Best Night Sky Photos of the Week: Feb. 1, 2014

Rare Sight: Crescent Venus Spotted in Daytime Sky

Night sky photographer Chris Schur captured this rare shot of Venus in the daytime sky from Payson, Ariz., in January 2014. [See how he did it here.]

Rare Sight: Mercury Spotted in Daytime Sky

Night sky photographer Chris Schur captured this rare image of Mercury in the daytime sky from Payson, Ariz., in January 2014. [See how he did it here.]

'Pac-Man' Nebula Gobbles Up Space in Stunning Photo

Astrophotographer Steve Coates of Ocala, Fla., sent SPACE.com the stunning image of the Pac-Man Nebula on Jan. 20, 2014. See how he captured the amazing night sky view here. [See how he did it here.]

Green and Ghostly Northern Lights Haunt Norway Mountains (Photo)

The northern lights dance across the sky, creating an ethereal glow that illuminates the darkness, in this jaw-dropping photo taken from Norway. [See how he did it here.]

Rare Zodiacal Light + Milky Way Backlight 3 Volcanoes | Timelapse Video

Photographer Justin Ng captured the glow of inner solar system dust scattering sunlight over 3 Indonesian volcanoes, the active Semeru and Bromo plus the dormant Batok. Planets Venus, Saturn and Mercury lie within this field of view.[See the Video]

Pacific Ocean Blue

Astrophotographer Jim Reynolds sent in a photo of the night sky. He writes in an e-mail message to SPACE.com: “This shot is a 30-second exposure taken one hour after sunset looking west from the California coast. Venus, a meteor and the Milky Way are evident over the Pacific Ocean. The reflection of Venus is genuine.” Image submitted Jan. 25, 2014.[See the photo.]