Amazing Night Sky Photos by Stargazers: January 2014

Andromeda Galaxy by Jeff Johnson

Jeff Johnson

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is located 2.5 million light years from our own Milky Way. Jeff Johnson took the image on Dec. 6 and 15, 2013 from Las Cruces, N.M. [Read the Story Behind this Photo Here.]

Lunar Halo Over Frosty Drew Observatory

Scott MacNeill | www.frostydrew.org

A lunar halo glows over Frosty Drew Observatory. Scott MacNeill captured this image at approximately midnight on Jan. 18, 2014 from Charlestown, R.I. [Read the story behind this photo here]

Star Trails Over MAGIC I Telescope by Miguel Claro

Miguel Claro | www.miguelclaro.com

Star trails glow over a MAGIC I telescope (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma, Canary Islands. Miguel Claro took 53 shots with a Canon 60Da camera (ISO 2500; 24mm at f/2; Exp. 15 seconds) to create this photo. It was sent to SPACE.com on Jan. 7, 2014. [Read the Story Behind This Photo Here]

Sunspot AR 1944 Seen in Mississauga, Ontario

Andrew Kwon

Astrophotographer Andrew Kwon sent in a photo of sunspot group 1944 taken on Jan. 8, 2014, from his backyard observatory in Mississauga, Ontario. [Read the Full Story Behind This Photo Here]

Milky Way Over Old Windmill by Sean Parker

Sean Parker | www.sean-parker.com

The night sky is a wondrous place teeming with stars, planets and galaxies galore. See some of the most amazing views of the January 2014 night sky by SPACE.com readers and stargazers in this gallery.

Here: The Milky Way arches over an old windmill near Paulden, Arizona. Astrophotographer Sean Parker sent this image to SAPCE.com on Dec. 30, 2013. [Read the story behind the photo here]

Setting Sun with Sunspot AR 1944 HDR Filtered by Petricca

Giuseppe Petricca

Giuseppe Petricca sent SPACE.com this HDR filtered photo of the setting sun with sunspot AR 1944 still visible on the horizon. Petricca took this photo on Jan. 7 from Sulmona, Italy using a Nikon P90 bridge camera on a tripod (ISO 64, f/6.3, 1/1200" exposure). Welding glass was used giving the photo a green color. [Read the Full Story Behind This Photo Here]

Milky Way Over La Palma, Canary Islands

Miguel Claro

Skywatcher Miguel Claro sent in a dramatic photo of the Milky Way above the volcanic crater Caldera de Taburiente, at Pico de La Cruz, La Palma, Canary Islands, taken Sept. 9, 2013.

Sunspot AR 1944 Seen in Sulmona, Italy

Giuseppe Petricca

Astrophotographer Giuseppe Petricca sent in a photo of the sunspot AR 1944, taken Jan. 7, 2014, in Sulmona, Italy. He used a piece of welding glass to filter the sun, producing the green color. [Read the Full Story Behind This Photo Here]

Orion Constellation Over Rye, New Hampshire

Aaron D. Priest

Astrophotographer Aaron D. Priest sent in a photo he took of fellow astrophotographer Jon Secord shooting the breakwater and night sky on the beach of Wallis Sands State Park in Rye, New Hampshire, December 28th, 2013. Orion constellation soars through the sky overhead.

Sunspot AR 1944 by Petricca

Giuseppe Petricca

This image shows the sun with massive sunspot AR 1944 visible near the center of the image. Giuseppe Petricca took this photo on Jan. 7 from Sulmona, Italy using a Nikon P90 bridge camera on a tripod (ISO 64, f/6.3, 1/1200" exposure). [Read the Full Story Behind This Photo Here]

Moon and Venus Crescents

Giuseppe Petricca

Astrophotographer Giuseppe Petricca sent in a photo of a twilight conjunction of the moon and Venus, both in crescent phase. Image taken from Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy, and submitted Jan. 2, 2014.

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