Gallery: Space Photos of the Week: Don’t Tell This Irregular Galaxy What to Do
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2016/nasas-hubble-spots-a-lopsided-lynx">ESA/Hubble & NASA</a>01SPoW-Aug12-02.jpg
A quarter of all galaxies are irregular, meaning they don’t appear in a standard, recognizable way. This galaxy, known as NGC 2337, located 25 million light-years away in the Lynx constellation, is irregular, offering astronomers a way to learn about how galaxies evolve and interact.
<a href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1628a/">ESA</a>02SPoW-Aug12-04.jpg
Known as Messier 18, the open cluster of blue stars in the upper left of this photo formed together from the same gas and dust cloud, providing an ideal example for studying the lifecycle of stars. The VLT Survey Telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile took this photo of Messier 18 and the surrounding red hydrogen clouds.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/infrared-saturn-clouds">NASA/JPL-Caltech</a>03SPoW-Aug12-01.jpg
This image of clouds in Saturn’s northern hemisphere is a composite of photos taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, using filters sensitive to infrared light. These spectral filters help show the depth and shape of clouds.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/hubble-uncovers-a-galaxy-pair-coming-in-from-the-wilderness">NASA, ESA, and E. Tollerud</a>04SPoW-Aug12-05.jpg
This week, two small galaxies, Pisces A and B, made it out of the Local Void, an isolated area, into a highly populated part of the cosmos. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured new stars in the two galaxies, documenting new growth after billions of years.
<a href="http://m.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/08/Mars_Express_image_of_Schiaparelli_s_landing_site">ESA/DLR/FU Berlin</a>05SPoW-Aug12-09.jpg
The top of this image shows smooth plains on Mars’ surface, and the center shows a flat area between two craters which Schiaparelli, the ExoMars Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module, will target. The bottom of the image shows channels carved by water long ago.
<a href="http://m.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/08/Comet_on_10_August_2016_OSIRIS_wide-angle_camera">ESA/Rosetta/MPS</a>06SPoW-Aug12-03.jpg
The Rosetta mission captured this photo of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko while eight miles from the center of the comet.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/cassini-finds-flooded-canyons-on-titan">NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI</a>07SPoW-Aug12-08.jpg
Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, has deep, steep canyons, as documented in this photo from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft—the same canyon carvings found along Arizona’s Colorado River. These canyons are flooded with liquid hydrocarbons, providing evidence of channels of liquid on Titan.
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/perseid-meteor-shower-2016-from-west-virginia">NASA/Bill Ingalls</a>08SPoW-Aug12-07.jpg
On Friday, August 12, a meteor raced across the sky during the Perseid shower, as Earth annually crosses debris left by an ancient comet. This 30-second exposure taken in Spruce Knob, West Virginia captures its flight.
Astronomers Discover a Possible New Dwarf Planet in Our Solar System
Lying beyond Pluto, 2026 ED138 could be as large as 1,500 kilometers in diameter. Astronomers are still working to confirm whether it meets the criteria for a dwarf planet.
Jorge Garay
Astronomers Confirm Discovery of the Youngest Known Exoplanet Ever
Under 1 million years old, “Elias 2-24b” is now the youngest exoplanet ever observed, and it may force researchers to reevaluate theories about how planets are formed.
Teruyuki Hayakawa
Inside the Supermassive Debate Over the James Webb Telescope’s ‘Little Red Dots’
The Webb telescope sees tiny red dots everywhere. Astronomers can’t agree on what they are, but some believe they may be enormous stars with black holes inside.
Charlie Wood
The ‘Exotic Physics’ Behind a Mysterious 1,000-Mile Cloud on Mars
The cloud has baffled astronomers since its discovery in 2018. Now, a new study offers a possible cause for its appearance.
Tereza Ondráčková
Humans Watched This Supernova Explode Nearly a Millennium Ago. Now You Can See It in High Definition
The new image isn’t just stunning—it may also provide clues about how this star survived its own explosion.
Jorge Garay
How to See the Orionid Meteor Shower and Other Upcoming Astronomical Events
Made up of small fragments left behind by Halley’s Comet, these meteors are known for being especially bright and speedy.
Ritsuko Kawai
NASA Just Made Nearly 1 TB of Artemis II Data Available to the Public
The data drop includes photographs, audio, video, and astronauts’ notes that will be used to study the moon and prepare for future human missions.
Jorge Garay
Japan Is Attempting an Audacious Mission to Sample a Martian Moon
JAXA is leading an international mission to reach Mars’ Phobos moon and bring soil back to Earth. If successful, it could unlock new clues about the history of the solar system.
Jenna Ahart
NASA’s Oldest Martian Spacecraft Have Been Running for Decades. Here’s How
Two orbiters have long outlasted their expected lifespans and completely reshaped our understanding of the Red Planet, all while operating 140 million miles from Earth.
Meghan Bartels
What to Know About China’s Top-Secret Spaceplane
This week, the Pentagon released a full-resolution image of the vehicle, the capabilities of which remain rather mysterious.
Stephen Clark, Ars Technica
Artemis III Scientist Shares What to Expect From NASA’s Next Lunar Mission
Though scaled back from initial plans of landing, the voyage will serve as a dress rehearsal for when humans return to the moon’s surface.
Jorge Garay
Scientists Trapped an Antimatter Particle for Months to Study Its Secrets
These elusive and reactive particles have been challenging to hold on to and even more challenging to study, but a new method paves the way for tests on the differences between matter and antimatter.
Jorge Garay