The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), an orbital ultaviolet telescope, was recently placed in standby mode as teams prepare to end the 9 year old mission. Its mission was originally to determine distances to galaxies in the nearby and distant Universe and measure how quickly they are forming stars. However, among the mission’s many scientific discoveries are things like the image below, an ultraviolet tail and a bow shock between the stellar wind of the star Mira and the surrounding interstellar medium as it plows through our own home galaxy The Milky Way.

More information about GALEX, its discoveries, and the latest news can be found on their website.

Photo: GALEX view of Mira (NASA/JPL-Caltech/C. Martin (Caltech)/M. Seibert(OCIW))