While the inhabitants of Earth decorate their homes with pumpkins, skeletons and ghosts, it turns out that the Universe has long had its own Halloween decorations!π
And they are so impressive that Hollywood can only be envious.
For the holiday, NASA published new space photographs and recalled the most unusual images from its archives.
And there really is something to see here!
βοΈ The Sun that turned into a pumpkin (29β31 October 2026 β USA).
One of NASA's most famous photographs shows our Sun with huge glowing eyes and a wide, sinister smile.
The result is a real Halloween pumpkin!
The image was taken back in 2014 by the Solar Dynamics Observatory space observatory.
In reality, the "eyes" and "smile" are regions of increased solar activity.
Imagine a pumpkin 1,4 million kilometers in diameter!
True, you won't be able to put it on the porch. And sticking a candle inside is pointless β it already burns beautifully on its own! π
π A giant cat watches over the Earth
On 29 October, NASA presented amazing images of the Cat's Head nebula obtained by the Hubble and James Webb telescopes.
In the photographs, the silhouette of a huge cat with a brightly glowing eye can be made out.
The object is located approximately 7500 light-years from Earth.
Of course, there is no real cat there. These are giant clouds of gas and dust, inside which stars are born.
But it looks as if a cosmic cat has been sitting by the window for several thousand years, waiting for its owner to finally open the door! πΉ
I wonder how many tons of food such a pet would need?
π» A real ghost in space!
On 30 October, NASA published a photograph of the Ghost Nebula in the constellation Cepheus.
The image shows mysterious translucent silhouettes, as if floating in the darkness.
But these are not spirits or aliens, but enormous clouds of cosmic dust illuminated by stars.
The nebula is located approximately 1200 light-years from Earth and stretches for more than two light-years.
So it turns out the Universe has a ghost several trillion kilometres in size!
And best of all β a completely free Halloween decoration. True, delivery to Earth is not yet available! π€£
π And there's also a skull there!
In the constellation Cetus lies the nebula NGC 246, which astronomers have nicknamed the Skull.
Glowing clouds of gas form the outline of a head with dark eye sockets.
In reality, this is material that a star shed in the late stage of its existence.
But the object looks so sinister that it could become the main set piece of any horror film.
Why do we even see faces in space?
Scientists explain this by a phenomenon called pareidolia.
Our brain constantly searches for familiar images in random shapes.
That is why we see animals in clouds, human faces on the Moon and giant pumpkins on the Sun.
And yet the scientific explanation does not make the photographs any less amazing!
So it turns out humanity spends millions of dollars on science-fiction film sets, while the Universe creates ghosts, skulls, giant cats and smiling pumpkins completely for free.
And on a scale that no Hollywood studio could match!
So if tonight it seems to you that someone is watching you from space, don't be scared.
It's probably just a giant cat that wants to have dinner.
And very much hopes that you haven't forgotten to buy its food! ππΉ
