-
Daily APOD Report
From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Sep 24 01:14:36 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 September 24
Sand Dunes Thawing on Mars
Image Credit & License: ESA, Roscosmos, CaSSIS
Explanation: What are these strange shapes on Mars? Defrosting sand
dunes. As spring dawned on the Northern Hemisphere of Mars, dunes of
sand near the pole, as pictured here in late May by ESA's ExoMars Trace
Gas Orbiter, began to thaw. The carbon dioxide and water ice actually
sublime in the thin atmosphere directly to gas. Thinner regions of ice
typically defrost first revealing sand whose darkness soaks in sunlight
and accelerates the thaw. The process might even involve sandy jets
exploding through the thinning ice. By summer, spots will expand to
encompass the entire dunes. The Martian North Pole is ringed by many
similar fields of barchan sand dunes, whose strange, smooth arcs are
shaped by persistent Martian winds.
Create a Distant Legacy: Send your name to Mars.
Tomorrow's picture: really big bird
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Sep 25 00:41:38 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 September 25
The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar
Explanation: The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070,
the official designation, is divided from the larger North America
Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The Pelican,
however, receives much study because it is a particularly active mix of
star formation and evolving gas clouds. The featured picture was
produced in three specific colors -- light emitted by sulfur, hydrogen,
and oxygen -- that can help us to better understand these interactions.
The light from young energetic stars is slowly transforming the cold
gas to hot gas, with the advancing boundary between the two, known as
an ionization front, visible in bright orange on the right.
Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain. Millions of years from
now this nebula might no longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance
and placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears
completely different.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Sep 26 00:22:16 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 September 26
Da Vinci Rise
Image Credit & Copyright: Likai Lin
Explanation: An old Moon rose this morning, its waning sunlit crescent
shining just above the eastern horizon before sunrise. But earthshine,
light reflected from a bright planet Earth, lit the shadowed portion of
the lunar disk and revealed most of a familiar lunar near side to early
morning risers. In fact, a description of earthshine in terms of
sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark
surface was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. One
lunation ago this old Moon also rose above the eastern horizon. Its
sunlit crescent and da Vinci glow were captured in stacked exposures
from the Badain Jilin Desert of Inner Mongolia, China on August 29,
2019. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Leondardo da Vinci's
death.
Tomorrow's picture: annotated GC
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Sep 27 00:54:24 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 September 27
The Annotated Galactic Center
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva)
Explanation: The center of our Milky Way galaxy can be found some
26,000 light-years away toward the constellation Sagittarius. Even on a
dark night, you can't really see it though. Gaze in that direction, and
your sight-line is quickly obscured by intervening interstellar dust.
In fact, dark dust clouds, glowing nebulae, and crowded starfieds are
packed along the fertile galactic plane and central regions of our
galaxy. This annotated view, a mosaic of dark sky images, highlights
some favorites, particularly for small telescope or binocular equipped
skygazers. The cropped version puts the direction to the galactic
center on the far right. It identifies well-known Messier objects like
the Lagoon nebula (M8), the Trifid (M20), star cloud M24, and some of
E.E. Barnard's dark markings on the sky. A full version extends the
view to the right toward the constellation Scorpius, in all covering
over 20 degrees across the center of the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: analemma of the sun
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Sep 28 03:02:50 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 September 28
An Analemma of the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Gyorgy Soponyai
Explanation: This week the equinox found the Sun near the middle, but
not at the crossing point, of an analemma in its annual trek through
planet Earth's skies. In this scenic view, that graceful,
figure-8-shaped curve was intentionally posed above the iconic Danube
River and the capital city of Hungary. Looking south from Budapest's
Margaret Bridge it combines digital frames taken at exactly the same
time of day (11:44 CET) on dates between 2018 September 24 and 2019
September 15. That puts the metropolitan Pest on the left, regal Buda
on the right, and the positions of the Sun on the solstice dates at the
top and bottom of the analemma curve. December's near solstice Sun is
just hidden behind a dramatic cloud bank.
