The best space photos of 2022

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This photo created by the James Webb Space Telescope revealed the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula. NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
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The best space photos of 2022

By Jennifer Arnow, Ian Berry and Tal Yellin, CNN
Intro by Ashley Strickland, CNN
December 21, 2022

This year, space missions provided an entirely new way of looking at the cosmos, from the celestial backyard of our solar system to incredibly distant galaxies that were created shortly after the Big Bang.

The James Webb Space Telescope turned its infrared gaze on the universe for the first time in July, revealing unseen aspects and stunning new details of planets, stars and galaxies. The historic Artemis I mission journeyed to the moon and back. And a NASA spacecraft deliberately slammed into a tiny asteroid to test the technology that one day may be used to defend our planet from space rocks.

Explore the cosmos like never before as we look back on some of the most memorable space images from 2022.

The International Space Station captured this image of the moon above Earth's horizon on January 21.
The International Space Station captured this image of the moon above Earth's horizon on January 21. NASA
Ganymede, one of Jupiter's four largest moons, casts a shadow on the planet on February 25. NASA's JunoCam recorded the image from approximately 44,000 miles away.
Ganymede, one of Jupiter's four largest moons, casts a shadow on the planet on February 25. NASA's JunoCam recorded the image from approximately 44,000 miles away. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
The Solar Orbiter showed unprecedented details of the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/26/world/solar-orbiter-sun-flyby-scn/index.html" target="_blank">sun&#39;s</a> outer atmosphere in March, capturing the star in extreme ultraviolet light.
The Solar Orbiter showed unprecedented details of the sun's outer atmosphere in March, capturing the star in extreme ultraviolet light. NASA/ESA/Solar Orbiter/EUI team
NASA&#39;s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/world/nasa-mars-insight-lander-final-selfie-scn/index.html" target="_blank">InSight Mars lander</a> poses for its final selfie on April 24. The space agency said in May that InSight would soon cease scientific operations due to decreasing power supply.
NASA's InSight Mars lander poses for its final selfie on April 24. The space agency said in May that InSight would soon cease scientific operations due to decreasing power supply. NASA/JPL-Caltech
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/28/world/mars-ingenuity-helicopter-landing-gear-scn/index.html" target="_blank">Debris</a> from the gear that helped land the Perseverance rover on Mars was spotted by the Ingenuity helicopter on April 19.
Debris from the gear that helped land the Perseverance rover on Mars was spotted by the Ingenuity helicopter on April 19. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Best of the Artemis I Mission

Cory Huston/NASA

Bill Ingalls/NASA

NASA

NASA

A full moon is in view near the Artemis I Space Launch System at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on June 14. The rocket was being prepared for a wet dress rehearsal several months before its launch.

Spectators watch the launch of the Artemis I rocket from the Kennedy Space Center early on November 16.

This photo was captured by a camera on the tip of one of Orion's solar arrays on the first day of the Artemis I mission. NASA said the spacecraft was 57,000 miles from Earth when the image was taken.

The Orion spacecraft made its second close flyby of the moon's surface on the 20th day of the mission and captured another selfie.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins enjoys the view of Earth from inside the International Space Station&#39;s seven-windowed cupola on May 5. Watkins made <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/tech/spacex-launch-crew-4-wednesday-scn/index.html" target="_blank">history</a> as the first Black woman to join the Space Station crew.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins enjoys the view of Earth from inside the International Space Station's seven-windowed cupola on May 5. Watkins made history as the first Black woman to join the Space Station crew. NASA
In May, astronomers captured the first image of a supermassive <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/12/world/milky-way-center-black-hole-image-scn/index.html" target="_blank">black hole</a> at the center of the Milky Way.
In May, astronomers captured the first image of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. ESO
The Hubble Space Telescope spotted this spectacular view of the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/31/world/hubble-grand-spiral-galaxy-scn/index.html" target="_blank">grand design spiral galaxy</a> NGC 3631. The head-on view, released on May 26, displays arms that seem to wrap around the galaxy&#39;s structure.
The Hubble Space Telescope spotted this spectacular view of the grand design spiral galaxy NGC 3631. The head-on view, released on May 26, displays arms that seem to wrap around the galaxy's structure. NASA/ESA/A. Filippenko/D. Sand
Frozen water on the surface of Mars splits the ground open into polygons, creating a strange but beautiful pattern in this image released by NASA on June 26.
Frozen water on the surface of Mars splits the ground open into polygons, creating a strange but beautiful pattern in this image released by NASA on June 26. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
NASA&#39;s JunoCam captured this dazzling view near Jupiter&#39;s north pole on July 5. The spiral shaped vortices are wind patterns from storms.
NASA's JunoCam captured this dazzling view near Jupiter's north pole on July 5. The spiral shaped vortices are wind patterns from storms. NASA

