33 Awesome Pictures from Outer Space
What are the coolest pictures of space? The New Horizons Pluto flyby showed us our first close-up images of the demoted dwarf planet, and they’re spectacular. But awesome pictures of space aren’t new. From the first space pictures taken by craft that left the atmosphere to the thousands of pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, there are now countless images of galaxies, star clusters, quasars, and some of the most remote planets in the visible universe.
But even pictures of our closest neighbors like the sun, moon, and planets in the Solar System have new surprises for us. Using sophisticated instruments, we can see different wavelengths of light, moons transiting across planets, and spectacular closeups of peaks and craters. Some of these photos of space are so beautiful, they don’t even seem real. As new telescopes and software are introduced by NASA, however, our views of the universe will become even more spectacular – making these images seem quaint.
But until then, enjoy this planet photography – some of the most incredible and best space pictures taken of both our Solar System and the great vastness of the universe.
Barnard 33
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Eagle Nebula (Pillars of Creation)
Source: NASA
Cone Nebula
Source: NASA
Galaxy ARP 273
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Monkey Head Nebula
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
Source: Space.com
M51
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
M104 (Sombrero Galaxy)
Source: Space.com
The Surface of Venus
Source: Space.com
MyCN18 (Engraved Hourglass Nebula)
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
RS Puppis
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Earthrise
Source: NASA
M106
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
V838 Monocerotis
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
High-Energy Sun X-Ray
Source: NASA
Jupiter’s Aurora
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Astronaut Bruce McCandless in Space
Source: Smithsonian
Europa
Source: NASA
NGC7049
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Carina Nebula
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Neptune
Source: Space.com
NGC5866
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Closeup of Pluto
Source: NASA
Centaurus A
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Pinwheel Galaxy
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Supernova Remanent
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Far Side of the Moon
Source: Wikipedia
Mars
Source: NASA
Pluto in Full Color
Source: NASA
3D Photo of Mars, by India’s Mars Orbiter
Source: Indian Space Research Organisation
M74
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Westerlund 2
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
Flame Nebula
Source: NASA
