From mapping the moon’s gravity to intense views of the Northern Lights, view our monthly roundup of cosmic highlights from February 2013.
Window on Infinity: The Month in Space
Gerhard Huedepohl
The yellow-orange beam of the brilliant seven watt laser is seen emerging from the dome of the Very Large Telescope at Chile's Paranal Observatory. The laser creates an artificial star high in the atmosphere that can be used to correct for air turbulence and form much sharper pictures.