Trying to Get My Mind off George and War...

I love the pictures at space.com and they are having the 'end of the year contest' which allows us an opportunity to judge the photos with a rating of 1 (not so great) through 5 (best). Here's the place if you have some time to look at the photos and score them -- Space.com 2004 Best Photos

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...I really like this one

"Resembling a diamond-encrusted bracelet, a ring of
brilliant blue star clusters wraps around the
yellowish nucleus of what was once a normal spiral
galaxy in this image from NASA's Hubble Space
Telescope (HST) in January 2004. This image was
released to commemorate the 14th anniversary of
Hubble's launch on April 24, 1990 and its
deployment from the space shuttle Discovery on
April 25, 1990.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage
Team (AURA/STScI)"

The Lure of the Rings


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...and this is very cool!

"On July 26, 2004, the Mars Exploration Rover
Opportunity took the time to look at its own
shadow, capturing the moment with one of its
forward hazard-avoidance camera."

MER and My Shadow


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...and while I normally wince when I see lens flare, I do like this one.

Our universe is so beautiful!

"This is an expanding halo of light around
a distant star, named V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon).
This Hubble Telescope image was obtained with
the Advanced Camera for Surveys on February 8, 2004."

Space Phenomenon Imitates Art