The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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An image of the grand design spiral galaxy Messier 100 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope resolves individual stars within the majestic spiral arms. Messier 100 (100th object in the Messier catalog of non-stellar objects) is a face-on spiral galaxy. It is a rotating system of gas and stars, similar to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. M100 is a member of the huge Virgo cluster of an estimated 2500 galaxies. The galaxy can be seen by amateur astronomers as a faint, pinwheel-shaped object in the spring constellation Coma Berenices.