A wispy comet, a star-forming cloud and the grand Andromeda galaxy are the first cosmic characters to be unveiled by Nasa's latest hi-tech space telescope.

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which was launched into orbit in December 2009, is scanning the entire sky in infrared light.

The satellite has already beamed back more than a quarter of a million raw, infrared images. These first processed pictures show a sample of the mission's targets from individual comets and asteroids to huge galaxies. (Source : DAILYMAIL UK )