Astronomers recently got a rare opportunity to view a cosmic event that took place from 1837 to 1858 known as the "Great Eruption."

ESO’s Very Large Telescope has delivered the most detailed infrared image of the Carina Nebula stellar nursery taken so far. Many previously hidden features, scattered across a spectacular celestial landscape of gas, dust and young stars, have emerged.

This new view shows a stellar nursery called NGC 3324. It was taken using the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.

After 16 years in space, NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) has made its last observation. The satellite provided unprecedented views into the extreme environments around white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After 16 years in space, NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) has made its last observation.