Beyond the blue planet

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Celestial Pumpkin

On the edge of the Milky Way, a star is prepping for Halloween. It’s carving up the Jack-o-Lantern nebula by pushing dust and gas outward, giving it the appearance of a hollowed-out pumpkin.

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Ghosts of The Universe

What happens when a star dies? When stars about the size of our Sun deplete their nuclear fuel, they expel their outer layers, leaving behind only the dense core. These stars are known as white dwarfs. 

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Martian Sunsets

Just like Earth, the other planets of our solar system have sunrises and sunsets. On Mars, sunsets are blue and the sun appears smaller.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Comet NEOWISE

If you didn’t spot this rare comet, keep your eyes on the sky. It will return after 6,766 years! Can’t wait that long? An even brighter comet, 12P/Pons-Brooks, will arrive in early 2024.

[beyondtheblueplanet]

The Cat’s Eye Nebula

Located 3,200 light years away from Earth in our very own galaxy, the Cat’s Eye Nebula was discovered by William Herschel in 1786.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Celestial Glitter

In the constellation Coma Berenices you can find the universe’s ultimate arts and crafts project: a spiral galaxy named NGC 4455.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

The Tarantula Nebula

You can never escape creepy crawly spiders, not even in the endless vacuum of space. One hundred and eighty thousand light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is waiting for you to fall into its starry web.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Mercury: A Small, Swift Planet

Mercury, the fastest planet in our solar system, is aptly named after the fleet-footed Roman god of messengers. Mercury races through space at a stunning 47 kilometers per second and travels all the way around the Sun in only 88 Earth days. 

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Enceladus: An Icy, Ocean Moon

Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, is one of the most fascinating worlds in our solar system. Jets of water vapor spew from its southern pole, and beneath the icy surface is a salt water ocean that could contain hydrothermal vents similar to those found in the depths of Earth’s oceans.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

The Rho Ophiuchi Nebula Complex

About four hundred light-years away, colors abound in this beautiful cluster of nebulae. It is the closest star-forming region to Earth.

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Intertwined Fates

The Andromeda Galaxy, pictured above, is set to collide with our very own Milky Way Galaxy in a few billion years. Following the collision, the two will merge to form one, large elliptical galaxy.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

NGC 2392

Nicknamed the “Eskimo Nebula” because of how it resembles a face surrounded by a parka hood, this beautiful nebula is located about 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Io: The Volcanic Moon

Want to see a volcano erupt? Try visiting Jupiter’s moon Io, the most volcanic world in our solar system. Some eruptions are so intense they launch molten material dozens of miles above the surface!

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

The Butterfly Nebula

Could this be the largest insect in the universe? With a wingspan over three light-years wide, it probably is. (But I wouldn’t count out those murder hornets just yet.)

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

More Than What It Seemed

When the New Horizons probe visited Pluto and its moon (Charon) in 2015, it revealed beauty and complexity no one expected.

Image Credit: NASA

[beyondtheblueplanet]

Swirling Beauty

Jupiter’s dynamic and colorful atmosphere never fails to impress. 

Image Credit: NASA