Norway At Dusk
Two weeks ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a new satellite into Earth’s orbit to monitor ecosystems and the atmosphere. The ESA released one of the first images from the satellite, an ethereal photo of Norway at dusk, capturing both snow-covered land and the Arctic sea.
A Pulsar Is Born
This image features a pulsar that formed from a collapsed star at the end of its life. To create the photo, a telescope at The California Institute of Technology focused on the star for a 300-second exposure.
There’s No Place Like Home
Astronaut Scott Kelly returned safely to Earth this week after spending 340 days in space (where he grew two inches). His mission was part of NASA’s effort to understand how trips to Mars will affect human health.
Don’t Try This At Home
NASA is using test dummies containing tiny sensors to run water landing tests on the Orion spacecraft. The tests will help the researchers evaluate the landing safety of the spacecraft after returning from missions in deep space.
The Big Apple
Photographer Jeffrey Martin created a stunning 360-degree image of Manhattan, which he claims is the largest photo ever made of New York City. He took more than 2,000 photos to create the panoramic image over the course of two days from the top of the Empire State Building. Check out the full-resolution photo here.
Casper The Octopus
A remote controlled vehicle on a NOAA dive spotted a ghostlike octopod deep in the ocean near the Hawaiian Archipelago. “It is almost certainly an undescribed species and may not belong to any described genus,” NOAA reported.
Flowing Mercury
This photo captures the movement of liquid mercury as it flows across a heated bottom plate of a cylindrical cell, Gizmodo reported.
Red Panda Twins
Twin red panda cubs at the Melbourne Zoo made their public debut this week for checkups. Red Pandas are classified as a vulnerable species, due largely to loss of forested habitat, according to the zoo.
