Gallery: Space Photos of the Week: Dying Star Insists on Being Dramatic About It

  • Image may contain Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space Nebula Animal and Fish
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2016/hubble-views-a-colorful-demise-of-a-sun-like-star">NASA, ESA</a>
    01

    SPoW-Sept22-06.jpg

    NASA’s Hubble telescope took this photo of a star dying by discarding its outer layers of gas, leaving a white dwarf (the white spot in the middle) at its core.
  • Image may contain Soil Fossil and Archaeology
    <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA21063">NASA/JPL</a>
    02

    SPoW-Sept22-03.jpg

    Shown in HiRISE infrared color, fissures lined with sand on the surface of Mars look blue, contrasting with the dust covering the rest of the terrain.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space Nebula Night and Milky Way
    <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1638a/">ESO</a>
    03

    SPoW-Sept22-05.jpg

    This photo, taken at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile, shows the Milky Way overhead, orange Mars on the left, and the magenta Carina Nebula in the upper middle.
  • Image may contain Astronomy Universe Space Outer Space and Outdoors
    <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1633c/">NASA, ESA</a>
    04

    SPoW-Sept22-01.jpg

    This photo, combining over two million seconds of exposure time taken of the Fornax constellation over the past decade, is the deepest image ever made of the universe.
  • Image may contain Ground Nature and Outdoors
    <a href="http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/09/Methane-flooded_canyons_on_Titan">NASA/JPL</a>
    05

    SPoW-Sept22-02.jpg

    On Titan, Saturn’s biggest moon, a river of methane (from the upper left) branches into Ligeia Mare, a methane-rich sea.
  • Image may contain Nature Sand Outdoors and Soil
    <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA21066">NASA/JPL</a>
    06

    SPoW-Sept22-04.jpg

    On Mars, huge lava flows create channels and pits in the landscape, as captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Earth’s Condition Is ‘Serious and Getting Worse’ as Climate Change Intensifies
Seven of 16 planetary vital signs are in their most extreme state ever recorded, and El Niño is here to make matters even worse.
Brian Kahn
Pour One Out for the Leap Second
The metric might not mean much to laypeople, but leap seconds have been a source of contention in the timekeeping community for years. Now, they’re dead.
Brian Kahn