Best Space Pictures of the Week - Dec. 15, 2012

Zoom in On 'Black Marble' Earth View

NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC

Now you can see all of the country's nighttime lights in a single high-def image that allows users to zoom in and see tiny details of the so-called "Black Marble" view of Earth. [Full Story]

Running Man Nebula Captured by Online Space Camera

Slooh Space Camera

The Running Man nebula sprints into the spotlight in this spectacular night sky photo. [Full Story]

Surprise Radio Jets Revealed in Hercules A Galaxy

NASA, ESA, S. Baum and C. O'Dea (RIT), R. Perley and W. Cotton (NRAO/AUI/NSF), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

An amazing new radio image of elliptical galaxy Hercules A reveals two gigantic cosmic jets shooting from its center. [Full Story]

Nile-Like River Spotted on Saturn Moon Titan

NASA/JPL–Caltech/ASI

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has spotted a long river snaking across the frigid surface of Saturn’s huge moon Titan. [Full Story]

Ancient Galaxy May Be Most Distant Ever Seen

NASA, ESA, R. Ellis (Caltech), and the UDF 2012 Team

An ancient galaxy spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope may be the most distant ever seen. [Full Story]

Earth Has Its Picture Taken on 12/12/12

NASA/NOAA GOES Project/Dennis Chesters

For the occasion of 12/12/12, at 12:00, Earth had its portrait taken. [Full Story]

Earth's Highest Mountain Photographed From Space Station

Malenchenko/Russian Federal Space Agency

Mount Everest was photographed from orbit by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko last week, showing the peak of Earth's highest mountain. [Full Story]

Photos: Geminid Meteors of 2012

Tommy Eliassen Photography

Reader-submitted photos of the 2012 Geminids. [See Photo Gallery]

Huge Asteroid's Earth Flyby Caught on Video

NASA/JPL-Caltech

A new video shows the huge asteroid tumbling through space as it passed by Earth earlier this week. [Full Story]

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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.