The Moon, left, Saturn, upper right, and Jupiter, lower right, are seen after sunset with the Washington Monument, Thurs. Dec. 17, 2020, in Washington. via NASA https://ift.tt/2WpW3YX

This iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon. via NASA https://ift.tt/2LG0lcE

The newly revealed infant stars appear as pink and red specks toward the center and appear to have formed in regularly spaced intervals along linear structures. via NASA https://ift.tt/35QZqLP

Thousands of sparkling young stars are nestled within the giant nebula NGC 3603, one of the most massive young star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy. NGC 3603, a prominent star-forming region in the Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way about 20,000 light-years away, reveals stages in the life cycle of stars. via NASA […]

When the shadow of the Moon raced across planet Earth’s southern hemisphere on December 14, sky watchers along the shadow’s dark central path were treated to the only total solar eclipse of 2020. During the New Moon’s shadow play this glistening diamond ring was seen for a moment, even in cloudy skies. Known as the […]

With its heat shield facing the planet, NASA’s Perseverance rover begins its descent through the Martian atmosphere in this illustration. via NASA https://ift.tt/3r62oHd

Taken over the course of an hour shortly after local midnight on December 13, 35 exposures were used to create this postcard from Earth. The composited night scene spans dark skies above the snowy Italian Dolomites during our fair planet’s annual Geminid meteor shower. Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major and the brightest star in […]

The Hubble Space Telescope captured a crowd of stars that looks rather like a stadium darkened before a show, lit only by the flashbulbs of the audience’s cameras. via NASA https://ift.tt/3p1Trg7

What’s the matter with the Bullet Cluster? This massive cluster of galaxies (1E 0657-558) creates gravitational lens distortions of background galaxies in a way that has been interpreted as strong evidence for the leading theory: that dark matter exists within. Different analyses, though, indicate that a less popular alternative — modifying gravity– could explain cluster […]

Using the unique capabilities of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers has discovered the most energetic outflows ever witnessed in the universe. via NASA https://ift.tt/2WnTvul