17 Space Pictures That Will Make You Wonder

The universe might be big and wonderful and scary, but that doesn’t mean we can’t understand it.

1. This is what a nebula looks like in visible light versus infrared.

That Will Actually Make You Think9 - StumbleUpon
NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team / spacetelescope.org / spacetelescope.org

2. This is the Earth-moon distance to scale.

enhanced-buzz-wide-2723-1420723206-7

3. This is how thin our atmosphere actually is.

enhanced-buzz-wide-31891-1420719229-20

There’s a reason scientists sometimes refer to it as the thin blue line.

4. We actually see slightly more than half the moon.

anigif_enhanced-9757-1420559103-7

Thanks to something called lunar libration (basically, a wobbly orbit) we can get a peek of the other side of the moon.

5. This is what a sunset looks like on Mars.

enhanced-buzz-wide-11255-1420556767-9

6. For the first astronauts on Mars, Earth will be just a tiny speck in the sky.

original-2975-1420561584-13

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/TAMU / Via jpl.nasa.gov

7. This is what it looks like when planets form around a star.

original-18838-1420551011-34

ALMA (NRAO/ESO/NAOJ); C. Brogan, B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

The orange disk that surrounds the star it is made up of dust and gas. The dark bands in the image are where the gas and dust has been swept up by newly formed planet.

8. This picture shows the sun reflecting off the sea on Saturn’s moon Titan.

enhanced-buzz-wide-11196-1420554507-8

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/University of Idaho / Via jpl.nasa.gov

Yes, some moons have seas.

9. This is what Saturn looks like from the other side, with the sun behind it.

enhanced-buzz-wide-25317-1420562677-26

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute / Via photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov

10. And that tiny dot just inside Saturn’s second ring is Earth.

original-30006-1420717900-3

NASA/JPL

To paraphrase Carl Sagan, everyone you’ve ever loved or hated or even just met once and have no strong opinion on lives on those few pixels.

11. This is the sharpest image the Hubble Space Telescope has ever taken.

enhanced-buzz-wide-7022-1420717644-7

NASA, ESA, J. Dalcanton, B.F. Williams, and L.C. Johnson (University of Washington), the PHAT team, and R. Gendler

It’s part of our neighbour the Andromeda galaxy. The full size version contains more than a 100 million stars.

12. This is what it looks like when a small galaxy passes behind a bigger spiral one.

enhanced-buzz-wide-18561-1420727159-25

NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA) / Via spacetelescope.org

The encounter has been going on for hundred of million years already.

13. This is what it looks like when two spiral galaxies collide.

original-2669-1420723651-3

NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

Consider it a bit of a preview for when our galaxy the Milky Way merges with our neighbouring galaxy Andromeda in billions of years.

14. This is what the south pole of Jupiter looks like.

enhanced-buzz-wide-6958-1420725332-8

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute / Via nasa.gov

The map is made up of pictures taken in 2000 by the Cassini spacecraft.

15. There’s a volcanic region on Jupiter’s moon Io and this is what it looks like when it erupts.

anigif_enhanced-28163-1420727468-11
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute / Via photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov

This five-frame sequence was taken over eight minutes.

16. This is a tiny patch of the sky, and every speck of light in this image is a galaxy.

enhanced-buzz-wide-7015-1420728052-19

NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch (University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Bouwens (Leiden University), and the HUDF09 Team / Via hubblesite.org

(Apart from a few, which are stars – you can tell those apart because there are little spikes of light radiating from them.)

17. This is what a spiral galaxy looks like side on.

hat Will Actually Make You Think

Latest Posts

Disney+’s GOOSEBUMPS Season 2 Reveals Full Cast and Story Details

Earlier this week, the entertainment world buzzed with excitement as news broke that David Schwimmer was slated to headline Disney+'s highly anticipated Goosebumps Season...

Confirmation of a Reboot for the Next PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Movie

Pirates of the Caribbean, the beloved franchise that has enthralled audiences for years with its swashbuckling adventures, is set to embark on a new...

Posts You Will Love

8 Amazing Benefits and Advantages of Computer Based Testing

Computer-based testing is starting to become more popular. If you are curious about this technology, click here for some benefits of computer-based testing. What if...

Latest articles

Related articles

Your Comments / What Do You Think ?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.