Credit where the universe is due

Extraordinary images.
Properly credited.

Our catalogue uses genuine telescope imagery. Below are the source records, complete credits, image classifications and usage basis for each selected image. No space agency endorses Buy A Galaxy.

Three ways to see a galaxy.

Observed Image

Based directly on high-quality telescope imagery. Astronomical images often combine exposures and use scientific colour processing; they are not necessarily views the human eye would see.

Enhanced Interpretation

Derived from genuine observational imagery or data and processed artistically for presentation. Any additional processing is disclosed alongside the image.

Artist’s Reconstruction

Original artwork informed by known astronomical characteristics, rather than a literal photograph. Such images carry the label: “Artist’s representation based on known astronomical characteristics.”

Galaxy imagery is observational; the Planet range uses original artistic reconstructions. Layout crops and presentation overlays are explained in their processing notes. Full credits are retained on the corresponding web page. Physical prints carry credits on the reverse; digital artwork is accompanied by source and credit information.

Approved poster and certificate presentation

Approved product artwork

Source organisation: NASA / ESA / Hubble
Original asset: heic0506a / Whirlpool Galaxy
Required credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
Usage basis: CC BY 4.0 · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Supplied poster: resize, crop and dark blending. Supplied certificate: inverted monochrome watermark. Web previews use the approved design template with live personalisation. Poster photography bleeds to the top edge, with restrained dark transitions and defocused edge continuation for wide images. Certificate styling is preserved; enlarged previews carry a watermark.
Product presentation: The supplied flat-lay is an illustrative mockup generated using the approved artwork as compositing references. The straight-on masters are authoritative for lettering and details.

Whirlpool

Source organisation: ESA/Hubble; NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Original asset: heic0506a / original source
Required credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Usage basis: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Licence · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Resized JPEG rendition; images may be cropped for layout. No recolouring or synthetic reconstruction. Poster designs add typography and data; the Nocturne edition adds a dark presentation overlay.
Original resolution: 11477 × 7965 pixels
Source page: Publisher image record

Antennae

Source organisation: ESA/Hubble; NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Original asset: heic0615a / original source
Required credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration. Acknowledgement: B. Whitmore ( Space Telescope Science Institute) and James Long (ESA/Hubble).
Usage basis: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Licence · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Resized JPEG rendition; images may be cropped for layout. No recolouring or synthetic reconstruction. Poster designs add typography and data; the Nocturne edition adds a dark presentation overlay.
Original resolution: 3915 × 3885 pixels
Source page: Publisher image record

Spanish Dancer Galaxy

Source organisation: ESA/Hubble; NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Original asset: potw2344a / original source
Required credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Calzetti and the LEGUS team, R. Chandar
Usage basis: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Licence · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Preview resized proportionally and JPEG recompressed at quality 92; no cropping, recolouring, retouching or synthetic generation. Images may be cropped for layout. Poster designs add typography and data; the Nocturne edition adds a dark presentation overlay.
Original resolution: 3869 × 4165 pixels
Source page: Publisher image record

NGC 1300

Source organisation: ESA/Hubble; NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Original asset: opo0501a / original source
Required credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Usage basis: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Licence · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Preview resized proportionally and JPEG recompressed at quality 92; no cropping, recolouring, retouching or synthetic generation. Images may be cropped for layout. Poster designs add typography and data; the Nocturne edition adds a dark presentation overlay.
Original resolution: 6637 × 3787 pixels
Source page: Publisher image record

Sombrero

Source organisation: ESA/Hubble; NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Original asset: opo0328a / original source
Required credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Usage basis: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Licence · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Resized JPEG rendition; images may be cropped for layout. No recolouring or synthetic reconstruction. Poster designs add typography and data; the Nocturne edition adds a dark presentation overlay.
Original resolution: 11472 × 6429 pixels
Source page: Publisher image record

NGC 4449

Source organisation: ESA/Hubble; NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Original asset: heic0711a / original source
Required credit: NASA, ESA, A. Aloisi (STScI/ESA), and The Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Usage basis: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International · Licence · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Resized JPEG rendition; images may be cropped for layout. No recolouring or synthetic reconstruction. Poster designs add typography and data; the Nocturne edition adds a dark presentation overlay.
Original resolution: 8736 × 5630 pixels
Source page: Publisher image record

Cartwheel Galaxy

Source organisation: Buy A Galaxy; based on ESA/Webb imagery
Original asset: weic2211a · original source
Required credit: Artist’s reconstruction by Buy A Galaxy. Observational reference: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Usage basis: The official ESA image record publishes an observational image without an asset-specific exception. The official ESA copyright page releases imagery under CC BY 4.0, expressly allows selling artwork based on the imagery for profit, and says no separate permission from credited individuals or organisations is needed. Preserve full unaltered clearly visible credits associated with imagery, active source/licence links online, and no endorsement implication. Logos are excluded. CC BY 4.0 · Publisher policy
Image classification: Artist’s Reconstruction
Processing / changes: New AI-generated artistic reconstruction of the main Cartwheel galaxy. Original Webb image weic2211a was used only as structural guidance; the source pixels and companion/background galaxies are not used in this artwork. Ring, spokes, star clusters, dust and colour are artistically reimagined. This is not a telescope photograph. Proportional poster fitting and the existing gradual dark fade are applied.
Original resolution: 4685 × 4312 pixels
Rights reviewed: 30 September 2026

Artist's representation based on known astronomical characteristics. AI-assisted reconstruction by Buy A Galaxy, using Webb image weic2211a as its structural reference. Native reconstruction: 1254 × 1254 pixels; the original observational reference remains separately credited and retained.

