Space Photo Of The Week: 900 alien worlds packed into a single image

What it is: Two infographics that show 1,600 exoplanets of all types and sizes according to up-to-date astronomical observation data

Where it is: All across the Milky Way. (But the Icy and Rocky Worlds and Exoplanet Zoo infographics are available online.)

When it was shared: June 2024

Why it's so special: A graphic artist has used the latest astronomical observation data to create two large infographics that artistically visualize and compare more than 1,600 exoplanets of all types and sizes. 

An exoplanet is any planet that orbits a star other than our sun. Well over 5,000 exoplanets have been discovered in our Milky Way galaxy, according to NASA. 

Martin Vargic, a Slovakian artist and the author of Vargic's Curious Cosmic Compendium, published these exquisite images on his website, Halcyon Maps, where they are also available as posters.

The first infographic, "Icy and Rocky Worlds," contains more than 900 individually illustrated Earth and "super-Earth" sized planets arranged according to their equilibrium temperature.