NASA pictures season greetings outer space

NASA's mission may be to explore the farthest reaches of our galaxy, but sometimes they simply find visions perfect for the holiday season.
These colourful images from the US space agency, hand-picked by Cover Images, show celestial sights worthy of any interstellar Christmas party.

They range from a wreath-like spiral galaxy to a region called NGC 6357 that NASA themselves this week dubbed a "Cosmic Winter Wonderland".