Best Space Pictures of the Week - Sept. 22, 2012

Photographer Sam Veta snapped this photo of NASA's space shuttle Endeavour flying over the iconic Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory during its arrival in Los Angeles on Sept. 21, 2012, to be placed on public display at the California Science Center. [Full Photo Gallery]

Brilliant colors swirl and glow in the Rho Ophiuchi Nebula, as seen in this beautiful night sky image. [Full Story]

The Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a gorgeous photo of a faraway spiral galaxy, confirming that it is indeed churning out new stars at a rapid rate. [Full Story]

This photo of Iris Nebula, NGC 7023, in the constellation of Cepheus, was captured by an amateur astronomer using the Slooh Space Camera, an online night sky observing service that allows users to observe the sky using telescopes around the world. [Full Photo Gallery]

A waxing crescent moon hangs above a hill in this beautiful night sky photo. [Full Story]

It's been a bad summer for wildfires, and even with autumn's cooler temperatures approaching, the fires still burn. [Full Story]

Expedition 32 NASA Flight Engineer signs the side of his Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft shortly after he landed with his crew mates Expedition 32 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin of Russia in a remote area near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, on Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. Acaba, Padalka and Revin returned from five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 31 and 32 crews. [Full Photo Gallery]

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity snapped a panoramic shot of its own wheels and underbelly on Sept. 9, 2012, about five weeks after landing on the Red Planet. [Full Story]

Pictures from the new Dark Energy Camera instrument. [Full Photo Gallery]