Best of the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

NASA/ESA/CSA/Jupiter ERS Team

NASA/ESA

NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Webb ERO Production Team

NASA/STSIO

The "Cosmic Cliffs" are the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. This was one of the first batch of images released by NASA from the James Webb Space Telescope in July. The telescope's infrared view reveals previously invisible areas of star birth.

The telescope’s images of Jupiter were so spectacular, they surprised NASA's scientists who were in awe of the rainbow auroras, giant storms and far-off galaxies on display.

The galaxy M74 shines at its brightest in this combined optical/mid-infrared image that features data from both the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.

In this mosaic image stretching 340 light-years across, Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light.

Protostar L1527 is hidden in the neck of a dark, hourglass-shaped cloud of gas and dust.

A bright trail of light is seen in this long-exposure photograph taken after the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which carried the Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14.
A bright trail of light is seen in this long-exposure photograph taken after the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which carried the Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14. SpaceX/NASA
In this image released on August 9, the Gemini North telescope captured a pair of galaxies, NGC 4567 (top) and NGC 4568 (bottom), as they collide. Nicknamed the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/10/world/colliding-galaxies-gemini-north-image-scn/index.html" target="_blank">Butterfly galaxies</a>, they will eventually merge as a single galaxy in 500 million years.
In this image released on August 9, the Gemini North telescope captured a pair of galaxies, NGC 4567 (top) and NGC 4568 (bottom), as they collide. Nicknamed the Butterfly galaxies, they will eventually merge as a single galaxy in 500 million years. International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Best of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test

NASA

NASA

NASA

Asteroid Didymos, bottom left, and its moonlet, Dimorphos, are seen about 2.5 minutes before the impact of NASA’s DART spacecraft. This image was the last to show a complete view of both asteroids. The goal of the mission was to affect the motion of an asteroid in space.

DART's onboard DRACO imager captures the moonlet Dimorphos 11 seconds before impact.

The last complete image of Dimorphos shows a patch of the asteroid that is 100 feet across, 2 seconds before impact.

SpaceX&#39;s Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/05/world/gallery/spacex-nasa-crew-5-launch/index.html" target="_blank">historic</a> Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station on October 5. Astronaut Nicole Mann was the first Native American woman to ever travel to space, as well as the first woman to ever take on the role of mission commander for a SpaceX mission. Cosmonaut Anna Kikina was the first Russian to join a SpaceX mission.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the historic Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station on October 5. Astronaut Nicole Mann was the first Native American woman to ever travel to space, as well as the first woman to ever take on the role of mission commander for a SpaceX mission. Cosmonaut Anna Kikina was the first Russian to join a SpaceX mission. Joel Kowsky/NASA
Orange and pink gas clouds make up the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/31/world/ghost-star-supernova-scn/index.html" target="_blank">Vela supernova</a> remnant, all that remained after the explosive death of a massive star in this image released by the European Southern Observatory on October 31.
Orange and pink gas clouds make up the Vela supernova remnant, all that remained after the explosive death of a massive star in this image released by the European Southern Observatory on October 31. ESO/VPHAS
The two side boosters of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket — <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/01/business/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-ussf-44-scn/" target="_blank">the most powerful operational rocket in the world</a> — return for landing about eight minutes after the rocket lifted off in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on November 1. The Falcon Heavy returned to the skies for the first time since mid-2019, hauling satellites to space for the US military.
The two side boosters of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket — the most powerful operational rocket in the world — return for landing about eight minutes after the rocket lifted off in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on November 1. The Falcon Heavy returned to the skies for the first time since mid-2019, hauling satellites to space for the US military. John Raoux/AP
NASA released what would become the last photo from the Mars InSight lander on December 19. The space agency announced the official <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/21/world/nasa-insight-mars-mission-end-scn/index.html" target="_blank">end</a> of the mission on December 21 after the lander failed to respond to two messages from mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
NASA released what would become the last photo from the Mars InSight lander on December 19. The space agency announced the official end of the mission on December 21 after the lander failed to respond to two messages from mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA/JPL-Caltech