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Best Space Photos of the Week — July 12, 2015

News
By published

Pluto 'Totally Different' from Big Moon Charon, New Photos Show

NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

New photos by NASA's approaching New Horizons probe capture Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, in fascinating detail. [Read the Full Story.]

Space Station Crosses Moon's Face in Stunning New Photo

Dylan O'Donnell

An amateur photographer took a vivid pic of the International Space Station in front of the moon. [Read the Full Story.]

Pluto's 'Heart' Spied by New Horizons Spacecraft (Photo)

NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

Pluto looks especially welcoming in a new photo by NASA's approaching New Horizons probe. [Read the Full Story.]

The Sun Looks Far Out in X-Ray Light (Image)

NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC/JAXA

A new image of the sun shows a cornucopia of X-ray and ultraviolet colors erupting from our nearest star. [Read the Full Story.]

Monster Black Hole Spews Plasma in Incredible Time-Lapse Video

NASA, ESA and E. Meyer STScI

New images and video shows what happens when a shock collision takes place inside a black hole. [Read the Full Story.]

Pluto's Odd Dark Spots Continue to Puzzle Scientists (Photos)

NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

New photos by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft show Pluto in tantalizing detail, whetting researchers' appetite for the probe's highly anticipated July 14 flyby of the dwarf planet. [Read the Full Story.]

Neptune's Strange Magnetic Field Stretches Arms in New Model (Video)

NASA/JPL

Scientists knew Neptune's magnetic field was strange — just not this strange. [Read the Full Story.]

Wheel Worries: Mars Rover Curiosity Dealing With Damage

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover faces on-going wheel wear and tear as it continues its trek across the sandy and rock strewn Red Planet.  The car-sized Mars machinery has been on duty since landing on the planet in August 2012. [Read the Full Story.]

Venus and Jupiter Put on Cosmic Show for Ramadan

Jafari

As Muslims worldwide celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, Venus and Jupiter are providing cosmic decorations during this period of religious reflection. [Read the Full Story.]

Pluto Flyby Begins: NASA Probe Enters Encounter Phase

NASA/New Horizons

NASA's New Horizons probe has officially begun to execute its sequence of Pluto flyby observations as it zooms toward its closest approach to the dwarf planet on July 14. [Read the Full Story.]

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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.