Tomorrow's picture: eye of the hourglass
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Sep 29 00:16:12 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 September 29
MyCn 18: The Engraved Hourglass Planetary Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Do you see the hourglass shape -- or does it see you? If
you can picture it, the rings of MyCn 18 trace the outline of an
hourglass -- although one with an unusual eye in its center. Either
way, the sands of time are running out for the central star of this
hourglass-shaped planetary nebula. With its nuclear fuel exhausted,
this brief, spectacular, closing phase of a Sun-like star's life occurs
as its outer layers are ejected - its core becoming a cooling, fading
white dwarf. In 1995, astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
to make a series of images of planetary nebulae, including the one
featured here. Pictured, delicate rings of colorful glowing gas
(nitrogen-red, hydrogen-green, and oxygen-blue) outline the tenuous
walls of the hourglass. The unprecedented sharpness of the Hubble
images has revealed surprising details of the nebula ejection process
that are helping to resolve the outstanding mysteries of the complex
shapes and symmetries of planetary nebulas like MyCn 18.
Tomorrow's picture: orion treed
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Sep 30 00:36:24 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 September 30
Orion Rising over Brazil
Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Fairbairn
Explanation: Have you seen Orion lately? The next few months will be
the best for seeing this familiar constellation as it rises continually
earlier in the night. However, Orion's stars and nebulas won't look
quite as colorful to the eye as they do in this fantastic camera image.
In the featured image, Orion was captured by camera showing its full
colors last month over a Brazilian copal tree from Brazil's
Central-West Region. Here the cool red giant Betelgeuse takes on a
strong orange hue as the brightest star on the far left. Otherwise,
Orion's hot blue stars are numerous, with supergiant Rigel balancing
Betelgeuse at the upper right, Bellatrix at the upper left, and Saiph
at the lower right. Lined up in Orion's belt (bottom to top) are
Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka all about 1,500 light-years away, born of
the constellation's well studied interstellar clouds. And if a "star"
toward the upper right Orion's sword looks reddish and fuzzy to you, it
should. It's the stellar nursery known as the Great Nebula of Orion.
Tomorrow's picture: unsafe horizons
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Oct 1 00:31:12 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 1
Black Hole Safety Video
Video Credit: NASA's GSFC, SVS; Music: Prim and Proper from Universal
Production Music
Explanation: If you were a small one-eyed monster, would you want to
visit a black hole? Well the one in this video does -- but should it?
No, actually, but since our little friend is insistent on going, the
video informs it what black holes really are, and how to be as safe as
possible when visiting. Black holes are clumps of matter so dense that
light cannot escape. Pairs of black holes, each several times the mass
of our Sun, have recently been found to merge by detection of unusual
gravitational radiation. The regions surrounding supermassive black
holes in the centers of galaxies can light up as stars that near them
get shredded. The closest known black hole to the Earth is V616 Mon,
which is about 3,300 light years away. The best way for our monster
friend to stay safe, the video informs, is to not go too close.
Tomorrow's picture: found floating in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Oct 2 00:45:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 2
Molecular Clouds in the Carina Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble
Explanation: They are not alive -- but they are dying. The unusual
forms found in the Carina nebula, a few of which are featured here,
might best be described as evaporating. Energetic light and winds from
nearby stars are breaking apart the dark dust grains that make the
iconic forms opaque. Ironically the figures, otherwise known as dark
molecular clouds or bright rimmed globules, frequently create in their
midst the very stars that later destroy them. The floating space
structures pictured here by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope span a
few light months. The Great Nebula in Carina itself spans about 30
light years, lies about 7,500 light years away, and can be seen with a
small telescope toward the constellation of Keel(Carina).
