As you click through "Cosmic Sightings," our regular roundup of the greatest hits in space imagery, you might be asking yourself where you can get bigger versions of those pictures to use as computer wallpaper or do-it-yourself wall posters. Well, you've come to the right place. Here are Web links for much of the freely available imagery that went into the latest batch of Cosmic Sightings:
- Galactic sparkler: Visit the HubbleSite or the European Space Agency's Hubble Information Center for eye-popping versions of the spiral galaxy NGC 1672.
- Billionaire spaceflight: We have several pictures from software billionaire Charles Simonyi's $25 million trip to the international space station in April. NASA's Human Spaceflight Web site has the evocative picture of the Soyuz capsule with Earth as a backdrop. The "Charles in Space" Web site is jam-packed with more photos and videos from the 14-day mission. Disclaimer: I wrote some of the background material for Simonyi's launch booklet but had nothing to do with the Web site.
- Celestial glow: SpaceWeather.com offers up a gallery of auroral views, including the picture of the northern lights as seen from Alaska.
- Wide-view Venice: Check out NASA's Human Spaceflight Web site for the top-down view of Venice and its canals.
- Martian layer cake: The archive for the HiRISE imaging team - the folks behind the high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - serves up bigger portions of the layered terrain on the floor of Terby Crater.
- Global warming of a different color: The Planetary Photojournal at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory provides the original image showing how dust storms affect the Martian global warming. You'll also enjoy this spinning animation that draws upon the same imagery.
- Cosmic cloud: The Web site for NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope displays the dust cloud BHR 71 in all its dark glory, plus the infrared view of jets shooting out from inside the cloud.
- Russian rumblings: Since this wide-angle view of Russia's Shiveluch Volcano was taken from the international space station, NASA's Human Spaceflight Web site is the place to go.
- Solar close-up: The Web site for NASA's STEREO mission provides more multicolored images of the sun - in 3-D, even!
- Red Square: Did you like this view of the symmetrical Red Square nebula? Check out Caltech's Palomar Observatory gallery for the big picture.
- Close encounter: The Web site for NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer provides more information about the seriously disturbed galaxy NGC 1512.
- Saturn from below: The Planetary Photojournal at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has bigger versions of this extreme southern view of the ringed planet.
To keep up with the latest cool imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope, sign up for the Space Telescope Science Institute's Inbox Astronomy service. As you can see from the latest assortment, Hubble isn't the only source for celestial gems, and it's hard to keep up with them all. But don't worry: We'll bring you the highlights twice a month in our Space Gallery.
