Best Space Photos of the Week - March 2, 2013

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Dragon CRS-2

NASA/George Roberts

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars toward space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 1, 2013 at 10:10 a.m. EST, carrying a Dragon capsule filled with cargo for the International Space Station. [See the full photo gallery]

The Lagoon Show

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/Coelum

The Lagoon Nebula, also called Messier 8, lies deeply embedded in the disk of our galaxy. Stars form within this giant region, and they gravitationally cluster in the heart of the nebula. Ultraviolet radiations from newborn stars ionize hydrogen gas, creating the pink emission. [See More Images]

Artist Creates Tiny Buzz Aldrin Moonwalker in Eye of Needle

Willard Wigan

An ultra-tiny sculpture depicting Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin on the moon is on display at a San Diego space museum. It was created by artist Willard Wigan. [Full Story]

1st Photo of Alien Planet Forming Snapped by Telescope

ESO/L. Calçada

Astronomers have captured what they think is the first photo of a planet in the process of forming. [Full Story]

Dennis Tito's 2018 Human Mars Flyby Mission Explained (Infographic)

Karl Tate, SPACE.com Infographics Artist

In 2013, Dennis Tito’s Inspiration Mars Foundation announced plans to launch a spacecraft on a mission to fly past Mars without landing, in 2018. [Full Story]

Mysterious Traveller

G.Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com)/ESO

ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) tested a new laser on February 14, 2013. The laser will make up a vital part of the Laser Guide Star Facility (LGSF), which allows astronomers to correct for most of the disturbances caused by the constant movement of the atmosphere. A special celestial visitor also appears in this photo. Right of center, just below the Small Magellanic Cloud in this photo, a green dot glows with a faint tail stretching to its left. This is recently discovered Comet Lemmon, currently moving slowly through the southern skies. [See More Images]

Record-Setting Snowfall Seen from Space

NASA Earth Observatory

The image, provided by the NASA Earth Observatory, shows snow blanketing much of Colorado and surrounding states yesterday (Feb. 25). [Full Story]

SpaceX's Next Space Station Resupply Flight Gets Mission Patches

NASA/SpaceX

The second of NASA's contracted cargo flights to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) is set to launch later this week and like most spaceflights, it has its own mission patch. [Full Story]

Astronaut Snaps Photo of Mount Etna Erupting

Canadian Space Agency/Chris Hadfield (Cmdr_Hadfield)

The world's favorite space shutterbug snapped a photo of Mount Etna's spectacular ongoing eruption. [Full Story]

Moonlet Feels Right

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

A tiny moonlet nicknamed Blierot embedded itself in Saturn’s A Ring, creating the propeller-shaped white dashes near the bottom of this image. Cassini spacecraft took the image on Nov. 11, 2012. [See More Images]

Satellite's Gone Up to the Skies

ISRO

This panoramic view shows preparations for India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C20 to launch into space carrying seven new satellites. The mission primarily intended to orbit the ocean-monitoring SARAL satellite for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and French Space Agency. The Canadian Space Agency’s NEOSSat asteroid-hunting satellite also went along for the ride. The rocket launched successfully on Feb. 25, 2013, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. [See More Images]

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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.