Awe-Inspiring NASA Photos of Space
Few things instill a sense of wonder quite like the views from space do. Whether the cameras are turned toward the stars, or back at Earth, theres something about space photography that makes one feel at once very small, yet connected to something truly powerful. Here are 13 recent photos taken by NASA to bring out your inner Carl Sagan.
Iceland from Space
Rolling highlands, deep fjords, lava-spewing volcanoes, and expansive glaciers Iceland is a beautiful country. But if you thought the land of ice and fire looked good up-close, the view of it from space is something else. NASAs Earth Observing Systemspacecraft, Terra, snapped this well-timed, cloud-free photo of Iceland on April 15, 2015.
X-Ray Imaging of Supernova Remains
Supernovas are exploding stars, unleashing a massive amount of light, gas, and radiation that can be seen via powerful telescopes from many light years away. The radioactive remains of this supernova were captured via X-ray imaging at NASAs Chandra Observatory on September 10, 2014.
Solar Flare
From the view on our tiny, pale-blue dot called Earth, the sun is a bright, warm light. Its what gives the plants and animals of this planet life, and illuminates our world. The reality, however, is that the Sun is a violent, tumultuous sphere of explosive chemical and nuclear reactions thats where all that life-giving heat and light come from. The Sun often emits solar flares massive bursts of energy that disperse protons into space, and have been known to affect satellites and pose major risk to astronauts. This particular solar flare was captured by NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory on December 16, 2014. Its ironicthat something so violent and dangerous can be so beautiful.
The Birth of a Star
The universe is brimming with countlessstars, and they all start life as brightly shining Young Stellar Objects (YSO). This photo, taken by everyones favorite NASA/ESA space telescope, Hubble, on March 2, 2015, shows the early stages of life for the star V1331 Cyg. The star is still classified YSO, but will soon be approaching its main cycle the same stage of life as our Sun.
Galactic Variety
Galaxies are curious things: They contain billions often trillions of stars, massive clouds of gas, and innumerable planets, all of them potentially light years apart. But taken in from a vast distance, they become glimmering clusters of multicolored starlight. This photo, again taken by Hubble, shows the beauty of NGC 7715 (and the arm of its companion NGC 7714). The light captured in this photo is over 100 million years old.
Another Look into the Pillars of Creation
The Pillars of Creation a massive nebula of stars, gas, and other materials being radio-actively super heated by the cluster of young stars is one of the most iconic celestial bodies. An early photo of the nebula showed the enormous, gaseous pillars enshrouding the star cluster. But in early 2015, Hubble snapped this photo using a powerful camera that was able to penetrate the veil radioactive mist and capture the light of the stars behind it.
A Massive Black Hole in a Tiny Galaxy
At the heart of a densely star-packed dwarf galaxy, M60-UCD1, floats this super massive black hole holding it all together. NASA discovered the peculiar galaxy with the help of Hubble, which took the above photo on September 10, 2014. The discovery of this galaxy has lead NASA scientists to believe that there are likely many, many other dwarf galaxies with super massive black holes at their centers.
Andromeda Panorama
Andromeda is the nearest galactic neighbor to the Milky Way, Earths galaxy. While none of us will ever be able to be physically present in Andromeda (and likely will never occur unless near-light speed travel and/or wormholes are ever discovered), we can still take in the view of the galaxys trillion stars or, at least, the light of said stars from 2.54 million years ago. Hubble telescope captured the impressive photo on January 9, 2015.
The Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipses used to be feared by ancient cultures who didnt understand what they were or why they occurred; today theyre exciting solar events that bring people flocking to witness them. This photo snapped by ESAs Proba-2 satellite captured the moment at which the moon covered the sun during a recent solar eclipse over Europe on March 20, 2015.
The Moon
Much like the sun, the view of the moon from our terrestrial vantage point can sometimes leave something to be desired, especially once youve seen photos like this one, taken at the apex of a full moon during the lunar cycle by NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on December 9, 2014. The high-definition photo gives a detailed look at the stark gray, crater-ridden surface or Earths moon.
Jupiters Storm
The largest object in our solar system, Jupiter is a behemoth of a planet. Over 1,321 Earths could fit into Jupiter, and the planet is orbited by 16 moons (that we know of). But perhaps the most iconic feature of the gas giant is its massive storm, seen as a red dot circulating across its surface. This image gives us a glimpse of the vibrant and beautiful swirling gas clouds of Jupiters storm.
Storms Over South America
Its easy to forget that Earth itself is capable of inspiring feelings of wonder when youre looking at photos of massive cosmic objects from distant corners of the universe, but the third rock from the sun is varied, complex, and beautiful. This photo, taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station on August 5, 2014, shows massive thunderheads above Borneo
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Absolutely amazing photographs from space of earth and other objects in the solar system.
Beautiful
I love space
Enjoy
Excellent photos Robert.
Not too bad for a species that only 58 years ago managed to get an object into a stationary Earth orbit.
FLY
Appreciate the feedback, I would offer that the photos are excellent without qualification but I get your point.
Great photos, RiO. Thanks. Makes one wonder if there are "things" out there looking back at us.
D D
We will keep looking until we find them or they find us
Thanks for the feedback
It's not just passage of time that marks discoveries, scientific advances have proven to be exponential. There are probably a lot of reasons why I wish I were younger, but to witness science fiction becoming fact is a major one. When I was young, Dick Tracy's watch was science fiction.
Buzz
Totally agree ....
There is much good for the young to look forward to, but world is also rife with more dangers and challenges than when you and I were youngsters.
My son is tryingto talk me into one of those watches, but I don't know
When I was a kid we didn't lock the door even when we left our house - now we lock the door even when we're in the house. Back then the worst radiation we could suffer from was from the illuminated hands on our watches.
Buzz
Where I live, people lock the doors when they go to bed but home or not things are pretty much open during the day and most in the neighborhood know where all the "extra hidden" keys are located for each house. But what you say rings true for most for sure.
It is a different world than we knew for sure
Another Look into the Pillars of Creation.... is my very favorite!! I love the blue in he picture and the beautiful stars.
(I copied and pastedbut couldn't get rid of the bold black print, but now it's gone.....sigh)
Nona
That is a great shot for sure.
Thanks for the feedback
OMG...now it's blue.....shakes head You're welcome RIO!
Well you mentioned NASA and pictures, so there is some relevance
For an answer to your question, you should write to NASA, I am sure contact information is available on the internet somewhere
Great series of photos RIO.
Kavika
I appreciate the feedback and am glad you liked them
These are so beautiful!
Such violence and peace, at the same time! Thanks for these!
Dowser
The detail of the photos and sheer "in your face" dynamics of the image were what caught my attention.
I appreciate the feedback and am glad you liked the pictures
Absolutely stunning, Hubble, the gift that keeps giving...
Fly, if it wasn't for Ike, it would have been 59 years and we being the first nation in space.