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy in the local group
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Oct 3 01:15:48 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 3
The Hydrogen Clouds of M33
Image Data: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ), Hubble Space Telescope - Image
Processing: Robert Gendler
Additional Data: BYU, Robert Gendler, Johannes Schedler, Adam Block -
Copyright: Robert Gendler, Subaru Telescope, NAOJ
Explanation: Gorgeous spiral galaxy M33 seems to have more than its
fair share of glowing hydrogen gas. A prominent member of the local
group of galaxies, M33 is also known as the Triangulum Galaxy and lies
a mere 3 million light-years away. The galaxy's inner 30,000
light-years or so are shown in this magnificent 25 panel telescopic
mosaic. Based on image data from space and ground-based telescopes, the
portrait of M33 shows off the galaxy's reddish ionized hydrogen clouds
or HII regions. Sprawling along loose spiral arms that wind toward the
core, M33's giant HII regions are some of the largest known stellar
nurseries, sites of the formation of short-lived but very massive
stars. Intense ultraviolet radiation from the luminous, massive stars
ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas and ultimately produces the
characteristic red glow. To enhance this image, broadband data was used
to produce a color view of the galaxy and combined with narrowband data
recorded through a hydrogen-alpha filter. That filter transmits the
light of the strongest visible hydrogen emission line.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Oct 4 00:19:50 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 4
InSight on a Cloudy Day
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Mars InSight
Explanation: Clouds drift through the sky as the light fades near
sunset in this three frame animated gif. The scene was captured on sol
145 beginning around 6:30pm local time by a camera on the Mars InSight
lander. Of course, InSight's martian day, sol 145, corresponds to Earth
calendar date April 25, 2019. Under the 69 centimeter (2.3 foot)
diameter dome in the foreground is the lander's sensitive seismometer
SEIS designed to detect marsquakes. Earthquakes reveal internal
structures on planet Earth, and so tremors detected by SEIS can explore
beneath the martian surface. In particular, two typical marsquakes were
recorded by SEIS on May 22 (sol 173) and July 25 (sol 235). The subtle
tremors from the Red Planet are at very low frequencies though, and for
listening have to be processed into the audio frequency range. In the
sped up recordings external noises more prevalent on cool martian
evenings and likely caused by mechanical shifts and contractions have
been technically dubbed dinks and donks.
Tomorrow's picture: moon shadow
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Oct 5 00:35:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 5
Jupiter and the Moons
Image Credit & Copyright: Derek Demeter (Emil Buehler Planetarium)
Explanation: After sunset on October 3, some of the Solar System's
largest moons stood low along the western horizon with the largest
planet. Just after nightfall, a pairing of the Moon approaching first
quarter phase and Jupiter was captured in this telephoto field of view.
A blend of short and long exposures, it reveals the familiar face of
our fair planet's own large natural satellite in stark sunlight and
faint earthshine. At lower right are the ruling gas giant and its four
Galilean moons. Left to right, the tiny pinpricks of light are
Ganymede, [Jupiter], Io, Europa, and Callisto. Our own natural
satellite appears to loom large because it's close, but Ganymede, Io,
and Callisto are actually larger than Earth's Moon. Water world Europa
is only slightly smaller. Of the Solar System's six largest planetary
satellites, only Saturn's moon Titan, is missing from this scene. But
be sure to check for large moons in your sky tonight.
Submitted to APOD: The Moon and Jupiter with its Satellites
Tomorrow's picture: the dark horse
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Oct 6 00:36:12 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 6
The Horsehead Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Jos+¬ Jim+¬nez Priego
Explanation: The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae on
the sky. It is visible as the dark indentation to the red emission
nebula in the center of the above photograph. The horse-head feature is
dark because it is really an opaque dust cloud that lies in front of
the bright red emission nebula. Like clouds in Earth's atmosphere, this
cosmic cloud has assumed a recognizable shape by chance. After many
thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will surely alter
its appearance. The emission nebula's red color is caused by electrons
recombining with protons to form hydrogen atoms. On the image left is
the Flame Nebula, an orange-tinged nebula that also contains filaments
of dark dust. Just to the lower left of the Horsehead nebula featured
picture is a blueish reflection nebulae that preferentially reflects
the blue light from nearby stars.
