A high speed train speeding by on the rails.

This magnificent 360-degree panoramic image, covering the entire southern and northern celestial sphere, reveals the cosmic landscape that surrounds our tiny blue planet. This gorgeous starscape serves as the first of three extremely high-resolution images featured in the GigaGalaxy Zoom project, launched by ESO within the framework of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, which we see edge-on from our perspective on Earth, cuts a luminous swath across the image.

A spiral roller coaster for marbles.

The Whirlpool Galaxy swirling away.

The Sydney skyline at night with the Harbour Bridge on the side.

A small sailboat alone on the sea at sunset.

A series of doors lit by neon lights.

The U.S. $2 bill featuring Jefferson.

A few colours from the spectrum on a black background.

A carousel and roller coaster in the dusk.

Colourful waves across a white background.

Water droplets caught in the leaves.

A simple photo of the sunset.

The wind blows through this green wheat field.