Meteor fireballs, nebulae, Durdle Door skies and more: See NASA's 10 stunning astronomical images
From dazzling meteor fireballs to glowing nebulae and cosmic clouds, NASA’s latest collection of astronomical images captures the beauty and mystery of our universe in breathtaking detail.
In the Heart of Orion: The Trapezium, four massive stars at Orion’s heart, illuminates the nebula and may host a hidden black hole just 1,500 light-years from Earth. (Image: NASA)
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Perseids from Perseus: The Perseids meteor shower originates from debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle, appearing to radiate from Perseus, with bright streaks lighting skies despite competition from the Moon. (Image: NASA)
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The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules: M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, holds hundreds of thousands of stars packed tightly, shining 25,000 light-years away in a stunning stellar sphere. (Image: NASA)
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Moonlight, Planets, and Perseids: On August 13, Venus, Jupiter, and Perseid meteors lit up Gansu’s predawn sky, reflecting in a pond despite the waning gibbous Moon’s glare. (Image: NASA)
Asperitas Clouds Over New Zealand: Asperitas clouds, rare and dramatic with wavy undersides, were seen over Hanmer Springs, New Zealand, in 2005, illuminated beautifully by sunlight despite their mysterious origins. (Image: NASA)
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A Useful Spiral Galaxy: Spiral galaxy NGC 1309, 100 million light-years away, dazzles with young blue stars and supernovas, helping scientists refine measurements of the universe’s expansion. (Image: NASA)
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Giant Galaxies in Pavo: NGC 6872, the Condor Galaxy, spans 500,000 light-years, five times larger than the Milky Way, with distorted arms shaped by past galactic interactions. (Image: NASA)
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Perseid Meteors from Durdle Door: Perseid meteors streak across Dorset’s Durdle Door sky, captured in a composite image where curved arcs point to Perseus, with the Milky Way glowing behind. (Image: NASA)
Mostly Perseids: Perseid meteors streak over Austria, converging toward Perseus, captured in 500-exposure composite, with Jupiter and Venus glowing above wind turbines in the early August predawn sky. (Image: NASA)
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A Tale of Two Nebulae: This telescopic view shows M57's glowing ring and distant spiral galaxy IC 1296, revealing planetary nebula and faraway galaxies in Lyra's constellation. (Image: NASA)
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