NASA Space Photos

NASA Space Photos SLIDESHOW: Amazing Look At Sun, Stars, Planets

From May’s “supermoon” to June’s transit of Venus, 2012 has offered astronomy buffs a bumper crop of celestial events--but you don't have to wait for something special to happen in the sky to experience mind-blowing space photography.

Since its 1958 founding, NASA has amassed a vast trove of spectacular images, and most are now online. NASA has so many space photos--more than 700,000 of Earthalone--the real challenge is separating the really special shots from the also-rans.

To that end, we’ve assembled 55 images that we think represent the best of the best. Sit back, fire up your mouse or trackpad, have a look at the photos below, and rank your favorite shots. Did we miss something? If so, please add other images you think should be in our collection--or send us a tweet @HuffPostScience.

Amazing Space Photos

1 of 55

NASA / Solar Dynamic Observatory / AP

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