Beaver Moon, Nebulae Wonders, And Falcon 9 Sunset: See The Collection Of Best Space Photos [12-19 Nov]

The previous week of November brought us a variety of celestial wonders and stunning space-related moments. The skies delivered unforgettable sights captured in the best space photos of the week, from the November Full Moon, also known as the Beaver Moon, to the breathtaking Great Orion and Running Man Nebulae. Also, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket soared through a sunset-lit sky, wowing all watching this unforgettable moment.

Explore these and more of the best space photos of the week taken by talented astrophotographers across the globe!

Beaver Moon Among Best Astrophotos Of The Week

The November Full Moon, also known as the Super Beaver Moon, took centre stage as one of the month’s primary celestial wonders. This breathtaking image by Katie K. showcases the moon in all its radiant glory, illuminating the night sky with its glow.

Stars And Dust In The Pacman Nebula

This mesmerizing image from NASA’s Astronomy Picture Of The Day highlights the intricate dust sculptures carved by stars from dense molecular clouds, the materials from which they were born. High-energy light and stellar winds shape these detailed structures, while heat causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow. At the heart of this celestial masterpiece lies the newly formed open cluster IC 1590, surrounded by the ethereal beauty of the emission nebula NGC 281, named the Pacman Nebula for its distinctive shape.

The Great Hercules Cluster

The Great Hercules Cluster, Messier 13, is a celestial marvel that defies imagination – a cosmic metropolis of up to 500,000 stars crammed into a mere 145 light-years, creating a stellar density over 100 times more concentrated than our local stellar neighborhood.

Abel Robles has managged to capture this wonder.

Great Orion And Running Man Nebulae

This dazzling photo captures the iconic Great Orion Nebula (M42) and its neighbour, the Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977). The Orion Nebula glows with vibrant colours from the ionized gases that surround newborn stars, while the Running Man Nebula showcases striking reflection and emission features.

Astrophotographer Aleix Roig shares his love for this view, saying: “I never get tired of these.”

Falcon 9 Rocket And Sunset

This breathtaking photo captures the moment a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Optus-X satellite ascends into the sky at 5:28 p.m. (ET). The rocket’s silhouette against the golden hues of the setting sun creates a striking contrast.

Photographer Michael Seeley beautifully captured this fleeting moment.

Perseus Constellation Among Best Astrophotos Of The Week

This captivating astrophoto showcases the Perseus constellation and its fascinating celestial surroundings. Despite the challenges of wandering clouds, photographer Ireneusz Nowak captured the beauty of this constellation during a brief window of clear skies in the Bieszczady Mountains.

Orion Nebula And Orion’s Belt

Captured by Adnan Boudaoudi, the next astrophoto presents a breathtaking view of two of the most iconic features in the night sky. The Orion Nebula (M42) glows brightly with the birth of new stars amidst a cloud of gas and dust. Just above it, the perfectly aligned trio of stars: Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak —form Orion’s Belt.

Almost Full Beaver Moon

This stunning photo, captured by Samuel Skinner, shows the Almost Full Beaver Moon at 92.5% illuminated. The moon’s soft glow lights up the sky, just a step away from reaching its full phase.

Windblown Star Cavity Among Best Astrophotos

Finally, the last one in our list of the best astrophotos was captured by NASA and ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope, follows an initial detection by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Known as LDN 1471, this illuminated cavity was sculpted by a newly forming star, visible as the bright point at the peak of the parabola. The protostar is emitting a powerful stellar outflow that interacts with the surrounding gas and dust in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. The other side of the cavity remains obscured by dark dust.

Thank you to all the photographers who shared their amazing images for our best astrophotos of last week’s list! We greatly appreciate your dedication and passion for astrophotography and wish you clear skies for your future captures!