1 of 15

Cosmic FireworksTo celebrate its 25th anniversary, Hubble snapped this shot of the Gum 29 nebula and Westerlund 2, a ruby-colored cluster of about 3,000 stars. The two-million-year-old cluster houses some of the Milky Way’s hottest, brightest stars.

Photograph by NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team

The Most Awe-Inspiring Space Pictures of 2015

Of the hundreds of awe-inspiring space photos we liked in 2015, here are our picks for the 15 best of the year.

ByMichael Greshko

December 30, 2015

Each week, National Geographic’s photo editors hand-pick dazzling photos of space, and of Earth seen from space. Of the hundreds of photos published this year, we bring your our picks for the 15 best of 2015—including a spectacular image celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope’s 25th anniversary, stunning images of distant galaxies and stars, and iconic snapshots of beloved dwarf planet Pluto.