OCTOBER 2009 IN SPACE

Blast from the sun
A huge prominence erupts from the left side of the sun's disk in one of a series of images recorded in the ultraviolet spectrum over a 30-hour period by NASA's STEREO spacecraft. The Sept. 26-27 prominence, which was powered by the sun's magnetic field, was one of the first that was large enough for both of the STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Reflection Observatory) spacecraft to observe it over a period of hours.

Dark dunes
Martian winds have piled sand into strange-shaped dunes, as seen in a picture captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and released on Oct. 7. The dunes are shown in shades of blue rather than red because the image has been color-coded to indicate subtle differences in surface composition.

Blobs in space
This portrait of Barnard's Galaxy, made by the European Southern Observatory in Chile and released Oct. 14, shows curiously shaped star-forming nebulae in shades of red and purple. Also known as NGC 6822, this dwarf irregular galaxy is one of the Milky Way's galactic neighbors - situated a mere 1.6 million light-years away.

Warp speed
The spiral galaxy NGC 4402 is being stripped of its gas content as it moves through the Virgo Cluster at a speed of millions of miles an hour. The pressures give it a warped or convex appearance. This picture was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007 and was released on Sept. 30, 2009

Earth's moon, seen here in a photo taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, was targeted by another probe in October. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, crashed into a polar crater on Oct. 9. Although the impact could not be seen from Earth, data collected by spacecraft with a better view of lunar surface should help scientists learn more about water ice trapped in the moon's soil.

Scribbles on Mars
Mini-tornadoes known as dust devils have left behind dark, twisting tracks on Martian sand dunes in this image, captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in August and released on Oct. 14.

Whirling winds create the patterns by stirring up darker material beneath the surface.