Space photo of the week — Extraordinary images of our sublime universe

A mosaic of JWST and Hubble data of the "Pillars of Creation" visualization.
(Image credit: Greg Bacon (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Leah Hustak (STScI), Christian Nieves (STScI), Joseph Olmsted (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Frank Summers (STScI), NASA's Universe of Learning)

Space photos remind us that, around every corner of our vast universe, something spectacular awaits. From the newest James Webb Space Telescope images to historic photos of groundbreaking space missions, join us every Sunday as we explore the wonders of the universe, and humanity's place in it.

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Latest about space photo of the week

NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features part of the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Space photo of the week: Hubble zooms in on the glittering galaxy next door

By Jamie Carter published

The Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy about 200,000 light-years from the solar system, can be seen with the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere.

Astronomy

Space photo of the week: The last sight you see before dying on the moon

By Jamie Carter published

The final act of the Blue Ghost lander's busy two weeks on the moon was to send back sunset shots featuring Earth and Venus.

The Moon

Space photo of the week: James Webb telescope's view of the Flame Nebula is a 'quantum leap' forward for astronomers

By Jamie Carter published

Trained on the spectacular Flame Nebula, the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes went hunting for the smallest stars in the universe.

Astronomy

Space photo of the week: Hubble hunts a stellar 'imposter' hiding in the Great Bear

By Jamie Carter published

The legendary Hubble Space Telescope has turned its gaze to the Ursa Major-adjacent galaxy UGC 5460, revealing spiral arms, star clusters and a possible supernova "imposter".

Astronomy

Space photo of the week: The last view of the 'Great Comet of 2025' for half a million years

By Shreejaya Karantha published

Beautifully captured against a starry sky, Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) — dubbed by some as the "Great Comet of 2025" — shines brightly after its last approach to the sun for hundreds of thousands of years.

Comets

Space photo of the week: James Webb telescope reveals mysterious 'light echo' in the broken heart of Cassiopeia

By Shreejaya Karantha published

Beautifully captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), this image shows interstellar gas and dust lit up by a dead star in Cassiopeia.

Astronomy

Space photo of the week: James Webb telescope shocks scientists with image of ancient galaxy roaring back to life

By Jamie Carter published

The James Webb Space Telescope has zoomed in on Leo P, a tiny galaxy with some big things to say about star formation.

Astronomy
An aerial photo showing gray and black clouds of dust over the surface of Mars

Space photo of the week: Dry ice 'geysers' erupt on Mars as spring hits the Red Planet

By Jamie Carter published

NASA shares an iconic image of carbon dioxide ice erupting in geysers when Martian winter turns to spring.

Mars
A side-by-side comparison of images of NGC 346 from JWST and Hubble

Space photo of the week: James Webb and Hubble telescopes unite to solve 'impossible' planet mystery

By Jamie Carter published

New James Webb Space Telescope observations of a star cluster called NGC 346 are shedding light on how, when and where planets formed in the early universe.

Astronomy
an image of a galaxy cluster

Space photo of the week: Galaxies teeter toward collision in the sparkling depths of Virgo

By Jamie Carter published

An ultra-deep image from the National Science Foundation's Dark Energy Camera reveals a wide variety of galaxies in the unusual Antlia Cluster.

Astronomy
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