Science

An Albino Sea Turtle, Animated Gravitational Waves, And Other Amazing Images Of The Week

Plus, a detailed map of Pluto's surface

By Annabel Edwards

February 12, 2016

Astronaut Scott Kelly's vantage point offered him a unique perspective on the 2016 Super Bowl, which he shared Sunday via Twitter.Scott Kelly

An albino green sea turtle just hatched in Queensland, Australia. Volunteers with the Coolumn District Coast Care Group shared photos of the ghostly turtle on Facebook saying that it was the first albino green turtle they had found in their nine years of turtle monitoring.John Bird/Coolum and North Shore Coast Care

In case you haven't heard, scientists announced Thursday that they have detected gravitational waves for the first time, which is a huge deal for several reasons, including the fact that it confirms the predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Sketchfab user moroplogo animated the collision of two black holes that allowed scientists to detect the waves.Moroplogo/Sketchfab

Saturn's moon Tethys seems suspended between two sets of rings in this unique solo shot. Both Tethys and the rings have surfaces largely composed of ice, according to NASA.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

This baby swordfish, small enough to fit on the tip of a finger, will eventually grow to a length of 10 feet and weigh almost 1,500 pounds, according to Saatchi Gallery, the U.K. museum that shared the photo on Twitter.Juan Levesque

A NASA satellite captured this photo of cloud streets, or long strips of cumulus clouds, floating over sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk, which is bordered by Russia and Japan.NASA image courtesy LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

NASA released a collection of space-themed travel posters in partnership with the design firm Invisible Creature that are vintage in style but futuristic in subject matter. This one invites visitors to experience the gravity of exoplanet HD 40307g, a mere 42-light-year jaunt from Earth. Don't tease us like that, NASA.Invisible Creature

United Launch Alliance revealed a new Delta 4 rocket this week and used it to launch a surveillance satellite into orbit for the U.S. National Reconnaissance office, according to Spaceflight Now.United Launch Alliance

Tham Khoun Xe is a four-mile-long river cave in Laos, and one of the largest known river passages in the world, according to Smithsonian. Despite its size, it is fairly difficult to access, but photographer Ryan Deboodt used a drone to capture stunning footage from inside the cave.Vimeo Screenshot

Scientists have constructed this map of a portion of Pluto's surface, pieced together from images captured by a space probe at a range of about 48,000 miles from the former ninth planet, according to NASA. The mosaic of colors reflects the variety of Pluto's terrain, which features mountain ranges, impact craters, and possibly an ice volcano.NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

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