As we move through mid-May, one thing is clear: the May Full Moon stole the astrophotography spotlight last week. But our latest collection of the Best Space Photos goes beyond lunar light. It features the fiery presence of Mars beside the delicate Spaghetti Nebula, hypnotic star trails above Chile, and a diamond-like spiral galaxy 35 million light-years away. Plus, a rare glimpse of zodiacal light from NASA’s new PUNCH mission captivated our attention.
Let’s dive into the most stunning cosmic captures shared by the space photography community this week!
May’s Full Moon in All Its Glory Over Indonesia
The Full Moon in May became the main goal for astrophotographers around the world during the last week. This stunning capture by Marwella Zhang (@MarvabluesF1) shows the lunar disk glowing brightly over Bangka Island, Indonesia, just past midnight.
May’s Full Moon Over Philippines
Astrophotographer Ronn Gerald Francisco Artajo stitched together this beautiful composite of the May Full Moon, captured from General Santos City, Philippines. His poetic caption resonates deeply across the astro community: “The full moon reminds me that no matter how far apart we are, we’re always under the same sky”.
Crescent Crown Over the Minaret
In this elegant shot titled “Crescent Crown,” Mo.faroography captures the delicate crescent moon perfectly aligned atop a mosque’s minaret.
Spaghetti Nebula Meets Mars
From his light-polluted backyard in East Nashville, Jeffrey Horne spent 569 hours across 147 nights to capture this breathtaking view of the Spaghetti Nebula. Shot over three winters, the image gained a rare bonus in 2023 — Mars drifting into the frame, glowing at the bottom left.
NGC 3521: A Marquise Cut from the Cosmos
Nicknamed the “Marquise in the Sky,” NGC 3521 sparkles like a galactic jewel 35 million light-years away in Leo! Mark Hanson captured this flocculent spiral galaxy by the SWOS Group in Chile, revealing a dust-rich structure dotted with star-forming regions and a glowing core.
Celestial Circles above Collowara
Boris Zepeda captured these stunning star trails swirling above Chile’s Collowara Observatory. A breathtaking visual of Earth’s motion against a backdrop of stars!
Zodiacal Light & Earthlit Moon – A Dazzling Duo from NASA’s PUNCH Mission
NASA’s newly launched PUNCH mission delivers breathtaking views of cosmic dust and delicate light. In the first image, a Wide Field Imager captures the zodiacal light – sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust, colourised by polarisation angle.
On the second one, PUNCH’s Narrow Field Imager shows the faint glow of Earthshine revealing the dark silhouette of a new Moon, thanks to an occulter blocking the blinding Sun. Even dust and shadow can shine in space!
Thank you to all the photographers who shared their amazing images for our Best Space Photos of the week collection! We greatly appreciate your dedication and passion for astrophotography and wish you clear skies for your future captures!
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