Space Pictures This Week: Stellar Dust Bunnies, Bat Signal

Cosmic Makeover

Image courtesy C. Robert O'Dell and David Thompson, Vanderbilt/LBTO/ESA/NASA

Considered an iconic deep-sky object for generations of stargazers, the famed Ring Nebula is given a makeover in this composite portrait—released May 23—taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the ground-based Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona.

Located 2,000 light-years away from Earth in the summer constellation Lyra, this psychedelic cloud of expanding gas and dust was formed from material thrown off by a dying, sun-like star. (Learn about the Lyrid meteor showers.)

Published May 24, 2013

Celestial Arch

Photograph by Wally Pacholka, TWAN

Like a cosmic archway, the Milky Way galaxy beautifully frames this serene, rocky landscape in Bryce Canyon in southwest Utah.

A magical view like this of our home galaxy—released May 17—can only be witnessed under pristine, dark skies, far from light-polluted cities.

Published May 24, 2013

Lunar Rings

Image courtesy ASU/NASA

Some 300 miles (483 kilometers) from the moon's south pole, in an area known as the Apollo Basin, lies an unnamed double-ringed impact crater, shown here in an image released May 22. (Explore a map of the moon.)

This close-up snapshot by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captures the mysterious double-arch shape formed by the crater's rim and a concentric inner ring.

The formation of this structure isn't fully understood, but the Apollo Basin represents the deepest crater on the moon. Experts believe that by studying this region where the moon's lower crust is exposed, they can get a better understanding of the early part of its history.  

Published May 24, 2013

Stellar Dust Bunnies

Image courtesy ESO

This picture postcard of a giant stellar nursery, released May 23, celebrates 15 years since the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile first opened its eye to the universe.

IC 2944 is a giant nebula in the southern constellation Centaurus, sitting 5,900 light-years away from Earth. The nebula is filled with dense clumps of dark gas and dust thought to be associated with star formation.

These dark clouds of dust, called Thackery's Globules, are each less than two light-years across and are seen here silhouetted against the brightly lit nebula.

Published May 24, 2013

Peek-a-Boo

Photograph by Babak Tafreshi, TWAN

Like a scene from the Middle Ages, a mystical moon plays peek-a-boo with clouds above the castle and town of Cochem (map), along the banks of the Moselle River in Germany.

"For a moment a clear patch in the [lunar] corona formed the batman logo in the sky!" said photographer Babak Tafreshi. He captured said bat signal on the night of May 18.

Published May 24, 2013

Check Out More of Our Favorite Space Pictures

Photograph courtesy NASA

Published May 24, 2013