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
Published 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.