Cosmic Trick or Treats for Halloween (Photos)

SPOOKY EYES: These ice-blue eyes are the centers of merging galaxies, NGC 2207 and IC 2163, with their spiral arms forming a mask. They have been interacting for around 40 million years in the Canis Major constellation about 140 million light-years away. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/Vassar)

STELLAR SNAKE: Located about 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius is this twisting snake-like cloud with infant stars forming in its belly, as well as a red star that is 20 to 50 times larger than our sun. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

STAR-FORMING SPIDERWEB: Galaxy IC 342 swirls in a web-like pattern of dust about 10 million light-years away. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

BABY STARS HATCH FROM ORION’S HEAD: Shock waves from a supernova explosion nearly 3 million years ago in the head of the hunter constellation, Orion may have initiated formation of these budding stars. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Laboratorio de Astrofísica Espacial y Física Fundamental)

HAUNTING HELIX NEBULA: This planetary nebula is located about 700 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, and is the remnant of a sun-like star. The blue-green coloration is infrared light from the outer gas layers, while the red color in the middle represents the last gas layers blown out when the star died. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ.of Ariz.)

BUBBLING CAULDRON: A giant bubble emanating from the Wolf-Rayet star HD 50896, which is the pink blob at the image’s center. (ESA)

2012-10-31 01:36:56

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/science/cosmic-trick-or-treats-for-halloween-photos-309375.html