<p>Stars pinwheel above the winter resort of Shemshak, near Tehran, Iran, in this long-exposure view of the night sky.</p> <p>Polaris, the North Star, anchors the dizzying array in a photo by <a href="http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/galleries.asp?Sort=Photographer&amp;Value=Amir%20H.%20Abolfath&amp;page=1">Amir Abolfath</a>.</p> <p><em>—By Dan Vergano, photo gallery by Sherry L. Brukbacher</em></p>

Spirals Above Shemshak

Stars pinwheel above the winter resort of Shemshak, near Tehran, Iran, in this long-exposure view of the night sky.

Polaris, the North Star, anchors the dizzying array in a photo by Amir Abolfath.

—By Dan Vergano, photo gallery by Sherry L. Brukbacher

Photograph by Amir Abolfath, TWAN

Week's Best Space Pictures: Mars Dust Blows, Stars Glow, and Volcano Explodes

Wintry views of the stars lead to vistas of volcanoes, clouds, and contrails in the week's best space pictures.

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