NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

In today's image, we see the galaxy known as the Tadpole Galaxy for the long tail stretching away from it. The tail is caused by a previous interaction with another galaxy which has caused material to be pulled out of the galaxy in a tidal stream. 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...

In today's image, we see the Triangulum Galaxy, also known as M33 which is one of the three large spiral galaxies in our local group. We also see a meteor that happened by chance to appear in the frame as the image was being taken. The meteor is within our atmosphere while the Galaxy is about 3 million light years away. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Po...

In today's image, we see a portrait of the solar system showing 6 of the 8 plates in our solar system with Mercury and Mars not being visible because of their position relative to the glare of the Sun. The image was taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft back in 1990. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You...

In today's image, we see a planetary nebula which is the end state of a star much like our own Sun. At the end of the life of the star, the core compacts down to a white dwarf star while the outer layers are expelled out into space. 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 websi...

In today's image, we see the globular star cluster known as Omega Centauri. This may actually be the remnant core of a galaxy whose outer laters were stripped off during an encounter with the Milky Way in the past. 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: As...

In today's image, we see several nebulae in the constellation of Sagittarius. These include the Triffid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula. This is a region of star formation which includes a number of emission nebulae as well as a reflection 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 access the ima...

In today's image, we see noctilucent or night shining clouds. These are clouds that are high enough in Earth's atmosphere that they can be seen illuminated by the Sun at times just before sunrise or just after sunset. 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 some of the over 5500 exoplanets that have been confirmed to exist. We find all sorts of planets, including planets of intermediate size which do nor exist in our solar system - the SuperEarths and MiniNeptunes. 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 iridescent clouds in Earth's atmosphere. These occur when sunlight is diffracted off of similar sized water drops in thin clouds in Earth's upper atmosphere. 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...

In today's image, we see the star cluster known as Caroline's Rose. The cluster is named for its discoverer, Caroline Herschel who found this cluster back in the late 1700s. 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...

In today's image, we see Mount Etna here on Earth and our Milky Way up in the sky. The Milky Way is our own 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. 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 the Trifid Nebula, also known as M20. This is a part of a stat forming region and shows the different types of nebulae that can be present here, including Dark Nebulae, Reflection Nebulae, and Emission Nebulae. 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 we...

In today's image, we see the spiral galaxy known as M83. This is an example of a spiral galaxy and shows the signs of extensive star formation, including the blue color of the spiral arms from the hot stars that have formed there to the red "rubies" which dot the spiral arms and are glowing hydrogen gas, excited by these stars. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel ....

In today's image, we see the Oyster Star Cluster also known as NGC 602. This is a young star cluster and parts of it are still forming. We will see two images, one from Hubble and the other which adds in x-ray and infrared to the image to give a more complete picture. 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 spiral which shows the history of the entire universe in one spiral. It starts with the Big Bang at the center and then highlights 13.8 billion years of histories you track around the spiral. 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 a video put together from the famous Earthrise photo taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts. This is what would have been seen by the astronauts as they circled the Moon for the first time and watched the Earth rise over the limb of the Moon. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You c...

In today's image, we see the path of the full moon across the sky from about one week ago. This is the summer solstice moon which is very low in the sky as it is opposite to the Sun which is highest in the summer. It was also at the most extreme low for the 18.6 year lunar cycle which brings it even closer to the horizon. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This...

In today's image, we see a comet. In many ways, this is much like Halley's Comet. Olber's Comet orbits the Sun just a little faster than Halley's completing an orbit once every 68 years. In two days, it will reach its closest approach to the Sun and is visible through a pair of binoculars. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Medi...

In today's image, we see outflows from young, forming stars. This has been imaged with the James Webb Space Telescope looking at a small region around the very center of the nebula - a region only about one light year across. 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 time-lapse video showing several different phenomena on our sky. We see the aurora, the SAR (Stable Auroral Red arcs), and our own Milky Way 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 website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day . You can use...

In today's image, we see the nebula known as the Dark Doodad. This is an example of a dark nebula, a concentration of dust that is dense enough to become opaque and block out the light coming from behind it. 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...

In today's image, we see the galaxy known as JADES-GS-z14-0. This galaxy, recent imaged by the James Webb Space telescope is now known to be the most distant galaxy ever observed. The galaxy is seen about 300 million years after the Big Bang, just a fraction of the age of the universe. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mi...

In today's image, we see the planet Saturn as imaged by the Cassini spacecraft back in 2005. We can see the shadows of the rings against the upper part of Saturn. We can also see the blue color (slightly enhanced) caused by scattering from molecules in the atmosphere of Saturn. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Sit...

In today's image, we see LDN 1251 one of the objects in the catalog of dark nebulae. This is a start forming region in the early stages where stars are just beginning to form within the dark, dusty knots. 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 Pi...

In today's image, we see the spiral galaxy known as NGC 1546 as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope just a week ago. Hubble is using a new pointing system to help keep the telescope pointed accurately even as the accuracy of its gyroscopes degrade over time. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can...