NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

In today's image, we see a meteor in the sky below the International Space station in this image taken back in 2011. The next Perseid meteor shower will be this coming weekend and will be best viewed after midnight when the moon has set. 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...

In today's image, we see the comet known as Swift-Tuttle. It is a periodic comet which means it returns to the inner solar system at regular intervals. In this case, every 133 years. It is also the comet responsible for the debris that becomes the Perseid Meteor shower which will peak this weekend. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized...

In today's image, we see our Milky Way galaxy in the sky behind three ancient rock structures. The structures were formed hundreds of millions of years ago as rock eroded, leaving the denser rock behind. 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 a storm cloud as seen over Texas in 2021. The structure of the cloud is caused by Earth's atmosphere and the different temperatures and storm fronts morning through it. The colors are caused by light from the Sun and are different because different parts of the cloud see the Sun at different heights above the horizon. My podcasts are available in video form through this Yo...

In today's image, we see the Milky Way and a meteor in the sky over Tunisia. The meteor is a part of last year's Perseid meteor shower. This year's Perseids will be this coming weekend, best visible in the early morning hours after the Moon as set and before dawn. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. Yo...

In today's image, we see a rendering of our galaxy. We will move through the galaxy, using positions and distances determined by the Gaia satellite which helps give us a 3D view of our galaxy. In many cases, we are getting accurate distances now for many stars for the first time. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror S...

In today's image, we see the Glory at the center, the rainbow pattern around the shadow of the person in the image. In addition, we see the Fog Bow, similar to the rainbow, but colors are much less pronounced because of the smaller size of the water droplets. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can...

In today's image, we see the planet Mars images over 16 days as it moved across the sky. In the image, we also see the planet Uranus and the Pleiades star 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 can use the archiv...

In today's image, we see Comet Olbers in the sky. This comet reached its closest approach to the Sun on June 30 and it no heading back to the outer reaches of the solar system. It will return again to the inner solar system in about 70 years. 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...

In today's image, we see spots which have recently been discovered on rocks on Mars. The origin of these spots is being investigated, but it is possible that they could have been cause by ancient life on Mars. 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: Astrono...

In today's image, we see galaxies interacting. There are two separate images here - A Hubble Space Telescope image in visible light and a James Webb Space Telescope image in infrared light. 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 Da...

In today's image, we see our Milky Way galaxy as seen over an Australian rock structure known as Uluru. In the image, several emission nebulae and constellations are identified and labeled. 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 Da...

In today's image, we see a video clip showing a prominence along the limb of the Sun. The plasma of the Sun will follow along the magnetic field lines of the Sun, creating the prominence. 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 Saturn very close to the limb of the Moon. When two objects appear close together in the sky, it is called a conjunction. From parts of Earth, this was actually an occultation, where our Moon passed directly in from of Saturn, blocking it out temporarily. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror S...

In today's image, we see the spiral galaxy, NGC 6946. From our perspective, this galaxy is seen face-on allowing us a direct view of its spiral arms and structure. 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 archiv...

In today's image, we see the Iris Nebula. This is an example of a reflection nebula which light from a hot star is scattered off of dust grains around the star. The blue color is because the blue light is more effective;y scattered than red light would be. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can ac...

In today's image, we see our Moon in a greatly exaggerated image. The heights have been stretched out to all ow for differences to be more easily seen. We also see the larger craters and the colors which emphasize locations of excesses of iron and aluminum on the Moon's surface. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Si...

In today's image, we see the Crab Nebula as images in both visible light and x-rays. The visible light gives us an overall view of the nebula while the x-rays help us learn more about the pulsar at the center which gives the power to energize the nebula. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can acce...

In today's image, we see dark nebulae in the constellation of the Chameleon. The dust that makes up these nebula is formed in the outer atmospheres of supergiant stars at the end of their lives and then expelled out into the universe upon their deaths. 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...

In today's image, we see the King of Wings Hoodoo which is a rock formation where the softer rock below has been worn away, leaving the harder rock hanging out over nothing. Up above in the sky, we wee the Milky Way which is our spiral galaxy as we see it from within. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD...

In today's image, we see a panoramic image put together from some of the original images taken be Neil Armstrong when Apollo 11 first landed on the Moon 55 years ago today. 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 t...

In today's image, we see the Planet Festival on Earth in the foreground. In the sky, we see anti crepuscular rays heading off in to the distance, seeming to converge over the castle on top of the mountain. 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 a star cloud in the direction of the constellation of Sagittarius. This is a gap in the dust in this part of the galaxy, allowing us a view deeper into the galaxy than we can normally see with just visible light. 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...

In today's image, we see the Villarrica volcano in Chile as it erupts. Earth is one of the few objects with active volcanoes like this. The other active object would be Jupiter's moon, Io. There are also icy volcanoes known in the outer solar system as well as extinct volcanoes on Venus and Mars. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized N...

In today's image, we see what are known as cometary globules. While these have nothing to do with comets, they do bear a resemblance to the comets we find in our solar system. They are actually compact regions where stars are currently forming in our 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...