Outer space has inspired not only wonder among astronomy enthusiasts, but it has also inspired fear, as horror stories often draw inspiration from otherworldly creatures and beings to unsettle audiences, with NASA recently getting in on the action of frightening fans with a series of posters for fictional horror films that all draw inspiration from real-life science. Unveiled just in time for Halloween, the pieces were released in promotion of their “Galaxy of Horror” initiative which sheds new light on disturbing facts about our galaxy. You can learn more about these concepts by heading to NASA’s official Galaxy of Horror page.

“One of the things I really like about these posters is that if you spend some time studying the art and then maybe go learn a little more about each of these topics, you’ll see there was a lot of thought by the artists about the choices they made to highlight the science,” Jason Rhodes, an astrophysicist at JPL who consulted on the project, shared in a statement.

Check out the posters as well as a tease of their true-life inspiration below.

Galactic Graveyard – Art by Ken Taylor

“This chillingly haunted galaxy mysteriously stopped making stars only a few billion years after the Big Bang! It became a cosmic cemetery, illuminated by the red glow of decaying stars. Dare to enter, and you might encounter the frightening corpses of exoplanets or the final death throes of once-mighty stars.”

Dark Matter – Art by Ross Murray

“Something strange and mysterious creeps throughout the cosmos. Scientists call it dark matter. It is scattered in an intricate web that forms the skeleton of our universe. Dark matter is invisible, only revealing its presence by pushing and pulling on objects we can see. NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will investigate its secrets. What will be revealed?”

Gamma Ray Ghouls – Art by Shan Jiang

“In the depths of the universe, the cores of two collapsed stars violently merge to release a burst of the deadliest and most powerful form of light, known as gamma rays. These beams of doom are unleashed upon their unfortunate surroundings, shining a million trillion times brighter than the Sun for up to 30 terrifying seconds. No spaceship will shield you from the blinding destruction of the gamma ray ghouls!”

You can head to NASA’s official Galaxy of Horror page to learn more about the science behind the creepy concepts.

Which poster do you like the most? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!