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The Years Most Beautiful, Stunning, Breathtaking Images of the UniverseBy Phil Plait | Posted Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at 7:35 AM ET| Posted Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at 7:35 AM ET Slate.co

The Best Astronomy Images of 2012

I couldnt pick just 10you have to see all 21 of these mind-bending shots.

The Universe is beautiful.

Which is interesting. It doesnt have to be; it could be all colorless and weird and lumpy. Instead, its bursting withcolor, sculpted by vast forces, molded into fantastic shapes that please our eyes and delight our brainsespeciallyonce we understand what were seeing.

Every December I pick my favorite images from the previous year to display, a task that is extraordinarily difficultalways wind up with a list of about 60 or 70, and I have to cull it down mercilessly. Such is the case this year againand I could pare it only to 21, a score and more of gorgeousness for you to soak in. I choose the pictures not just fotheir beauty but also because they are interesting, and differentones that stand out from the crowd somehow. Iusually put them in order with my favorite one last, but this year I just cant. Ill let you know my favorite when yo

get to itI expect youll agreebut other than that its just a dead tie.

Many of these, you might expect, are from Hubble, but other telescopes get their share, as well as some that weretaken by amateur astronomers with not much more than good cameras and a desire to see and capture the Universe

I cant argue with that sentiment. So here they are; enjoy.

The Suns Arch Rival

On Aug. 31, 2012, the Sun had a major hissy fit: A vast arch of material was lifted up off the surface by the Sunspowerful magnetic field. Sometimes these arches collapse back down, but this one erupted, blasting literallyhundreds of of tons of superheated plasma into space at a speed of 1,400 kilometers per second (900 milesmillionsper second)over a thousand times faster than a rifle bullet. The scale of this is crushingthe arch was 300,000kilometers (200,000) miles) across, . As we near the peak of the Suns magnetic cycl25 times larger than the Earthwell be seeing even more activity like this in the coming months.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/bad_astronomy/2012/12/best_astronomy_images_2012_see_the_most_beautiful_images_of_the_universe.html?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=sm&utm_campaign=button_toolbarhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/7936905134/in/set-72157631408160534http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/7936905134/in/set-72157631408160534http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/bad_astronomy/2012/12/best_astronomy_images_2012_see_the_most_beautiful_images_of_the_universe.html?utm_source=tw&utm_medium=sm&utm_campaign=button_toolbar


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Cosmic dust clouds in Messier 78


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The Hubble eXtreme Deep Field


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The Pencil Nebula, a strangely shaped leftover from a vastexplosion


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The Carina Nebula imaged by the VLT Survey


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Hubble's panoramic view of a star-forming region

Telescope


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Curious spiral spotted by ALMA around red giant star RSculptoris (data visualisation)


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Red giant blows a bubble


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