NGC 602 in the Flying Lizard Nebula NGC 602 in the Flying Lizard Nebula

Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5 million year young star cluster NGC 602. Surrounded by natal gas and dust, NGC 602 is just below center in this telescopic field of view with the angular size of the Full Moon on the sky. The cluster itself is about 200 light-years in diameter. Glowing interior ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive young stars have eroded the dusty material and triggered a progression of star formation moving away from the cluster's center. Of course, the more extended wings of emission in the region suggest a popular name for the complex cosmic environment, The Flying Lizard Nebula. via NASA http://ift.tt/1G9Ajjz

The #Iditarod National Historic Trail commemorates a 2,300-mile system of winter trails that first connected ancient #Alaska Native villages, opened up Alaska for the last great American gold rush and now plays a vital role for travel and recreation in modern day Alaska. Today marks the start of the annual Iditarod race -- which is a tribute to Alaska's history and the role the sled dogs played. Pictured here is park ranger patrolling across #WonderLake at Denali #NationalPark. While the #IditarodTrail doesn't go through the park, #Denali's sled dogs play an important role in the history of Alaska's first national park and help protect the park today. Photo by Jacob W. Frank (@jwfrankphotography), http://ift.tt/18oFfjl. by usinterior

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Cometary Globule CG4 Cometary Globule CG4

The faint and somehow menacing cometary globule CG4 reaches through the center of this deep southern skyscape. About 1,300 light-years from Earth toward the constellation Puppis, its head is about 1.5 light-years in diameter and its tail about 8 light-years long. That's far larger than the Solar System's comets that it seems to resemble. In fact, the dusty cloud contains enough material to form several Sun-like stars and likely has ongoing star formation within. How its distinctive form came about is still debated, but its long tail trails away from the Vela Supernova remnant near the center of the Gum Nebula, while its head could represent the rupture of an originally more spherical cloud. Still, the edge-on spiral galaxy also near picture center is not actually being threatened by CG4. The galaxy lies in the distant background more than 100 million light-years away. via NASA http://ift.tt/1EsLiWP

An amazing view of the night sky is one of the many reasons to visit #JoshuaTree #NationalPark in #California. Juan Moreno (@che_1984) took this stunning pic of the #MilkyWay sparkling above the Juniper Tree near Jumbo Rocks Campground -- one of the most photographed trees @joshuatreenps. Photo courtesy of @che_1984. by usinterior

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Cool photo of one of the mountain lions at #SantaMonica Mountains National Recreation Area in #California. The park estimates that 10-15 mountain lions live in the chaparral-covered mountains that are close to urban Los Angeles. Since 2002 the #NationalPark Service has been conducting a scientific project to learn more about the habits of these mountain lions in and around Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Photo was taken via remote camera on the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains, near the L.A. and Ventura County line. by usinterior

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Enhanced Color Caloris Enhanced Color Caloris

The sprawling Caloris basin on Mercury is one of the solar system's largest impact basins, created during the early history of the solar system by the impact of a large asteroid-sized body. The multi-featured, fractured basin spans about 1,500 kilometers in this enhanced color mosaic based on image data from the Mercury-orbiting MESSENGER spacecraft. Mercury's youngest large impact basin, Caloris was subsequently filled in by lavas that appear orange in the mosaic. Craters made after the flooding have excavated material from beneath the surface lavas. Seen as contrasting blue hues, they likely offer a glimpse of the original basin floor material. Analysis of these craters suggests the thickness of the covering volcanic lava to be 2.5-3.5 kilometers. Orange splotches around the basin's perimeter are thought to be volcanic vents. via NASA http://ift.tt/1wX3Vfm

A spectular moonrise over #Yellowstone #NationalPark. Jacob Frank (@jwfrankphotography) captured this stunning image @yellowstonenps two days before the #fullmoon, which will be at its peak tonight. Photo courtesy of @jwfrankphotography. by usinterior

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Amazing sky over the #BigSouthernButte in #Idaho. Big Southern Butte is one of two domes rising from a sea of basalt near the center of the eastern #SnakeRiver Plain. The butte is one of the largest volcanic domes in the world, but at 300,000 years old it is also one of the youngest. Hikers who trek to the 7,550-foot high summit are rewarded with spectacular panoramic views. Photo by Devin Englestead, BLM Upper Snake Wildlife Biologist (@mypubliclands). by usinterior

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Pillars and Jets in the Pelican Nebula Pillars and Jets in the Pelican Nebula

What dark structures arise from the Pelican Nebula? Visible as a bird-shaped nebula toward the constellation of a bird (Cygnus, the Swan), the Pelican Nebula is a place dotted with newly formed stars but fouled with dark dust. These smoke-sized dust grains formed in the cool atmospheres of young stars and were dispersed by stellar winds and explosions. Impressive Herbig-Haro jets are seen emitted by a star on the right that is helping to destroy the light year-long dust pillar that contains it. The featured image was scientifically-colored to emphasize light emitted by small amounts of ionized nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur in the nebula made predominantly of hydrogen and helium. The Pelican Nebula (IC 5067 and IC 5070) is about 2,000 light-years away and can be found with a small telescope to the northeast of the bright star Deneb. via NASA http://ift.tt/1GipuPH

#Sunsets at #GrandTeton #NationalPark are breathtakingly beautiful! This great photo was taken from @grandtetonnps's Colter Bay Marina, showing the Teton Range reflected in #LakeJackson. Photo courtesy of Christina Adele Warburg (@christinaadelephoto). by usinterior

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