NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

In today's image, we see the exhaust from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. Because of the high winds, the exhaust was twisted into a spiral pattern here. In addition, in the background we can see the green color of the aurora. 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 dir...

In today's image, we see multiple images of the full moon as it descends toward the horizon. Because the image was taken near Earth's equator, it descends almost straight down instead of at an angle. On the shore below, we see the blue glow of bioluminescent plankton. 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 total eclipse as seen from Antarctica in 2003. A total eclipse occurs when our Moon passes in front of the Sun and blocks out its light. This allows us to see the Sun's outer atmosphere (corona) around the limb of the Moon. Another total solar eclipse will be visible from pats of North America on April 8 of this year. My podcasts are available in video form through this...

In today's image, we see Comet Pons-Brooks which will make its closest approach to our Sun (perihelion) on April 21 of this year. In addition, we can see two galaxies in our Local Group - the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy near the top of the image. 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 Tarantula Nebula also known as 30 Doradus. This is a massive star forming region located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This region is also home to the closest supernova seen in modern times, SN 1987A. 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...

In today's image, we see the separation of the first two stages of a Falcon 9 rocket as it takes astronauts to the International Space Station. The bright spot below center is the second stage igniting to head to the ISS. The first stage would then return to Cape Canaveral to be reused for future flights. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an aut...

In today's image, we see a spiral galaxy, perhaps much like our own Milky Way. Because of the positioning of the galaxy, we see it edge-on and can view it as a thin disk rather than seeing the spiral arms. 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 what is known as the Angel Nebula. This star forming region contains several different types of nebulae including the blue reflection nebulae, the red emission nebulae, and the dark 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 website directly at: A...

In today's image, we see light pillars rising up form the ground - caused by a crystal fog of ice/snow close to the ground. In the sky, we see a number of constellations including Ursa Major which contains the Bg Dipper and Ursa Minor which contains the star Polaris. 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 video clip showing the total eclipse of the Sun from August of 2017. During totality, we observe around the edge of the Moon and can see the corona of the Sun as well as solar prominences along the edge. The next total solar eclipse will be on April 8, 2024 and will be visible over parts of eastern North America. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTu...

In today's image, we see the Odysseus lander as it makes its first contact with the lunar surface. One landing leg is visible and broken which causes the lander to be on a tilt. However, it is still able to perform essential operations, despite is positioning. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You ca...

In today's image, we see the Parkes Radio Telescope dish in Australia. We note that it is pointed in the direction of our Moon, allowing us to receive faint signals from the Odysseus Lander which landed near the lunar South Pole. Since the lander ended up tilted, its more powerful antenna cannot point toward Earth, meaning the large telescope is needed to detect the radio signals from the craft. M...

In today's image, we see an old Roman coin showing the image of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was responsible for helping to incorporate the leap day into the calendar. This is needed because there are not an even number of days in a year, which causes the calendar to drift if not taken into account. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorize...

In today's image, we see a set of images taken shortly after sunset. We are looking in the direction opposite to the setting Sun. We see the various shades the sky goes through as night falls in each successive vertical strip in the image. 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 an...

In today's image, we see the supernova remnant known as Simeis 147 and also known sometimes as the Spaghetti Nebula. A remnant like this is left behind when a massive star reached the end of its life and explodes. 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: Ast...

In today's image, we see the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos as one passes in front of the other causing an eclipse. An eclipse can occur anywhere where one object passes in front of another. However, it is generally reserved for two objects of comparable size. 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 an aurora which may resemble the shape of a phoenix rising up over the horizon. The patterns are random, but our minds try to put some kind of order to the randomness which allows us to see patterns things like the aurora and clouds. 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 an image of a portion of the Moon taken a couple of days ago by the Odysseus craft shortly before it landed near the lunar South Pole. This was the first US craft to land on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission back in 1972. 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 th...

In today's image, we see what is known as the Pencil Nebula. This is a portion of the Veil Supernova remnant, the material left behind by a star seen so explode here on Earth over 10,000 years ago. The shockwave continues to expand outward, enriching the interstellar medium with heavier elements. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel . This Podcast is an authorized N...

In today's image, we see galaxies in the direction of the handle of the Big Dipper. This includes the spiral galaxy known as M106 which we see to the left side of our image. 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 Seagull Nebula. This is an example of an emission nebula showing the red glow of hydrogen gas which is caused by nearby stars emitting ultraviolet light which is energetic enough to excite the hydrogen atoms. 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 galaxies in the process of collision. When galaxies collide, the stars pass right by one another while the larger gas clouds will collide together and increase star formation. 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 Pictur...

In today's image, we see a video clip showing 11 days of images from the Parker Solar Probe. This craft, currently in orbit around the Sun, passes closer to the Sun with each orbit giving us a better understanding of the nearest star to Earth. 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 imag...

In today's image, we see an example of a ring galaxy. We see two distinct parts of the galaxy which appear to be separated by a gap. The underlying cause as to why a ring galaxy forms is unknown. However, various hypotheses have been put forward. 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 i...

In today's image, we see a meteor that happened to occur at the time of the photograph. This is a small bit of material - a dust grain - that is being vaporized in Earth's upper atmosphere. In this case, the trail of the meteor happened to be pointing in the direction of Mount Vesuvius which destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 AD. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channe...