Space photo of the week — Extraordinary images of our sublime universe
![A mosaic of JWST and Hubble data of the "Pillars of Creation" visualization.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GMHMPGnyGw7Uw6iWrSMaq5-320-80.png)
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
![A black background with a large blue glowing orb in the middle and a smaller red orb to the bottom left](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Wn5jTWu2v6qk6joHq3QyJU-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: The 1st image of an alien planet
By Jamie Carter published
The Very Large Telescope in northern Chile imaged a "super-Jupiter" exoplanet called 2M1207b, precisely 20 years ago this week. This was the first direct visual confirmation of a world beyond our solar system.
![A photo of a spiral galaxy with blue and red streaks](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9rsiRSbhwqjzecwKFYx6Ci-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: Milky Way's galactic twin captured by Dark Energy Camera
By Jamie Carter published
NGC 6744 is a spiral galaxy bigger than, but otherwise very similar to, our own. NASA has dubbed the large spiral galaxy the Milky Way’s ‘big brother’.
![A blue and red sphere on a black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/v87oBEtBUAN6CTMJYfahLm-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: 1st-ever close-up of Neptune is Voyager 2's final portrait of a planet
By Jamie Carter published
Voyager 2, NASA's longest-running mission, explored Neptune during a historic encounter on Aug. 25, 1989, sending back humanity's first close-ups of the planet.
![A photo showing a sparkling nebula with blue and orange clouds](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7raR7WvrZbt2PsCeRRQBgZ-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: James Webb telescope catches baby stars roaring to life
By Jamie Carter published
A new image of the Serpens Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope shows that when clouds collapse to form stars, all of those stars spin in the same direction.
![An aerial view of waving sand dunes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RerT9CFeLMBYMmnHAkSRWj-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: Stunning sand dunes slash across Mars' polar ice cap
By Jamie Carter published
This stunning image of dune fields near Mars' north polar ice cap, taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, showcases the impact of polar winds on the Red Planet's landscape.
![A photo of a globular cluster](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C4FJBhGk28ULzrZYDMDdtJ-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: A cosmic 'fossil' holding some of the oldest stars in the universe
By Jamie Carter published
The Hubble Space Telescope zooms in on a dense ball of millions of stars within a galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. Its ancient origins raise big questions about how galaxies form and grow.
![A photo of a moon lander flying over the moon, with Earth far in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7vTPJM4Cq7bTs97fmG5nNG-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: 55 years ago, the 'world's loneliest man' snapped this iconic Apollo 11 image
By Jamie Carter published
Command module pilot Michael Collins took this iconic Apollo 11 photo 55 years ago today, after his historic trip around the far side of the moon made him "the world's loneliest man".
![A JWST photo showing a galaxy in the shape of a penguin](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jv8k2WJoGyuYHiW6JLC8p3-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: Warped 'penguin galaxy' spotted by JWST is waddling toward certain doom
By Brandon Specktor published
To mark its second anniversary of operations, James Webb Space Telescope scientists share a stunning view of the Penguin and Egg galaxies as they slowly collide.
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