Though better known for its high-profile manned missions, Nasa has been chronicling space through the use of high-powered telescopes and cameras for years.
Since launching on 16 June 1995, the agency's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) series has published a selection of these eye-catching images online.
The series' first picture was viewed by just 14 people, but today they reach hundreds of millions more.
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The images are either visible spectrum photographs, images taken at non-visible wavelengths and colourised, artist’s conceptions or micrographs that relate to space or cosmology.
Thanks to the Hubble Telescope, this year has seen some of the most impressive astronomical events yet, captured in stunning quality.
In March, those in south-east Asia were able to catch a rare glimpse of a total solar eclipse.
Nasa's Juno spacecraft also successfully entered Jupiter's orbit this month and sent back astonishing pictures of the giant planet and its moons.
Above is a selection of the most extraordinary images from the series this year.
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