Best Space Photos of the Week - March 31, 2012

Spectacular Video Captures Views of Star Trails from Space

NASA

While many photographs from space highlight the view of Earth from above, a new video showcases the sight of the stars from a higher vantage point than usual: the International Space Station. [Full Story]

Nebula by Starlight

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/Coelum

Small dust particles in this thin yet gigantic molecular cloud effectively scatter the starlight from surrounding giant blue stars in Orion, especially Rigel, causing the blue glow of reflection nebula IC 2118. [More Images]

Roberto Porto

Skywatcher Roberto Porto caught this amazing scene of the Jupiter, Venus and moon conjunction over a spinning carousel in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Spain, on March 26, 2012. [More Images]

Delivering the Goods

ESA/S. Corvaja

On Friday March 23, 2012, an Ariane 5 VA205 rocket carrying the third Automated Transfer Vehicle, named Edoardo Amaldi, lifted off from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. The ATV-3, as it is called, will ferry cargo to the International Space Station. The unmanned ATV-3 transports the heaviest load of cargo ever delivered to the station by a robotic spacecraft, the ESA reported. [More Images]

Photos of New Supernova Captured by Amateur Astronomers

Parijat Singh

Skywatchers around the globe have jumped into action to catch a fleeting glimpse of a new star explosion, a supernova to be exact, that erupted into view recently in a nearby galaxy. [Full Story]

The Universe in Infrared: Flood of Galaxy Views to Hit Internet This Year

G. J. Bendo/JBCA/NASA

The general public will be able to browse detailed infrared images of more than 200 galaxies from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope later this year when they are publicly released. [Full Story]

Two Nebulas Glow Together in Stunning Skywatcher Photo

Bob and Janice Fera

Two colorful nebulas shine side by side in this skywatching image. Astrophotography duo Bob and Janice Fera took this photo in January, 2012 from Eagle Ridge Observatory, Foresthill, Calif. [Full Story]

Photos: Russian Proton Rocket Launches Intelsat 22 Satellite

Khrunichev/Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)

A Russian Proton rocket soars into the sky in a successful launch of the new Intelsat 22 communications satellite from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 24, 2012. [More Images]

New Milky Way Photo Captures 1 Billion Stars

Mike Read (WFAU), UKIDSS/GPS and VVV

A new photo shows one billion of the Milky Way's stars at once. [Full Story]

Huge 'Solar Tornado' Twists Across Sun's Surface in New Video

NASA/SDO/AIA/Aberystwyth University/Li/Morgan/Leonard

Scientists have discovered huge tornadoes on the sun that spin at speeds approaching 200,000 mph. [Full Story]

Latest Saturn Photos From NASA's Cassini Orbiter

NASA/JPL

See the latest images from NASA's Cassini orbiter of Saturn and its rings. [More Images]

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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.