Tomorrow's picture: jupiter spotted
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Oct 7 00:58:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 7
Io Eclipse Shadow on Jupiter from Juno
Image Credit & License: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing: Kevin
M. Gill
Explanation: What's that dark spot on Jupiter? It's the shadow of
Jupiter's most volcanic moon Io. Since Jupiter shines predominantly by
reflected sunlight, anything that blocks that light leaves a shadow. If
you could somehow be in that shadow, you would see a total eclipse of
the Sun by Io. Io's shadow is about 3600 kilometers across, roughly the
same size as Io itself -- and only slightly larger than Earth's Moon.
The featured image was taken last month by NASA's robotic Juno
spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter. About every two months, Juno
swoops close by Jupiter, takes a lot of data and snaps a series of
images -- some of which are made into a video. Among many other things,
Juno has been measuring Jupiter's gravitational field, finding
surprising evidence that Jupiter may be mostly a liquid. Under
unexpectedly thick clouds, the Jovian giant may house a massive liquid
hydrogen region that extends all the way to the center.
Tomorrow's picture: sprite lightning in HD
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Oct 8 00:48:28 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 8
Sprite Lightning in HD
Image Credit & Copyright: Stephane Vetter (TWAN)
Explanation: This phenomenon occurs in the sky over our heads, not the
sea. It is a type of lightning known as red sprite, and rarely has it
ever been photographed in this detail. Even though sprites have been
recorded for over 30 years, their root cause remains unknown. Some
thunderstorms have them, but most don't. These mysterious bursts of
light in the upper atmosphere momentarily resemble gigantic jellyfish.
A few years ago high speed videos were taken detailing how red sprites
actually develop. The featured image was captured last month in high
definition from Italy. One unusual feature of sprites is that they are
relatively cold -- they operate more like long fluorescent light tubes
than hot compact light bulbs. In general, red sprites take only a
fraction of a second to occur and are best seen when powerful
thunderstorms are visible from the side.
Tomorrow's picture: starburst
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Oct 9 01:36:14 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 9
NGC 7714: Starburst after Galaxy Collision
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive;
Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl
Explanation: Is this galaxy jumping through a giant ring of stars?
Probably not. Although the precise dynamics behind the featured image
is yet unclear, what is clear is that the pictured galaxy, NGC 7714,
has been stretched and distorted by a recent collision with a
neighboring galaxy. This smaller neighbor, NGC 7715, situated off to
the left of the featured frame, is thought to have charged right
through NGC 7714. Observations indicate that the golden ring pictured
is composed of millions of older Sun-like stars that are likely
co-moving with the interior bluer stars. In contrast, the bright center
of NGC 7714 appears to be undergoing a burst of new star formation. The
featured image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. NGC 7714 is
located about 130 million light years away toward the constellation of
the Two Fish (Pisces). The interactions between these galaxies likely
started about 150 million years ago and should continue for several
hundred million years more, after which a single central galaxy may
result.
