Best Space Photos of the Week — March 21, 2015

These NASA Photos of Space Station Crew Landing Are Simply Amazing

Bill Ingalls

Stunning photos captured the final descent to Earth by the Expedition 42 crew yesterday (March 11) as they completed a 167-day mission in space. [Read the Full Story]

Click through this gallery to see more amazing space photos from the week.

Zodiacal Light Glows near Meteors in Skywatcher Image

Photographer Jeffrey Berkes

Zodiacal lights shine across the horizon in this stargazer image. Photographer Jeffrey Berkes took the image over the Florida Keys in 2012. [Read the Full Story]

Mercury's Odd Surface Features Mapped by NASA Spacecraft

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

New maps of Mercury have revealed previously unidentified regions on the planet with compositions that differ significantly from the crust around them. Known as geochemical terranes, these zones provide insight into the formation of the outer skin of the planet. [Read the Full Story]

New Space Age Artwork Unveiled

Spaceport America

An impressive sculpture is now in place at the main entrance of New Mexico’s Spaceport America. Artist Otto Rigan has created GENESIS – a 2.5 ton sculpture that is 40 feet wide, 23 feet high and 5 feet deep. [Read the Full Story]

St. Patrick's Day in Space: Astronaut Spies Ireland from Orbit (Photos)

Terry W. Virts (via Twitter as @AstroTerry)

NASA astronaut Terry Virts beamed down two photos from the International Space Station in honor of the Irish holiday today (March 17). The images show Ireland — the "Emerald Isle" — as seen from space. [Read the Full Story]

Skywatching in 2015: 9 Must-See Stargazing Events

Space.com

The year 2015 is packed full of amazing astronomical sights in the daytime and nighttime sky, from solar and lunar eclipses to dazzlingly bright planets. At Space.com, we've looked at the night sky events in 2015 to make our annual list of the best astronomy sights of the year. [Read the Full Story]

Living on Titania: Uranus' Moon Explained (Infographic)

by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist

Titania, an airless moon of Uranus, is cold and its day is 84 years long. See what it would be like for astronauts on Titania in this Space.com infographic. [Read the Full Story]

Amazing Auroras: Breathtaking Northern Lights Photos of 2015

Mia Stålnacke

The northern lights are a wonder to see. See amazing photos of the Earth's auroras as seen by Space.com readers and more in this gallery. [Read the Full Story]

Giant Solar Filament Snakes Across Sun in Stunning NASA Photo

NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of a 533,000 mile long filament on the sun. [Read the Full Story]

Total Solar Eclipse of 2015 in Amazing Photos

Stojan Stojanovski

Astrophotographer Stojan Stojanovski sent in a photo of the total solar eclipse taken in Macedonia, on March 20, 2015. [Read the Full Story]

Total Solar Eclipse of 2015 at Totality

NRK News

The total solar eclipse of 2015 is captured in this spectacular view webcast live by NRK News on March 20 from Norway's Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. [Read the Full Story]

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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.