NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S SPACE PICTURES THIS WEEK LXVI

Space Pictures This Week: Cosmic Crash, Eroding Mars
By Andrew Fazekas, National Geographic News, 12 July 2013.

Galaxies collide, the Milky Way sparkles, and a forest fire rages in this week's best space pictures.

1. Cosmic Crash

A cosmic crash scene of two galaxies, with many young star clusters strewn about, is on display in this new near-infrared image by the Gemini South Observatory in Chile.

Sitting 10.5 million light-years from Earth, the two intertwining islands of stars are known as the antennae galaxies due to the two, spindly arms coming out from the galactic core that look similar to insect antenna.

These antenna-like structures - made of millions of stars - were originally spiral arms, a normal part of a galaxy. Over time they became gravitationally distorted and drawn out into space during the initial collision between the galaxies 300 million years ago.

Astronomers believe that billions of years in the future, our own Milky Way will suffer the same fate, smashing into our neighbouring Andromeda galaxy and eventually merging into one. (Related: "Earth Likely to Relocate in Galactic Collision.")

2. Dustup

A giant plume of dust rising from the deserts in southern Egypt races over the Red Sea in this panoramic snapshot taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on June 22. (See more desert pictures.)

The delta of the southern Egyptian river Khor Baraka - more than 340 miles (550 kilometres) below the ISS - is a large area filled with loose sand and clay that gets routinely kicked up by strong winds channelled into the area by nearby hills.

3. Starry Night

Photograph by Tunç Tezel, TWAN

Despite the glow from towns scattered throughout the valleys near Uludağ mountain in southern Turkey, stars that form part of the the Milky Way shine brightly in the skies above in a picture released July 6.

4. Ancient Flood

A craggy valley carved by fast-flowing water possibly a billion years ago highlights this June 3 image taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from 179 miles (286 kilometres) above Mars's surface.

Diverse geological landforms, which predate the ancient flood, have been left to erode in the harsh, present-day Martian environment.

5. Smoky Skies

Plumes of smoke from forest fires raging in northern Quebec, Canada, are captured in this striking image by crew aboard the international Space Station on July 3.

Strong northwesterly winds have pushed the smoke and resulting smog from the James Bay region down as far south as the U.S. state of Maine, causing noticeable drops in air quality.

[Source: National Geographic News. Edited.]