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Cosmic CuriosityA collection of nebulae—interstellar clouds of dust and gas—create a question mark in the sky in a new picture taken from a small private observatory in Finland and submitted to National Geographic's Your Shot.At top sits the emission nebula known as Cederblad 214, which is part of a larger star-forming complex called NGC 7822. The dot at bottom is a smaller nebula called Sharpless 170. The entire piece of punctuation spans about 40 light-years in the constellation Cepheus.
Photograph by J.P. Metsavainio, Your Shot

Space Pictures This Week: Rocket Launch, Saturn "Snowman"

Nebulae punctuate the sky, Europe lifts up a new lightweight, Saturn moons get stacked, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Published February 17, 2012