Sky Candy New Year's Afterparty

There is so much going on, and we can only see snapshots.

The "head-on collision" of Arp-Madore 417-391 (also known as AM 417-391) is truly one of the most stunning examples of a nearly perfect ring galaxy! This rare cosmic event occurs when two spiral galaxies smash directly into each other almost head-on. Their mutual gravity… pic.twitter.com/2351GLGM8E

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) January 11, 2026

I'm guessing the insurance claim was astronomical.

Yes, I said it, and I'm not sorry.

In any case, here's a pretty picture.

Here's a more captivating and vivid rewrite of your text:The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)Behold one of the most iconic cosmic dances ever captured: the Whirlpool Galaxy, Messier 51, locked in a majestic gravitational embrace with its smaller companion, NGC 5195.This breathtaking… pic.twitter.com/l3CZ4hw5Cn

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) January 15, 2026

Back when I was in the Astronomy Club in the late '60s, we had real trouble getting a 1-hour exposure.

This beautiful 4-pane mosaic of the Cocoon Nebula by Phil Aichinger & Jamie Macdougall is January Picture of the Month👏

Tech info:
⏰224 hours of data
🔭Twin ZWO FF130 f/7.7 apochromatic refractors & ZWO ASI 2600MM cameras + Antlia 3nm filters
📍PixelSkies Observatory, Spain pic.twitter.com/JrENDydyiF

— Astronomy Now (@AstronomyNow) January 5, 2026

Another favorite.

A little soul

in a vast, breathtaking universe.

Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302). pic.twitter.com/41WlfXECNE

— Abigail (@abigail_ho) January 12, 2026

Who names these things? "Drunken Dragon Nebula"?

NGC 760/762 (Drunken Dragon Nebula) is a magical reflection nebula located about 850 light years from Earth in constellation Aries. Rarely imaged, this fairly young association of gas and dust is home to a beautiful cosmic nursery and some newborn stars. 📷 SPL #NGC760 #NGC762 pic.twitter.com/Sg8YYcqzeB

— Lee-Anne Gibbon (@LeeAnneGibbon1) January 7, 2026

One more or less in our neighborhood.

The Carina Nebula, a breathtaking celestial masterpiece nestled 7500 light-years away.
📸 NASA/Hubble pic.twitter.com/Sg4xzbVVih

— Beyond Our Sight (@our22852_our) January 11, 2026

Under construction.

Enjoy with us this stunning masterpiece taken from the deserts of Al Sadeem Observatory to one of the most famous star-forming regions in the universe⭐️🌌
It is the Pillars of Creation which is a part of a large nebula called the Eagle nebula🦅
1/2 pic.twitter.com/QRS9Na51UL

— Al Sadeem Astronomy (@AlSadeemAstro) January 10, 2026

And now the news.

🙌🏼 SpaceX picks up another win.

The US Space Force is moving the GPS III SV09 launch from ULA Vulcan to SpaceX Falcon 9 to maintain the mission's timeline.

Vulcan is still rampng up, while Falcon 9 remains the reliable workhorse for the Pentagon.#Falcon9 #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/UgmhMihStF

— Musk Fam (@ElonTribe_Xmax) January 15, 2026

There are going to be statues of Elon Musk in the future. On Mars.

After last night’s concert, we drove past @SpaceX to see the first Falcon 9 to land safely, then got home in time to watch Crew 11’s Dragon capsule reentering the atmosphere overhead—perfect ending to a great night. pic.twitter.com/YRwVMl6CzZ

— Bill Hunt (@BillHuntBits) January 15, 2026

Pretty flashy.

Amazing @SpaceX @NASA pic.twitter.com/IzxTvd2CXN

— Nick Shelly (@NShelly) January 15, 2026

Now THIS is the 21st century I was waiting for.

« …an ambitious vision for the future of space exploration, predicting that SpaceX’s Starship rockets could launch more than 24 times in a single 24-hour period within the next six to seven years… » #Space #technologies https://t.co/5LV1n78464 https://t.co/6XWggojwtm pic.twitter.com/6zK4tjj6Hz

— J C Le Danff 🎗️🤟 (@ahenk75) January 15, 2026

So, there we go for another week. As always, I love comments, but I have a special request — are there any objects you'd like to see? Or any topics you'd like to suggest as a theme for the column? Let me know in the comments below.

See you next week.