Best Night Sky Photos of the Week: Oct. 12, 2013

Amateur Astronomer Captures Magnificent View of Many-Named Omega Nebula

Fred Herrmann | Owl Mountain Observatory

Former NASA scientist Fred Herrmann of Huntsville, Ala., sent SPACE.com this amazing view of Messier 17, a deep-sky object known as the Omega Nebula and many other names. See how he did it here. [Read the Full Story]

Wow! Photographer Captures SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launch Like Never Before

David A. Kodama

A photographer's road trip to see SpaceX's first Falcon 9 rocket launch from California last month led to this striking composite photo recently released to SPACE.com. Photographer David A. Kodama captures the SpaceX rocket launch in stages. A photographer's road trip to see SpaceX's first Falcon 9 rocket launch from California last month led to this striking composite photo recently released to SPACE.com. Photographer David A. Kodama captures the SpaceX rocket launch in stages. A photographer's road trip to see SpaceX's first Falcon 9 rocket launch from California last month led to this striking composite photo recently released to SPACE.com. Photographer David A. Kodama captures the SpaceX rocket launch in stages. [Read the Full Story]

Milky Way Galaxy Glows In Brilliant Maltese Night Sky

Noel Camilleri

The Milky Way shines brightly in two stunning images taken from the island of Malta. [Read the Full Story]

Space Station Crosses the Sun in Amazing Photo

Dale Mayotte

Astrophotographer Dale Mayotte recently sent SPACE.com this spectacular composite photo of the International Space Station crossing the face of the sun. Here’s how he did it. [Read the Full Story]

Northern Lights Dance Over Norway in Spectacular Video

Chad Blakley/lightsoverlapland.com

Glowing green Northern Lights dance through the Norwegian night in an amazing new video from astrophotographer Chad Blakley. [Read the Full Story]

Paranal Lines

John Colosimo (colosimophotography.com)/ESO

The night sky over Chile appears filled with star trails, the result of the Earth's rotation during a camera’s long exposure. Beneath the light streaks lies the Paranal Residencia which houses staff and visitors to the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, located high on Cerro Paranal in the Chilean desert. The four-story building, completed in 2002, sits with most of its structure buried underground. If the residence looks familiar, you may have seen it in the 2008 James Bond movie, “Quantum of Solace.” [See More Images]

Life in a Northern Town

Mia Stålnacke (via Flickr as AngryTheInch42)

Amateur photographer Mia Stålnacke sent in a photo of an auroral display taken in Kiruna, Sweden, on Oct. 2, 2013. Kiruna lies at the highest latitude of any city in Sweden, 67.86° N., 90 miles (145 kilometers) above the Arctic Circle. [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.