NASA shares 10 mesmerising astronomical pictures of January 2025
Step into the cosmos with NASA’s breathtaking astronomical highlights of January 2025. From planetary alignments to galactic collisions and vibrant auroras, explore these stunning celestial wonders captured through the lens of cutting-edge space technology.
ALPHA CENTAURI : The Alpha Centauri system, the closest to the Sun, includes Proxima Centauri, the nearest star, and Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star. Proxima Centauri hosts a potentially habitable exoplanet.
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SOLAR ANALEMMA 2024: Captured in 2024, this series shows the Sun’s daily motion, forming an analemma curve. Taken at 1pm local time in Kayseri, Turkey, it marks solstices, equinoxes, and features Mount Erciyes in the background.
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ECLIPSE PAIR: Eclipse seasons occur twice a year, with solar and lunar eclipses separated by about 14 days. In 2025, a total lunar eclipse on 14 March pairs with a partial solar eclipse on 29 March and another on 8 September.
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WELCOME TO PERIHELION: Earth's perihelion occurred on January 4, 2025, at 147 million km from the Sun, coinciding with NASA's Parker Solar Probe's closest approach to the Sun, breaking its own record set in December 2024.
COLLIDING GALAXIES: In a billion years, NGC 2207 will absorb IC 2163. Their ongoing collision creates tides of matter, star formation, and cosmic dust. Hubble and Webb capture the stunning event in visible and infrared light.
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NEW YEAR'S AURORA: On January 1, 2025, a stunning sky over Italy featured two red glows: a red aurora and a possible SAR arc, both caused by solar activity, showcasing Earth's dynamic atmosphere.
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SUPERNOVA REMNANATS: Two supernova remnants captured in a striking image: SNR G179.0+02.6, about 50,000 years old, and the Spaghetti Nebula, 40,000 years old, both about the same size despite their apparent differences.
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PECULIAR GALAXIES: This image shows Arp 273, two galaxies over 300 million light-years away, engaged in a cosmic dance. Their peculiar shape hints at the future collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies.
DARK NEBULAE: In the Taurus constellation, dusty nebulae and T-Tauri stars are forming within the Taurus molecular cloud, 450 light-years away. V773, a bright T-Tauri star, lies near the center, with Barnard 209 above.
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PLANET ALIGNMENT: A planetary parade graces January skies, with Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and a crescent Moon alongside Earth's silhouette, captured near Mount Etna's Silvestri Crater.