Tomorrow's picture: the window seat
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Oct 10 00:58:02 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 10
Mid-Air Meteor and Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Wagner
Explanation: On September 24, a late evening commercial flight from
Singapore to Australia offered stratospheric views of the southern
hemisphere's night sky, if you chose a window seat. In fact, a
well-planned seating choice with a window facing toward the Milky Way
allowed the set up of a sensitive digital camera on a tripod mount to
record the galaxy's central bulge in a series of 10 second long
exposures. By chance, one of the exposures caught this bright fireball
meteor in the starry frame. Reflected along the wing of the A380
aircraft, the brilliant greenish streak is also internally reflected in
the double layer window, producing a fainter parallel to the original
meteor track. In the southern sky Jupiter is the bright source beneath
the galactic bulge and seen next to a green beacon, just off the wing
tip.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Oct 11 01:18:56 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 11
Planet Earth at Blue Hour
Image Credit & Copyright: Matthias Ciprian
Explanation: Nature photographers and other fans of planet Earth always
look forward to the blue hour. That's the transition in twilight, just
before sunrise or after sunset, when the Sun is below the horizon but
land and sky are still suffused with beautiful bluish hues of light. On
August 8 this early morning blue hour panorama scanned along the clear
western sky, away from the impending sunrise. A breathtaking scene, it
looks down the slopes of Mt. Whitney, from along the John Muir Trail
toward rugged peaks of planet Earth's Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Above the horizon a faint pinkish band of back scattered sunlight, the
anti-twilight arch or Belt of Venus, borders the falling grey shadow of
Earth itself. Subtle bands of light across the clear sky are
anti-crepuscular rays, defined by shadows of clouds near the sunward
horizon. Actually following parallel lines they seem to converge along
the horizon at the point opposite the rising Sun due to perspective.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Oct 12 00:36:38 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 12
Interplanetary Earth
Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA & NASA/JHU Applied Physics
Lab/Carnegie Inst. Washington
Explanation: In an interplanetary first, on July 19, 2013 Earth was
photographed on the same day from two other worlds of the Solar System,
innermost planet Mercury and ringed gas giant Saturn. Pictured on the
left, Earth is the pale blue dot just below the rings of Saturn, as
captured by the robotic Cassini spacecraft then orbiting the outermost
gas giant. On that same day people across planet Earth snapped many of
their own of their own pictures of Saturn. On the right, the Earth-Moon
system is seen against the dark background of space as captured by the
robotic MESSENGER spacecraft, then in Mercury orbit. MESSENGER took its
image as part of a search for small natural satellites of Mercury,
moons that would be expected to be quite dim. In the MESSENGER image,
the Earth (left) and Moon (right) are overexposed and shine brightly
with reflected sunlight. Destined not to return to their home world,
both Cassini and Messenger have since retired from their missions of
Solar System exploration.
Tomorrow's picture: a jewel box of stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Oct 13 00:11:46 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 13
A Stellar Jewel Box: Open Cluster NGC 290
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Acknowledgement: E. Olzewski (U.
Arizona)
Explanation: Jewels don't shine this bright -- only stars do. Like gems
in a jewel box, though, the stars of open cluster NGC 290 glitter in a
beautiful display of brightness and color. The photogenic cluster,
pictured here, was captured in 2006 by the orbiting Hubble Space
Telescope. Open clusters of stars are younger, contain few stars, and
contain a much higher fraction of blue stars than do globular clusters
of stars. NGC 290 lies about 200,000 light-years distant in a
neighboring galaxy called the Small Cloud of Magellan (SMC). The open
cluster contains hundreds of stars and spans about 65 light years
across. NGC 290 and other open clusters are good laboratories for
studying how stars of different masses evolve, since all the open
cluster's stars were born at about the same time.
Tomorrow's picture: andromeda before photoshop
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Oct 14 00:25:14 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 14
Andromeda before Photoshop
Image Credit: Kees Scherer
Explanation: What does the Andromeda galaxy really look like? The
featured image shows how our Milky Way Galaxy's closest major galactic
neighbor really appears in a long exposure through Earth's busy skies
and with a digital camera that introduces normal imperfections. The
picture is a stack of 223 images, each a 300 second exposure, taken
from a garden observatory in Portugal over the past year. Obvious image
deficiencies include bright parallel airplane trails, long and
continuous satellite trails, short cosmic ray streaks, and bad pixels.
These imperfections were actually not removed with Photoshop
specifically, but rather greatly reduced with a series of computer
software packages that included Astro Pixel Processor, DeepSkyStacker,
and PixInsight. All of this work was done not to deceive you with a
digital fantasy that has little to do with the real likeness of the
Andromeda galaxy (M31), but to minimize Earthly artifacts that have
nothing to do with the distant galaxy and so better recreate what M31
really does look like.
