Best Space Photos of the Week – Nov. 15, 2015

Good Morning, Good Morning

Scott Kelly (via Twitter as @StationCDRKelly)

Friday, Nov. 13, 2015: Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on Nov. 5, 2015, writing, "For an instant before sunrise, the space station glows orange. #GoodMorning from @Space_Station! #YearInSpace." He continues his one-year mission on the station, scheduled to end in March 2016. [See more photos]

Shoot Out

ESO/A. Plunkett

Two almost-symmetrical jets of dense gas spurt from a single source at the center of this image. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) captured this protostar, known as CARMA-7, and its jets, which lie approximately 1400 light-years from Earth within the Serpens South star cluster. At least 30 more protostars crowd this dense cluster, found in the constellation of Serpens (The Serpent), providing astronomers with excellent subjects for the study of stars interacting with their environment. The jets may be caused by periodic outbursts of gas ejected at high speed. [See more photos]

Ancient Watcher

Brian Hancock

Astrophotographer Brian Hancock sent in a photo of the Milky Way over a moai near Hanga Roa on Easter Island in the south Pacific Ocean, a province of Chile. He writes in an email message to Space.com: “Just wanted to share a ... [photo] from a recent trip to Chile this past October. I honestly was totally lost when I first looked up — familiar constellations like Sagittarius and Scorpius were so ‘out of place’ that I didn't recognize them at first. [This] photo is from a night of observing at a moai near Hanga Roa. It is right by the shore and clouds rolled in as the Milky Way hovered above.” [See more photos]

Strategic Command Issues Statement on Trident Missile Test that Freaked Out the West Coast

Porter Tinsley

With images like these, it's no wonder California — not to mention the Twittersphere — freaked out Saturday evening when an unannounced test of a submarine-launched Trident missile lit up the evening sky. Photographer Porter Tinsley and her wife were on the shore of California's desolate Salton Sea taking long exposures and time lapses with three different cameras when they witnessed what they thought at the time was a chemical or nuclear weapon detonating over Los Angeles two and a half hours to the west. [Read the full story.]

Strategic Command Issues Statement on Trident Missile Test that Freaked Out the West Coast

Porter Tinsley

With images like these, it's no wonder California — not to mention the Twittersphere — freaked out Saturday evening when an unannounced test of a submarine-launched Trident missile lit up the evening sky. Photographer Porter Tinsley and her wife were on the shore of California's desolate Salton Sea taking long exposures and time lapses with three different cameras when they witnessed what they thought at the time was a chemical or nuclear weapon detonating over Los Angeles two and a half hours to the west. [Read the full story.]

Got Milky Way? Cows Surprise Skywatcher During Night Sky Photo Shoot

Stephen Ippolito

While photographing the night sky, Stephen Ippolito got quite a scare from an odd noise in the dark distance. “I thought the sound could have been a moose running our way. Low and behold there were about 5-6 cows that came running towards us when they heard us talking to each other (I never knew cows could run that fast), I think they wanted our company or perhaps more likely food. Luckily the barbed-wired fence was there as they stopped right at the fence,” Ippolito wrote in an email to Space.com. [Read the full story.]

Awesome Lego Star Wars Photo Book Stages Scenes from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

© 2015 Lego © and ™ 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Wars kits, and especially its minifigures, pack a lot of personality into a few pieces of plastic. That goes double for photographer Vesa Lehtimäk's new LEGO photobook. [Read the full story.]

'WTF' Space Junk Meets Fiery Demise as Scientists Watch (Video)

IAC/UAE Space Agency/NASA/ESA

The mysterious space junk WT1190F fell to Earth this morning, and scientists had a flying, ringside seat as the object burned up in multicolored fireballs. [Read the full story.]

'WTF' Space Junk Meets Fiery Demise as Scientists Watch (Video)

Marco Langbroek/IAC/UAE Space Agency/NASA/ESA

The mysterious space junk WT1190F fell to Earth this morning, and scientists had a flying, ringside seat as the object burned up in multicolored fireballs. [Read the full story.]

Jeremy Lips/Space.com

The exhibit, titled "Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume," features items from every corner of that galaxy far, far away, ranging from Boba Fett's banged-up armor to many of Queen Amidala's ornate gowns. The exhibit is currently on display at the Discovery Times Square museum. [Read the full story.]

Jeremy Lips/Space.com

The exhibit, titled "Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume," features items from every corner of that galaxy far, far away, ranging from Boba Fett's banged-up armor to many of Queen Amidala's ornate gowns. The exhibit is currently on display at the Discovery Times Square museum. [Read the full story.]

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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.