Space Image of the Day Gallery (January 2017)

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Comet-Like Galaxy Shows Off a Starry Tail

ESA/Hubble & NASA

Monday, January 30, 2017: Galaxy NGC 4861 lies 48 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici, also known as the Hunting Dogs. Frederick William Herschel, a renowned German-British astronomer, discovered it in 1785, but astronomers have yet to decide on a classification for this oddly shaped galaxy. It has the physical properties of a barred spiral galaxy, but its comet-like tail of shimmering stars give it a shape more consistent with an irregular dwarf galaxy. — Hanneke Weitering

Two Planets Greet the Moon

Greg Diesel Walck

Tuesday, January 31, 2017: Venus and Mars will form a triangle with the moon in the evening sky tonight. Astrophotographer Greg Diesel Walck caught this view of the trio through trees in coastal North Carolina on Feb. 20, 2015. — Hanneke Weitering

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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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.