Tomorrow's picture: the galaxy above
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Oct 15 00:37:12 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 15
The Galaxy Above
Image Credit & Copyright: Rodrigo Guerra
Explanation: Have you contemplated your home galaxy lately? If your sky
looked like this, perhaps you'd contemplate it more often! The featured
picture is actually a composite of two images taken last month from the
same location in south Brazil and with the same camera -- but a few
hours apart. The person in the image -- also the astrophotographer --
has much to see in the Milky Way Galaxy above. The central band of our
home Galaxy stretches diagonally up from the lower left. This band is
dotted with spectacular sights including dark nebular filaments, bright
blue stars, and red nebulas. Millions of fainter and redder stars fill
in the deep Galactic background. To the lower right of the Milky Way
are the colorful gas and dust clouds of Rho Ophiuchus, featuring the
bright orange star Antares. On this night, just above and to the right
of Antares was a bright planet Jupiter. The sky is so old and so
familiar that humanity has formulated many stories about it, some of
which inspired this very picture.
Tomorrow's picture: double start
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Oct 17 00:49:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 17
Moons of Saturn
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, NASA
Explanation: On July 29, 2011 the Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle
camera took this snapshot and captured 5 of Saturn's moons, from just
above the ringplane. Left to right are small moons Janus and Pandora
respectively 179 and 81 kilometers across, shiny 504 kilometer diameter
Enceladus, and Mimas, 396 kilometers across, seen just next to Rhea.
Cut off by the right edge of the frame, Rhea is Saturn's second largest
moon at 1,528 kilometers across. So how many moons does Saturn have?
Twenty new found outer satellites bring its total to 82 known moons,
and since Jupiter's moon total stands at 79, Saturn is the Solar
System's new moon king. The newly announced Saturnian satellites are
all very small, 5 kilometers or so in diameter, and most are in
retrograde orbits inclined to Saturn's ringplane. You can help name
Saturn's new moons, but you should understand the rules. Hint: A
knowledge of Norse, Inuit, and Gallic mythology will help.
Tomorrow's picture: interstellar interloper
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 18 00:15:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 18
Interstellar Interloper 2I/Borisov
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (UCLA) et al.
Explanation: After the 2017 detecton of 1I/'Oumuamua, comet 2I/Borisov
has become the second recognized interstellar interloper. Like
'Oumuamua, Borisov's measured hyperbolic trajectory and speed as it
falls toward the Sun confirm that its origin is from beyond our Solar
System. But while detailed observations indicate 'Oumuamua is a rocky
body with differences from known Solar System objects, Borisov is
definitely a far wandering comet. Taken on October 12, 2019 this Hubble
Space Telescope image of Borisov reveals a familiar looking comet-like
activity and concentration of dust around around its nucleus. Not
resolved in the image, some estimates suggest the nucleus could be
between 2 and 16 kilometers in diameter. At the time of the Hubble
image, comet 2I/Borisov was about 418 million kilometers away. Borisov
is still inbound though and will make its closest approach to the Sun
on December 7 at a distance of about 300 million kilometers (2
Astronomical units).
Tomorrow's picture: Pluto at Night
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Oct 19 01:34:36 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 19
All Female Spacewalk Repairs Space Station
Image Credit: NASA TV, Expedition 61
Explanation: The failed unit was beyond the reach of the robotic
Canadarm2. Therefore, this repair of the International Space Station
would require humans. The humans on duty were NASA's Jessica Meir and
Christina Koch. This was the fourth spacewalk for Meir, the first for
Koch, and the first all-female spacewalk in human history. The first
woman to walk in space was Svetlana Savitskaya in 1984. Koch (red
stripe) and Weir are pictured hard at work on the P6 Truss, with solar
panels and the darkness of space in the background. Working over seven
hours, the newly installed Battery Charge / Discharge Unit (BCDU) was
successfully replaced and, when powered up, operated normally.
Tomorrow's picture: Pluto at Night
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon Oct 21 09:23:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 21
A Mercury Transit Music Video from SDO
Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Genna Duberstein;
Music: Encompass by Mark Petrie
Explanation: What's that small black dot moving across the Sun?
