Gallery: Space Photos of the Week: Galaxy Cannibalism

  • Image may contain Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space and Nebula
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/hubble-view-of-a-nitrogen-rich-nebula">ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Matej Novak</a>
    01

    A nitrogen-rich nebula

    An image of the planetary nebula NGC 6153, which is located about 4,000 light-years away in the southern constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion). The blue haze is from a star like the sun that has depleted most of its fuel.
  • Image may contain Ornament Pattern and Fractal
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/sdo-sees-mid-level-solar-flare">NASA/SDO</a>
    02

    20150625-m7.9flare

    A M7.9-class solar flare on June 25. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere, but the flares can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
  • Image may contain Universe Space Astronomy Nebula Outer Space Plant Christmas Tree Ornament and Tree
    <a href="http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/15_releases/press_062315.html">X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison/S.Heinz et al; Optical: DSS</a>
    03

    A system with a neutron star in orbit with a massive star about 30,700 light years from Earth.

    A photograph of the largest and brightest set of rings from X-ray light echoes ever observed. The rings were produced by a flare from a neutron star and gave astronomers a rare chance to precisely measure the distance to an object on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Universe Space Night Moon Astronomy Outer Space Lunar Eclipse and Eclipse
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/cassini/pia18322/triple-crescents">NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute</a>
    04

    pia18322-1041

    This image from the Cassini mission shows three of Saturn's many moons all caught together in a crescent shape. The three moons are Titan, Mimas, and Rhea.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Light and Flare
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/lights-of-an-aurora-from-the-international-space-station">NASA</a>
    05

    10985448-1008374299195501-5466746330361748522-o

    A photo of an aurora as seen from the International Space Station on June 23. The photo was captured by NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly.
  • Image may contain Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space and Nebula
    <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1525/">European Southern Observatory</a>
    06

    The halo of galaxy Messier 87

    Astronomers recently discovered that the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 has swallowed an entire medium-sized galaxy over the last billion years.
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