We’re turning the space oddities up to 11 this week, peeping at galaxy mergers, asteroid photobombs, and more. First we’re going to follow the Sun: Charged particles that make up the solar wind create spectacular auroras in Earth’s atmosphere, but they can also fry electronics in GPS satellites. By shining light on how solar wind behaves and streams through space, we can also learn more about the Sun’s effects on the rest of the solarsystem.

Then we will head out to witness the precursor to a violent galactic collision. It’s rare to see a crash coming up like this, but it is incredibly useful to astronomers who study mergers in the cosmos. Finally we're taking a deep stare into space at a swatch of ancient galaxies courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope, while several “nearby” asteroids swoop through the image in an epic photobomb.

Looking to get lost in space? Start with WIRED’s full collection of photos here.

More Great WIRED Stories