Best Space Photos of the Week - Feb. 17, 2013

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By Space.com Staff
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Orion Nebula

NASA/JPL-Caltech/WISE Team

NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) provides this image of The Great Nebula in Orion. The Orion Nebula (Messier 42) lies located in the sword of Orion, hanging from his easily recognized belt of three stars. Astronomers now realize that the Orion Nebula makes up part of the larger Orion molecular cloud complex, also including the Flame Nebula. This complex in our Milky Way Galaxy actively makes new stars. Light from these new stars warms the dust filling the nebula, making the dust glow in infrared light. [See More Images]

You’re Tearing Me Apart, Galaxy!

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/Coelum

Galaxy NGC 772 shows signs of being pulled apart after interacting gravitationally with another galaxy. The other galaxy has pulled apart the spiral arms of NGC 772, while the external spiral arms vanish in the intergalactic medium. Image released January 2013. [See More Images]

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

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.