Gallery: Space Photos of the Week: A Stellar Explosion Pitches a Stellar Tantrum

  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Ornament Tree Plant Christmas Tree Night Light Flare and Fireworks
    <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1711a/">ESO</a>
    01

    SPoW-April6-08.jpg

    The ALMA telescope captured this spectacular stellar explosion in the Orion Molecular Cloud 1, a region with dense and active star formation. The explosion most likely formed when two young protostars clashed together, shooting carbon monoxide and gas into the universe in a fantastic fireworks display.
  • Image may contain Universe Space Moon Night Astronomy Outdoors Outer Space Nature Planet and Globe
    <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/hubble-takes-close-up-portrait-of-jupiter">NASA</a>
    02

    SPoW-April6-06.jpg

    Jupiter made its nearest approach to earth on April 3, just 415 million miles from Earth. Hubble seized the opportunity to snap this incredible close-up. The famous Great Red Spot is a swirling storm roughly the diameter of Earth.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space Comet and Night
    <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/comet-that-took-a-century-to-confirm-passes-by-earth">NASA</a>
    03

    SPoW-April6-01.jpg

    This week, Comet 41P passed by Earth 13 million miles away, the closest flyby in over 50 years. In this image, the comet soars through a galactic field in the bowl of the Big Dipper.
  • Image may contain Universe Space Night Moon Astronomy Outdoors Outer Space Nature and Planet
    <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-s-solar-dynamics-observatory-captured-trio-of-solar-flares-april-2-3">NASA</a>
    04

    SPoW-April6-03.jpg

    NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured three solar flares on the Sun, which are powerful bursts of radiation.
  • Image may contain Nature Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space Outdoors Night and Nebula
    <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-halfway-from-pluto-to-next-flyby-target">NASA</a>
    05

    SPoW-April6-04.jpg

    This 10-second exposure of the star field was snapped by the New Horizons spacecraft as it neared MU69, a Kuiper Belt object (highlighted in yellow). New Horizons will pass by this target in January 2019, setting the record the the furthest exploration in history.
  • Image may contain Electronics Hardware Computer Mouse Cell Phone Mobile Phone and Phone
    <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/pia20530/sliver-of-saturn">NASA</a>
    06

    SPoW-April6-05.jpg

    From below Saturn’s ring plane, the dense B ring, in the center, appears dark, while the A and C rings, on either side of it, appear more opaque.
  • Image may contain Fire Candle and Flame
    <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1714a/">ALMA</a>
    07

    SPoW-April6-07.jpg

    In this image, a young star is surrounded by thick rings of dust. The gaps between rings were likely caused when some of the dust coalesced into protoplanets.
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