Galaxy 1068 is shown in visible light and X-rays in this composite image. High-energy X-rays (magenta) captured by NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, are overlaid on visible-light images from both NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. via NASA http://ift.tt/1T4UPst

Galaxy 1068 is shown in visible light and X-rays in this composite image. High-energy X-rays (magenta) captured by NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, are overlaid on visible-light images from both NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. via NASA http://ift.tt/1QPF49G

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko manually docked the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft on Dec. 15, 2015 to the International Space Station’s Rassvet module after an initial automated attempt was aborted. Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA and Flight Engineer Tim Peake of ESA flanked Malenchenko as he brought the Soyuz to the Rassvet port. via NASA http://ift.tt/1P8gjFL

The Soyuz TMA-19M rocket is launched with Expedition 46 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Tim Kopra of NASA, and Flight Engineer Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency), Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. via NASA http://ift.tt/1jZR3nW

In this one minute exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky as the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015 in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Expedition 46 crew to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2015. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Qozyw6

Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA captured this image from aboard the International Space Station, of the Dec. 11, 2015 undocking and departure of the Soyuz TMA-17M carrying home Expedition 45 crew members Kjell Lindgren of NASA, Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Kimiya Yui of JAXA. via NASA http://ift.tt/1OX6Pvb

On Sept. 23, 2015, the weather was adequate for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite to acquire this view of a phytoplankton bloom in the North Atlantic. The image was composed with data from the red, green, and blue bands from VIIRS, in addition to chlorophyll data. via NASA http://ift.tt/1jQCdAm

On Dec. 5, 2015, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui captured this image from the International Space Station of the planet Venus. Part of the station’s Kibo laboratory is visible at the top of the frame. At the time this photograph was taken, Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, a Venus climate orbiter, was nearing the planet. via NASA http://ift.tt/1HV7i1m

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s F-15D Eagle #897, flown by pilot Troy Asher with videographer Lori Losey in the back seat, serves as a chase vehicle for NASA’s DC-8 flying laboratory on the Olympic Mountain Experiment (OLYMPEX) science mission, Nov. 10, 2015. via NASA http://ift.tt/1m8xewH

The Apollo 17 crew caught this breathtaking view of our home planet as they were traveling to the moon on Dec. 7, 1972. It’s the first time astronauts were able to photograph the South polar ice cap. Nearly the entire coastline of Africa is clearly visible, along with the Arabian Peninsula. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Qr9JtL