Today's 10 Must-See Photos: 2-26-2013

This Feb. 26 NASA image of the day shows the Whirlpool Galaxy, a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. This image is a digital combination of a ground-based image from the 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory and a space-based image from the Hubble Space Telescope highlighting sharp features normally too red to be seen.  

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on Feb. 25 and wrote, "Tonight's Finale: The Himalayas to the horizon, gives me such a feeling of wild grandeur. pic.twitter.com/Uz2ssoJitr."

The full moon is seen above the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, early Tuesday, Feb. 26. Pope Benedict XVI has changed the rules of the conclave that will elect his successor, allowing cardinals to move up the start date if all of them arrive in Rome before the usual 15-day transition between pontificates. Benedict signed a legal document, issued Monday, with some line-by-line changes to the 1996 Vatican law governing the election of a new pope. It is one of his last acts as pope before resigning Thursday. 

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on Feb. 26 and wrote, "Glance out the spaceship side window, that's what you see. pic.twitter.com/vtpq1xg2hF."

This NASA Earth Observatory, shows a major snowstorm as it makes its way across the country, dropping snow from Colorado to the Great Lakes region. The Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime on Feb. 23. The snow appears medium gray, and stretches from northern Texas to the Dakotas, and from the Rocky Mountain states eastward past Chicago.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on Feb. 25 and wrote, "Washington, DC - the Beltway and the Mall both visible from Earth orbit. pic.twitter.com/ygsGxSEZcm."

Tree limbs lay broken by heavy wet snow on Wehmeyer Road, Feb. 26, after a winter storm dumped about eight inches of snow in central Boone County, Mo. The second major snowstorm in a week battered the nation's midsection Tuesday, dropping a half-foot or more of snow across Missouri and Kansas and cutting power to thousands. Gusting winds blew drifts more than 2 feet high and created treacherous driving conditions for those who dared the morning commute. 

A fleet of pointus, fishing boats typical of southern France, decorated with locally grown flowers, parade during a naval battle of flowers, in the harbor of Villefranche sur Mer, southeastern France, Monday. The sailors file past the public and along the wharves, throwing flowers among the spectators.