The 100 Best Space Photos of 2016

Milky Way from Shenandoah National Park

Alexis Hengen/ www.alexishengen.com

Astrophotographer Alexis Hengen took this image of the Milky Way from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Read the full story here.

Marshall Point Lighthouse and Milky Way

Taylor Photography Mike Taylor & Sonia MacNeil/Taylor Photography

This image of the Milky Way over Marshall Point Lighthouse was taken by Mike Taylor & Sonia MacNeil, the team at Taylor Photography from Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde, Maine. Read the full story here.

Milky Way from Havasu Falls

Tony Prince

Astrophotographer Tony Prince took this image of the Milky Way on March 10 from Havasu Falls, Arizona. Read the full story here.

Milky Way Selfie

Joshua Snow | Joshua Snow Photography

Next to a looming arch, astrophotographer Joshua Snow stands under the Milky Way in one of his favorite skywatching spots. He took the image from Arches National Park in Moab, Utah in May. Read the full story here.

Grand Canyon: Newest Dark Sky Park

Grand Canyon National Park via Flickr

The sky sparkles above the Grand Canyon National Park, which was just designated a provisional International Dark Sky Park. Read the full story here.

Stunning Turquoise Comet

Chris Schur | SchurAstrophotography

Skywatcher Chris Schur was able to glimpse Comet Linear 252P with his naked eye just after capturing it on camera. The image was taken from Payson, Arizona on the morning of April 2. Read the full story here.

Corona Arch At Night

© Mike Taylor - Taylor Photography

This image of the Corona Arch in Moab, Utah, is an example of the stunning night-sky views available in the minimally inhabited regions of central and southern Utah. Read the full story here.

Horsehead and Flame Nebulas

Greg Hogan

Skywatcher Greg Hogan took this image of the Horsehead and Flame nebulae on Jan. 13, from Kathleen, GA. Read the full story here.

MIlky Way and ALMA

Miguel Claro/www.miguelclaro.com

This image of the Milky Way was taken by Miguel Claro taken on Oct., 14, 2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile. Read the full story here.

Green and Purple Aurora Colors Alaskan Skies

John Chumack/GalacticImages.com

Astrophotographer John Chumack took this image from mountains about 60 miles east of Fairbanks, Alaska on March 19, 2015 while leading his annual aurora tour and workshop. Read the full story here.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Hanneke Weitering
Contributing expert

Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos.