NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

In today's image, we see a reconstructed image of our Milky Way as viewed from the side. The image is created using data from the Gaia spacecraft which was recently retired in March of this year. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of...

In today's image, we see one of the rare images of the surface of Venus. Because Venus is covered in clouds, it cannot be imaged directly from space. The conditions on the surface are very hostile so a craft can only survive for a short time on the surface. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can a...

In today's image, we see a 3D image from the surface of Mars showing the Sojourner rover on Mars as well as the Pathfinder lander and several rock features on Mars, including one names Yogi. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the D...

In today's image, we see an artist's rendering of the jet of material being emitted from around a black hole. Recent observations have determine that the x-rays being produces are from energetic electrons. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy P...

In today's image, we see two images of the Crab Nebula showing the expansion that has taken place in the time between these two images. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You can use the archive link below the image to se...

In today's image, we see a pair of galaxies which are in the process of merging. Galactic mergers like this can take billions of years as the galaxies will make many approaches to one another before finally merging into a single galaxy. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and w...

In today's image, we see a computer simulation of two supermassive black holes and their accretion disks in orbit around one another. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You can use the archive link below the image to sele...

In today's image, we see lines of reflected light from planets and our Moon as seen across the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You can use the archive link below the image to select th...

In today's image, we see an artist's conception of the accretion disk and jet of a supermassive black hole. Recent measurements have shown that black holes are spinning at close to a limit as measured my material at the inner edge of the accretion disk moving at close to the speed of light. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Med...

In today's image, we see the large moon of Saturn known as Titan. This is the only moon in the solar system with a significant atmosphere and the only object (other than Earth!) that has a liquid present on its surface. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly a...

In today's image, we see a young star cluster, NGC 346, located in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The energy from the hot stars in the cluster shapes the material around the cluster. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You ca...

In today's image, we see an image from the MESSENGER spacecraft. The center of this region is the expect place on Mercury where MESSENGER crashes into the surface at the end of its mission ten years ago. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Pic...

In today's image, we see three solar system objects in the sky which form a smiley face in the sky. These include the thin, waning crescent Moon, the planet Venus, and the planet Saturn. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day ....

In today's image, we see six images of Saturn taken from 2020-2025. Over this time, the rings system tilt changes which leads us to be unable to see the rings of Saturn this year. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You ca...

In today's image, we see the Gum 37 nebula which is part of a molecular cloud in which stars are forming. The tadpoles are regions of higher density which remain as lower density gas is washed away. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture...

In today's image, we see a planetary nebula known as the Spirograph Nebula. A planetary nebula is the end state of a star much like our own Sun. The core compacts down to a white dwarf star while the outer layers expand into the planetary nebula we see. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can acces...

In today's image, we see an example of a barred spiral galaxy with a distinct bar running through its central regions. These are a relatively common type of spiral galaxy and many other galaxies are visible as well in this image collected the Hubble Space Telescope, not starting its 35th year of observing the universe. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Pod...

In today's image, we see the asteroid Donaldjohanson which was recently visited by the Lucy spacecraft. This craft will fly by several asteroids and will eventually student the Trojan asteroids, which share Jupiter's orbit. The first visit to one of these asteroids is scheduled for August 2027. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New...

In today's image, we see the nebula around a hot, young O-type star. This is the type os star what will eventually (in a few mission years) end its life in a supernova explosion. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You can...

In today's image, we see a number of things in the sky including our own Milky Way galaxy, the zodiacal light, the aurora, and even a meteor. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You can use the archive link below the image...

In today's image, we see and image of the Moon, but not a single image - this is multiple mages stitched together to give a better idea of the structure on the Moon as we look at each area where there are significant shadows. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website dire...

In today's image, we see a galaxy lensing another galaxy lined up directly behind it. When the alignment is perfect, the more distant galaxy will appear in an Einstein ring around the foreground galaxy as shown here. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at:...

In today's image, we see the nearby star forming region known as the Orion Nebula. The image is a combination of visible and infrared light images. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You can use the archive link below the...

In today's image, we see an image from the Juno spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter. The image has been modified using a digital oil painting filter to give the appearance of an oil painting. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of th...

In today's image, we see a comet currently visible with binoculars or a small telescope in the sky. Comet SWAN will be making its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on May 1. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You c...