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

Source organisation: ESA/Hubble; NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Original asset: heic1403a · original source
Required credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgement: William Blair (Johns Hopkins University)
Usage basis: The official ESA image record publishes an observational image without an asset-specific exception. The official ESA copyright page releases imagery under CC BY 4.0, expressly allows selling artwork based on the imagery for profit, and says no separate permission from credited individuals or organisations is needed. Preserve full unaltered clearly visible credits associated with imagery, active source/licence links online, and no endorsement implication. Logos are excluded. CC BY 4.0 · Publisher policy
Image classification: Observed Image
Processing / changes: Print derivative proportionally resized to at most 6000 pixels wide and JPEG recompressed at quality 94; web derivative at most 2500 pixels wide, quality 92. No cropping, recolouring, retouching or synthetic generation. Native source JPEG retained without alteration. Poster compositions use a full-width image layer, dark blending, personalisation and astronomical data; wide imagery retains its full silhouette with subdued defocused photographic edge continuation.
Original resolution: 11405 × 7419 pixels
Rights reviewed: 30 September 2026

55 Cancri e / Janssen

Source organisation: Buy A Galaxy · original commissioned AI-generated artwork
Image classification: Artist’s Reconstruction
Disclosure: Artist's reconstruction based on published astronomical observations and current scientific understanding.
Interpretation: Orange/red lava patterns, charcoal crustal rafts and thin visual veil are artistic, not a mapped surface.
Usage basis: Original generated artwork commissioned for this gift range. No agency imagery or agency logo is incorporated.
Processing / changes: Proportional web sizing, print compositing and restrained edge blending. Personalisation and factual data are separate template fields.
Scientific references: Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3
Facts checked: 30 September 2026

HD 189733 b

Source organisation: Buy A Galaxy · original commissioned AI-generated artwork
Image classification: Artist’s Reconstruction
Disclosure: Artist's reconstruction based on published astronomical observations and current scientific understanding.
Interpretation: Specific bands, turbulence and weather texture are artistic.
Usage basis: Original generated artwork commissioned for this gift range. No agency imagery or agency logo is incorporated.
Processing / changes: Proportional web sizing, print compositing and restrained edge blending. Personalisation and factual data are separate template fields.
Scientific references: Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3
Facts checked: 30 September 2026

WASP-121 b / Tylos

Source organisation: Buy A Galaxy · original commissioned AI-generated artwork
Image classification: Artist’s Reconstruction
Disclosure: Artist's reconstruction based on published astronomical observations and current scientific understanding.
Interpretation: Exact visible colors, flows, projected ellipsoid and star placement are artistic; no rocky surface.
Usage basis: Original generated artwork commissioned for this gift range. No agency imagery or agency logo is incorporated.
Processing / changes: Proportional web sizing, print compositing and restrained edge blending. Personalisation and factual data are separate template fields.
Scientific references: Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3 Reference 4
Facts checked: 30 September 2026

Kepler-16 b

Source organisation: Buy A Galaxy · original commissioned AI-generated artwork
Image classification: Artist’s Reconstruction
Disclosure: Artist's reconstruction based on published astronomical observations and current scientific understanding.
Interpretation: Cloud color and bands, star positions and dual light are artistic. Saturn-size does not imply rings.
Usage basis: Original generated artwork commissioned for this gift range. No agency imagery or agency logo is incorporated.
Processing / changes: Proportional web sizing, print compositing and restrained edge blending. Personalisation and factual data are separate template fields.
Scientific references: Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3 Reference 4
Facts checked: 30 September 2026

GJ 1214 b

Source organisation: Buy A Galaxy · original commissioned AI-generated artwork
Image classification: Artist’s Reconstruction
Disclosure: Artist's reconstruction based on published astronomical observations and current scientific understanding.
Interpretation: Muted cream/amber haze and delicate swirls are artistic; no implied exposed ocean.
Usage basis: Original generated artwork commissioned for this gift range. No agency imagery or agency logo is incorporated.
Processing / changes: Proportional web sizing, print compositing and restrained edge blending. Personalisation and factual data are separate template fields.
Scientific references: Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3 Reference 4
Facts checked: 30 September 2026

TRAPPIST-1 e

Source organisation: Buy A Galaxy · original commissioned AI-generated artwork
Image classification: Artist’s Reconstruction
Disclosure: Artist's reconstruction based on published astronomical observations and current scientific understanding.
Interpretation: Dry mineral terrain under red illumination is one imagined scenario; surface and atmosphere are unknown.
Usage basis: Original generated artwork commissioned for this gift range. No agency imagery or agency logo is incorporated.
Processing / changes: Proportional web sizing, print compositing and restrained edge blending. Personalisation and factual data are separate template fields.
Scientific references: Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3 Reference 4 Reference 5
Facts checked: 30 September 2026

Extraordinary images.Properly credited.