NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S BEST SPACE PICTURES THIS WEEK CXII

See a Messy Galaxy Glitter - and the Real-Life Mount Doom
By Michael Greshko, National Geographic News, 10 June 2016.

This week, one of Earth's greatest natural wonders gets photographed from space, Saturn's moon Titan glimmers in the sunlight of late spring, and a satellite sheds new light on the real-life Mount Doom.

1. All By Myself

This drizzle of stars forms an irregular dwarf galaxy known as UGC 4879. It’s also quite isolated: 2.3 million light-years separate UGC 4879 from its closest neighbour.

2. A Parting Shot

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft saw this stunning silhouette of Pluto only a few minutes after the craft's closest approach on July 14, 2015. Sunlight illuminates Pluto's complex atmospheric hazes.

3. Mount Doom?

NASA’s Terra satellite snapped this image of Mount Ruapehu, one of the most active volcanoes in New Zealand, where the 'Lord of the Rings' movies were filmed. The volcano has erupted 66 times since 9,850 B.C.

4. Sun and Shadow

Saturn’s moon Titan hang above the planet’s rings, its northern hemisphere drenched in sunlight. What looks like a gap between the rings and the planet is actually Saturn's shadow.

5. Watery Wonder

An International Space Station crew member pushed a camera system to the limit to spot the famous Iguazú Falls, the second most popular tourist attraction in South America after Machu Picchu.

6. Welcome, Earthlings

Regolith Brecciai, a rock from space, is displayed to visitors at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

[Source: National Geographic News. Edited. Some links added.]