The 12th Planet, Planet X Files, Space and Science Anomalies

A Closer Encounter with Mars (06/30/1999) - Introduction June 30, 1999: Taking advantage of Mars's closest approach to Earth in eight years, astronomers using the Hubble telescope have taken the space-based observatory's sharpest views yet of the Red Planet. NASA is releasing these images to commemorate the second anniversary of the Mars Pathfinder landing. The telescope snapped these pictures between April 27 and May 6, 1999, when Mars was 54 million miles (87 million kilometers) from Earth. From this distance the telescope could see Martian features as small as 12 miles (19 kilometers) wide. See the rest: See All the Images Photo Credit: Steve Lee (University of Colorado), Jim Bell (Cornell University), Mike Wolff (Space Science Institute), and NASA

2009/Times/photography 2009 in Focus: Best of Times photography Memorable moments captured by Los Angeles Times photographers in 2009 U.S. R&B star Usher rests his hand on Michael Jackson's coffin as he sings Jackson's "Gone Too Soon" during the star's memorial service at Staples Center. Sgt. Kobe Bryant celebrates after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic, 99-86, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win the 15th championship for the franchise. Kate Winslet goes backstage after her win for best actress at the 81st annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20 accompanied by his family. Pavement buckled beneath a Los Angeles city fire truck in September, pulling the 42,000-pound vehicle into a massive sinkhole in Valley Village. LAPD officers arrest a man in a Spider Man outfit after he allegedly assaulted a man on the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. A surfer spends Martin Luther King Jr.

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