Best Space Pictures of the Week - Dec. 15, 2012

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Zoom in On 'Black Marble' Earth View

Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC

Now you can see all of the country's nighttime lights in a single high-def image that allows users to zoom in and see tiny details of the so-called "Black Marble" view of Earth. [Full Story]

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Running Man Nebula Captured by Online Space Camera

Credit: Slooh Space Camera

The Running Man nebula sprints into the spotlight in this spectacular night sky photo. [Full Story]

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Surprise Radio Jets Revealed in Hercules A Galaxy

Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Baum and C. O'Dea (RIT), R. Perley and W. Cotton (NRAO/AUI/NSF), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

An amazing new radio image of elliptical galaxy Hercules A reveals two gigantic cosmic jets shooting from its center. [Full Story]

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Nile-Like River Spotted on Saturn Moon Titan

Credit: NASA/JPL–Caltech/ASI

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has spotted a long river snaking across the frigid surface of Saturn’s huge moon Titan. [Full Story]

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Ancient Galaxy May Be Most Distant Ever Seen

Credit: NASA, ESA, R. Ellis (Caltech), and the UDF 2012 Team

An ancient galaxy spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope may be the most distant ever seen. [Full Story]

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Earth Has Its Picture Taken on 12/12/12

Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project/Dennis Chesters

For the occasion of 12/12/12, at 12:00, Earth had its portrait taken. [Full Story]

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Earth's Highest Mountain Photographed From Space Station

Credit: Malenchenko/Russian Federal Space Agency

Mount Everest was photographed from orbit by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko last week, showing the peak of Earth's highest mountain. [Full Story]

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Photos: Geminid Meteors of 2012

Credit: Tommy Eliassen Photography

Reader-submitted photos of the 2012 Geminids. [See Photo Gallery]

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Huge Asteroid's Earth Flyby Caught on Video

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A new video shows the huge asteroid tumbling through space as it passed by Earth earlier this week. [Full Story]