Bewitching NASA Astronomy Pictures of the Week: Supermassive black hole, Centaurus A Galaxy, more

The daily Astronomy Picture of the Day, published by NASA, showcases astrophotographers from various parts of the globe. This week’s pictures include stunning snapshots of supermassive black holes, the Great Carina Nebula, rocks on Mars and more.

The Great Carina Nebula is about 8500 light-years away from Earth. (Carlos Taylor/NASA)

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1/5 The Great Carina Nebula is about 8500 light-years away from Earth. (Carlos Taylor/NASA)

Flat rocks on Mars (May 2) - Flat rock hills on the surface of Mars were shot by NASA’s Curiosity Rover. When compared to the steep rocks of Earth, Martian rocks are considerably flat everywhere. This is because the Martian geography has been shaped by impact processes, erosion in particular. The Martian wind, which is 95% Carbon Dioxide, acts as sandpaper and rubs against the rocks, which flattens them. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Neville Thompson)

2/5 Flat rocks on Mars (May 2) - Flat rock hills on the surface of Mars were shot by NASA’s Curiosity Rover. When compared to the steep rocks of Earth, Martian rocks are considerably flat everywhere. This is because the Martian geography has been shaped by impact processes, erosion in particular. The Martian wind, which is 95% Carbon Dioxide, acts as sandpaper and rubs against the rocks, which flattens them. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Neville Thompson)

Centaurus A Galaxy (May 3) - This captured image shows the elliptical galaxy NGC 5128, also known as Centaurus A. This peculiar galaxy is located about 11 million light-years away towards the constellation of Centaurus and spans about 60,000 light-years across. According to NASA, Centaurus A is the closest active galaxy to Earth and is the result of the collision of two galaxies which caused star clusters and dark dust lanes to jumble up.  (NASA/Marco Lorenzi/Angus Lau/Tommy Tse)

3/5 Centaurus A Galaxy (May 3) - This captured image shows the elliptical galaxy NGC 5128, also known as Centaurus A. This peculiar galaxy is located about 11 million light-years away towards the constellation of Centaurus and spans about 60,000 light-years across. According to NASA, Centaurus A is the closest active galaxy to Earth and is the result of the collision of two galaxies which caused star clusters and dark dust lanes to jumble up.  (NASA/Marco Lorenzi/Angus Lau/Tommy Tse)

Messier 87’s Supermassive Black Hole (May 4) - The image shows the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87. Messier 87 is a supergiant elliptical galaxy located about 55 million light-years away towards the constellation of Virgo. Alongside the black hole, relativistic jet blasting from the galaxy’s central region can be observed. This is due to ionized matter within the jet moving at the speed of light. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Event Horizon Telescope)

4/5 Messier 87’s Supermassive Black Hole (May 4) - The image shows the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87. Messier 87 is a supergiant elliptical galaxy located about 55 million light-years away towards the constellation of Virgo. Alongside the black hole, relativistic jet blasting from the galaxy’s central region can be observed. This is due to ionized matter within the jet moving at the speed of light. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Event Horizon Telescope)

Shackleton crater on the Moon (May 5) - It is a snapshot of Shackleton crater located on the South Pole of the Moon. According to NASA, peaks along the Shackleton crater's rim are exposed to almost continual sunlight, while the interior is perpetually in shadow. This is due to the Moon being slightly tilted on its axis. The lunar South Pole, which is where this crater is located, has also been chosen as one of the most probable landing sites for future Moon missions. ( NASA/ShadowCam/Korea Aerospace Research Institute/Arizona State University)

5/5 Shackleton crater on the Moon (May 5) - It is a snapshot of Shackleton crater located on the South Pole of the Moon. According to NASA, peaks along the Shackleton crater's rim are exposed to almost continual sunlight, while the interior is perpetually in shadow. This is due to the Moon being slightly tilted on its axis. The lunar South Pole, which is where this crater is located, has also been chosen as one of the most probable landing sites for future Moon missions. ( NASA/ShadowCam/Korea Aerospace Research Institute/Arizona State University)