THE LATEST ASTRONOMICAL PHOTOS

Above, star formation. Vast areas of gas are being compacted by the solar wind blown from different directions by nearby stars.

Here's Stickney Crater, the largest crater on the Martian moon, Phobos. The crater is half the size of the Phobos and appears to have been made fairly recently.

Above, the night side of Saturn, taken this past October. The sun is entirely hidden behind the planet. 

Recently the Curiosity rover on Mars crossed this area (above), thought to be the site of an ancient lake.

Above, an expanding shock wave in the rim of our satellite galaxy, The Small Magellanic Cloud.

Here's (above) a far away, spooky, radio galaxy called Hercules A. The plasma jets are enormous, maybe a hundred million light years from end to end. Nobody knows why the jets take the shape they do.




Here's a solar flare that erupted on New Years' Eve, 2012. The film condenses 4 hours of activity into 17 seconds. Be sure to watch it on full screen mode.