In several ways, 2002 was a year in which space came down to Earth.

Ever since the first probes headed out to Mars and beyond, pictures made in space have dominated our view of space. That became even more true by the mid-1990s when Hubble Space Telescope scientists redefined the art and science of seeing the heavens.

Hubble, refurbished during 2002, continues to provide benchmark astrophotography. However, other telescopes, in space and on the ground, see things that Hubble cannot.

In particular, new technologies like adaptive optics, which corrects for the blurring effects of Earths atmosphere, are being hung on existing ground-based telescopes, promising -- and delivering -- fresh views of many objects.

Not every great piece of space art (or science) is an actual photograph, though.

Many telescopes, Hubble included, gather data that allow artists to create impressions of objects and phenomena that we cant actually see. As telescopes become more sophisticated, reaching deeper into the unknown and the nearly unfathomable and gathering photons that dont register with the human eye, the job of the artist becomes increasingly crucial to making sense of what a telescope sees.

Technology also allows artists to use data to render planetary surfaces in ways, and in times, that we cant otherwise visualize. Artists also help us visualize planets we can detect but not see. This year, for the first time, worlds outside our solar system began to look like the worlds inside our solar system. But only an artist can show us the necessary theoretical renderings.

Here then, are the Top 10 Space Science Images (not necessarily photographs) of 2002:

Ancient Mars

At the very beginning of 2002, we looked back at the very early years of Mars with the help of Kees Veenenbos. An artist, Veenenbos used real spacecraft data to render the Red Planet as it might have once appeared, when warmer and wet.

"My visualizations show how Mars may have looked billions of years ago, so they are speculative in a way," Veenenbos said.

They are also very cool.

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