Space Image of the Day Gallery (October 2018)

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A Flaming 'Jack-o-Lantern' in Space

NASA/SDO

Monday, October 29, 2018: Magnetic activity on the surface of the sun creates the appearance of a spooky face in this ultraviolet image taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on Oct. 8, 2014. These features appear brighter than their surroundings, because hotspots of magnetic fields emit more light and energy than their surroundings. — Hanneke Weitering

RIP, Cassini

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill

Tuesday, October 30, 2018: A pumpkin dressed up as the planet Saturn gobbles down a small replica of the Cassini spacecraft in this photo from NASA's annual pumpkin carving contest at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Cassini spacecraft executed a "death dive" into Saturn on Sept. 15, 2017. — Hanneke Weitering

The Ghost of Cassiopeia

NASA/ESA/STScI

Wednesday, October 31, 2018: Lurking 550 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia is the spooky nebula IC 63, commonly known as the Ghost of Cassiopeia. This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the nebula's long, flowing veils of interstellar dust, which glow by reflecting light from nearby stars. — 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.