<p>On May 8, the crew of the International Space Station photographed the waxing crescent moon at the beginning of an orbital sunrise, 256 miles above the Sea of Japan.</p>

On May 8, the crew of the International Space Station photographed the waxing crescent moon at the beginning of an orbital sunrise, 256 miles above the Sea of Japan.

Image by NASA

Best space pictures in May: Moon from orbit and stars' fiery birth

Plus, a world-famous musician plays a concert under the stars, and a SpaceX launch lights up the Florida night sky.

Feed your need for heavenly views of the universe with our picks of the most awe-inspiring space pictures from May 2019.

This month, the Hubble Space Telescope took stunning pictures of distant galaxies, a SpaceX rocket streaked across the sky, a satellite surveyed a future Mars rover's home on the red planet, and the iconic rover Curiosity snapped a mosaic "selfie." Closer to Earth, the crew of the International Space Station saw our moon in all its glory, and celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma visited the European Southern Observatory to play a concert beneath the cosmos.

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