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Here are some spectacular photos of space and planets. You can make any of these images into your computer desktop wallpaper. Just click on an image to enlarge it, and then choose “Set as Desktop Background”.
Crescent Mercury
This crescent view of the planet Mercury was taken by the MESSENGER space craft on October 6, 2008. The MESSENGER space craft was launched to study the environment of Mercury from orbit.
Suspected Asteroid Collision Leaves Odd X-Pattern of Trailing Debris
This is an image of an asteroid collision involving a comet-like asteroid, P/2010 A2 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on January 29, 2010. The Hubble Space Telescope is an important research tool used by NASA and the European Space Agency.
Sunset on Mars
This spectacular image of the sunset on Mars was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on May 19, 2005. The NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission aims to explore Mars particularly its surface and geology using the two exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.
Venus Transit
Here’s a picture of planet Venus crossing the sun’s face. This photo was captured by the NASA’s TRACE satellite on June 8, 2004. The sun is the center of the solar system having a diameter of 1,392,000 kilometers.
Eclipsed Earth
This photo of a total solar eclipse was taken from the International Space Station on March 29, 2006. The photo was taken by a crew member of the Expedition 12 mission. The island of Cyprus and the coast of Turkey can be seen from the image.
We have written many articles about space and planets for Universe Today. Here are some interesting facts about planets, and here’s an article about the biggest planet in the solar system.
If you’d like more info about space and planets, check out NASA’s Solar System exploration page, and here’s a link to NASA’s Solar System Simulator.
We’ve also recorded a series of episodes of Astronomy Cast about every planet in the Solar System. Start here, Episode 49: Mercury.
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