Best Space Images of 2008

By Nancy Atkinson - December 31, 2008 at 4:34 PM UTC | Site News
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[/caption] I've been meaning to put together an article highlighting the best space and astronomy pictures of 2008, but I see time is slowly slipping away from me to get this out before 2008 turns into 2009. However, I'm in luck! A few people have already done the work for me, and so I'll just link to them. First, of course, is Phil Plait over at the

Bad Astronomy Blog,

who does his annual

Top Ten Astronomy Pictures

, and this year's choices by the BA were excellent. Next, Dave Mosher over at

Discovery Space

has just put together a slideshow of his picks for the Best Space and Astronomy Pictures of 2008. Nice job, Dave! And this just in (update 8:10 pm) -- Emily Lakdawalla at the

Planetary Society Blog

has a great selection of The Year in Pictures 2008. Thanks Emily!

There are more links below, but I know if I would have done a list myself, the image above would have been my #1 pick. This shot by the

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's

HiRISE Camera

of the Phoenix lander descending through Mars' atmosphere is truly outstanding. It's an unbelievable shot, and I'll always remember how my jaw dropped in disbelief when I first saw it.

And now back to everyone else's best pics of 2008 lists:

I recently came across this site from and television station in India that put together a list of the 50 (wow! 50!) Best Astronomy Pictures of 2008.

The Boston Globe's The Big Picture

put together an

"Advent Calendar"

of 25 pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope that is well worth the trip if you haven't already browsed through the nice and roomy images. I think my favorite is #9.

And finally,

National Geographic has a Top Ten Most Viewed Space Photos of 2008

that is very fun, too.

Check them all out and enjoy celebrating the New Year!

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com