Astronomers initially thought NCG 5011B and NGC 5011C were the same distance from the Earth. That would make them very close in the cosmos, yet there is no sign of interaction between them.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this solar eruption on Dec. 31, 2012, as it rises and falls with the grace and polished movement of a ballet dancer.
The public is invited to a free event in January to experience "Finding the Slippery Slope: Detecting Landslides from Space," by Dalia Kirschbaum, research physical scientist in hydrological science at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The U.S. Geological Survey announced that 29-year-old Landsat 5 will be decommissioned over the coming months.
A year-end review of major news coming from NASA's Heliophysics Division.