole for a long time before being pulled into it. Overlay text says: “I’m tangled up with you!”

Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KBRwyle)

The Heart (upper right) and Soul (lower left) nebula seen in an infrared mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, zooming in and out similar to a heartbeat with the text: “You are my heart and soul”.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

Eta Carinae is famous for a brilliant and unusual outburst, called the "Great Eruption.” It's located about 7,500 light-years from Earth and contains one of the biggest and brightest stars in our galaxy. Learn more here.

Image credit: Credit: A. Fujii, J. Morse (BoldlyGo Inst), N. Smith (U Arizona), Hubble SM4 ERO Team, NASA, ESA, STScI, JPL-Caltech, CXC, ESO, NOAO, AURA, NSF

Violets are blue

My day could be nice

But it'd be NICER with you

Credit: NASA/SOFIA/Proudfit