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"20 Space Wallpapers That Are Out of This World\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Cassiopeia A \n\nLocated 10,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia, Cassiopeia A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent supernova explosion 325 years ago.\nImage courtesy of NASA/ESA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Free Fly\n\n\nAstronaut Bruce McCandless II floats farther out in space than anyone ever had before, 100 meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger. \nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Blue Discovery\n\n\nBlue ocean is the backdrop as the Discovery STS 120 mission takes flight.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Carina Nebula\n\n\nRadiation and fast winds from the stars sculpt the pillar and cause new star formation within the Carina Nebula.\nImage courtesy of NASA/ESA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Apollo 11\n\n\nApollo 11 mission commander Neil Armstrong took this iconic photograph of Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. Our Gigantic Sun\n\n\nSometimes we remember how small we really are, and, just like that, our everyday annoyances don't seem that important anymore.\nImage courtesy of NASA/SDO\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Hubble Extreme Deep Field\n\n\nThe Hubble eXtreme Deep Field is the most comprehensive view into the universe ever, combining into one photo more than 2,000 images taken at the same spot over a period of 10 years. It took billions of years for the light from these galaxies to reach us. So in this photo, we are, in essence, looking back in time.\nImage courtesy of NASA/ESA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Mars at Its Closest\n\n\nThis image was taken within minutes of Mars' closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years on Aug. 27, 2003, when the Red Planet was 34,647,420 miles away.\nImage courtesy of NASA/ESA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. Dumbbell Nebula\n\n\nDumbbell nebula is 1,360 light-years away in the Vulpecula constellation, and stretches across 4.5 light-years of space. That would more that fill the space between our sun and the nearest star.\nImage courtesy of NASA/ESA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10.  Endeavour Arrival\n\n\nThe space shuttle Endeavour approaching the International Space Station.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n11. Mini Planetary System\n\n\nThis artist's concept depicts a compact planetary system similar to one that astronomers found using data from NASA's Kepler mission and ground-based telescopes.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n12. Crab Nebula\n\n\nThe Crab Nebula is all that remains of a tremendous stellar explosion that observers in China and Japan recorded nearly 1,000 years ago, in 1054.\nImage courtesy of NASA/ESA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n13. Earth and Mars Compared\n\n\nThis composite image of Earth and Mars shows the relative sizes of the two planets. The Galileo orbiter acquired the Earth image on Dec. 11, 1990, when the spacecraft was about 1.3 million miles from the planet during the first of two Earth flybys on its way to Jupiter. The Mars Global Surveyor captured the Red Planet image in April 1999.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n14. Discovery Launch\n\n\nSpace shuttle Discovery lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on July 4, 2006.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n15. Spiral Stars\n\n\nThis spiral disk of stars, dust and gas is 170,000 light-years across, or nearly twice the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy. M101 is estimated to contain at least one trillion stars, 100 billion of which could be similar to our Sun.\nImage courtesy of NASA/ESA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n16. Blue Marble\n\n\nIn what is quite possibly the most famous images of our beautiful planet, the Blue Marble photo is a true-color image of the entire Earth that was stitched together using a collection of satellite-based observations.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n17. Extreme Mars Panorama\n\n\nThis spectacular panorama is a mosaic of images taken by the NASA Mars rover Curiosity while working at a site called \"Rocknest\" in October and November 2012. \nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n18. Curiosity Self-Portrait\n\n\nHere's another sweeping panorama of Mars, this time with the Curiosity Rover in the shot.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n19. Star Wars Return of the Jedi\n\nWe couldn't put together a list of space wallpapers and leave out our favorite fictional intergalactic images from Star Wars.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n20. Star Trek Starship Enterprise\n\n\nDon't worry, we would never forget you, dearest Trekkie.\nImage courtesy of The Light Works \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpace can be beautiful. From the colorful formation of new stars within a nebula, to solar flares that burst into liquid bubbles, the science that makes up the universe is art.\nThese 20 wallpapers capture the mystery and beauty of our galaxy and beyond. Some iconic images you'll recognize \u2014 our bright blue Earth or history's most famous moonwalker, for example. \nSEE ALSO: How Hubble Snaps Those Amazing Space Images\n\nOther images may be your first glimpse at a space phenomena. Many of these photos came from Hubble, a telescope that orbits our planet, snapping the deepest views of space that we have ever seen. When you look at these wallpapers of stars that are billions of light-years away, you are essentially looking back in time. And really, we couldn't think of a better distraction to have during your workday.  \nWhat's on your desktop right now, fellow space-lover? Share it with us in the comments below.\nBONUS: Breathtaking Photos of Auroras\n\n\n10 Amazing Auroras Caught on Camera\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTaken by an Expedition 31 crew member as the International Space Station orbited above New Zealand in May 2012.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLooking down on United States Midwest from the International Space Station in September 2011.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhoto taken in Bear Lake, Alaska in 2005.\nImage courtesy of Joshua Strang, USAF, Wikipedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFrom on board the International Space Station in January 2011.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAurora shines over Oklahoma on Oct. 29, 2003.\nImage courtesy of Dave Ewoldt via NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAurora Australis photographed from the Space Shuttle in May 1991.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTaken from the International Space Station as it crossed over the southern Indian Ocean on September 17, 2011.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExpedition 32 crew on board the International Space Station recorded the Southern Lights on July 15, 2012.\nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAn astronomer snapped this photo in Quebec, Canada in July 2004.\nImage courtesy of Philippe Moussette (Obs. Mont Cosmos)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTaken on Jan. 25, 2012 from the International Space Station as it flew over the Midwestern United States. \nImage courtesy of NASA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHomepage image courtesy of NASA/ESA"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/03/06/space-wallpapers/>