Beauty has no astronomical ranking. Our shortlist favours memorable structure, beautiful observational imagery and a story worth sharing.
Three excellent contenders
The Whirlpool Galaxy brings striking spiral arms. The Sombrero offers a bright centre crossed by a dark dust lane. The Antennae reveal a dramatic interaction, with regions of young stars in their overlapping galaxies. Their appearances are different; the choice is personal.
Further reading: NASA Science.
Find a galaxy with a story.
Explore sourced astronomical objects and try your own personalisation. Every claim is symbolic and entirely unofficial.
Explore the collection