Recent astronomical observations and images have provided unprecedented views of various celestial bodies and phenomena. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile captured the clearest image ever of Betelgeuse, a massive star that would engulf the orbits of Mercury through Jupiter if placed at the Sun's position. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope provided detailed images of the Helix Nebula, also known as NGC 7293 or the God's Eye Nebula, located 680 light years from Earth and discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding. NASA's Juno spacecraft captured highly detailed images of Jupiter, including an ultraviolet image from the Hubble Space Telescope showing Jupiter's Great Red Spot as dark due to high-altitude haze particles, and revealing wavy polar hazes during opposition in November 2023. The clearest images ever taken of Mercury and Venus were released, with the latter captured by the Akatsuki spacecraft. The Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant located 2,100 light years away in Cygnus and spanning 110 light years, was also highlighted. The Hubble Space Telescope captured auroras at Saturn, while NASA/NOAA documented the Moon crossing the face of Earth from about a million miles away. Additional images include Earthrise from lunar orbit during Apollo 15, the Earth and Moon photographed from Mercury's orbit, and a panoramic view of South America from the International Space Station showing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans along with Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. The space shuttle Endeavour was also photographed in silhouette against Earth's atmosphere. These images collectively enhance understanding of planetary atmospheres, nebulae, star formation regions like the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and the dynamic interactions within our solar system and beyond.
From a million miles away, NASA captures Moon crossing face of Earth. (Yes, this is a real image) Credit: NASA/NOAA https://t.co/OGGLgnSz1y
Clearest image ever taken of Mercury NASA https://t.co/sAvGSxopJR
This image from the Spitzer Space Telescope is the Helix Nebula.. The Helix Nebula shows the welcome light from NGC 7293, or the God's Eye Nebula.The distance of the planetary nebula from Earth is 680 light years. It was discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding. NASA/Spitzer https://t.co/L3SLA8V6a2