Happy Halloween! While we here on Earth dress up in our favorite witch, vampire and ghost costumes, in space, some places remain spooky year-round.
Here are five of our favorite spooky space photos in honor of Halloween.
Black Widow Nebula
In this infrared photo taken by NASA's Spitzer Telescope, we see what appears to be a giant spider, the Black Widow Nebula. Astronomers believe that when stars formed here, high levels of radiation and strong winds created this nebula's unique "double bubble" form, making it resemble a spider.
Jupiter's Cyclops Eye
When one of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede, crosses in front of the planet, its shadow over the Great Red Spot Storm creates the illusion of an eye staring into space. It happens often, but this new image comes courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope, just in time for Halloween.
The Eye of Sauron
Planet Fomalhaut b in orbit looks more like something from Lord of the Rings than space. This image, taken by Hubble, shows the planet's 2,000-year-long elliptical orbit. In about 20 years, the planet will cross into an area of debris which could disrupt its atmosphere. The black circle in the center, resembling a pupil, blocks out light from the planet's star, which is what allowed Hubble to photograph it.
Jack-o'-lantern Sun
NASA captured this creepy photo of the sun earlier this month with its Solar Dynamics Observatory. The areas that make it resemble a Jack-o'-lantern are actually active regions on the sun's surface. These areas are brighter because they have more energy and light. NASA used two sets of ultraviolet images here, which helped create this gold and orange spooky effect.
Jet in Carina
This stellar jet in the Carina nebula looks more like a giant octopus devouring space. This full-field image comes courtesy of Hubble's WFC3/UVIS detector. The unique shape of this jet is the result of extreme radiation and fast winds from the large stars that live here, which are also creating new stars. This causes gas and dust to flow from the structure like tentacles. Astronomers estimate that the jet is moving at 850,000 miles per hour.
Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