Mercury. Possibly the clearest view of Mercury crossing in front of the
Sun in 2016 May was from Earth orbit. The Solar Dynamics Observatory
obtained an uninterrupted vista recording it not only in optical light
but also in bands of ultraviolet light. Featured here is a composite
movie of the crossing set to music. Although the event might prove
successful scientifically for better determining components of Mercury'
ultra-thin atmosphere, the event surely proved successful culturally by
involving people throughout the world in observing a rare astronomical
phenomenon. Many spectacular images of this Mercury transit from around
(and above) the globe were proudly displayed. The next transit of
Mercury will take place in three weeks: on 2019 November 11.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: sky mirror sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Oct 22 02:20:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 22
Night Sky Reflections from the World's Largest Mirror
Image Credit & Copyright: Jheison Huerta
Explanation: What's being reflected in the world's largest mirror?
Stars, galaxies, and a planet. Many of these stars are confined to the
grand arch that runs across the image, an arch that is the central
plane of our home Milky Way Galaxy. Inside the arch is another galaxy
-- the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Stars that are
individually visible include Antares on the far left and Sirius on the
far right. The planet Jupiter shines brightly just below Antares. The
featured picture is composed of 15 vertical frames taken consecutively
over ten minutes from the Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia. Uyuni Salt Flat
(Salar de Uyuni) is the largest salt flat on Earth and is so large and
so extraordinarily flat that, after a rain, it can become the world's
largest mirror -- spanning 130 kilometers. This expansive mirror was
captured in early April reflecting each of the galaxies, stars, and
planet mentioned above.
Tomorrow's picture: famous swirls
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Oct 23 00:49:20 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 23
Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
Painting Credit: Vincent van Gogh; Digital Rendering: MoMA, Google Arts
& Culture, via Wikipedia
Explanation: The painting Starry Night is one of the most famous icons
of the night sky ever created. The scene was painted by Vincent van
Gogh in southern France in 1889. The swirling style of Starry Night
appears, to many, to make the night sky come alive. Although van Gogh
frequently portrayed real settings in his paintings, art historians do
not agree on precisely what stars and planets are being depicted in
Starry Night. The style of Starry Night is post-impressionism, a
popular painting style at the end of the nineteenth century. The
original Starry Night painting hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New
York City, New York, USA.
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Tomorrow's picture: Seahorse Sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Oct 24 01:59:02 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 24
Dark Seahorse in Cepheus
Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Kaminsky
Explanation: Light-years across, this suggestive shape known as the
Seahorse Nebula appears in silhouette against a rich, luminous
background of stars. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of
Cepheus, the dusty, obscuring clouds are part of a Milky Way molecular
cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150
(B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th
century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low mass stars are
forming within from collapsing cores only visible at long infrared
wavelengths. Still, colorful stars in Cepheus add to the pretty,
galactic skyscape.
Tomorrow's picture: ghosts in Cassiopeia
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 25 00:51:38 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 25
The Ghosts of Cassiopeia
Image Credit & Copyright: Tommaso Stella
Explanation: These bright rims and flowing shapes look ghostly on a
cosmic scale. A telescopic view toward the constellation Cassiopeia,
the colorful skyscape features swept-back, comet-shaped clouds IC 59
(left) and IC 63. About 600 light-years distant, the clouds aren't
actually ghosts. They are slowly disappearing though, under the
influence of energetic radiation from hot,luminous star gamma Cas.
Gamma Cas is physically located only 3 to 4 light-years from the
nebulae, the bright star just above and left in the frame. Slightly
closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is dominated by red H-alpha light emitted as
hydrogen atoms ionized by the star's ultraviolet radiation recombine
with electrons. Farther from the star, IC 59 shows proportionally less
H-alpha emission but more of the characteristic blue tint of dust
reflected star light. The field of view spans over 1 degree or 10
light-years at the estimated distance of gamma Cas and friends.
Tomorrow's picture: only the smile
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Oct 26 01:12:46 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 26
Gravity's Grin
Image Credit: X-ray - NASA / CXC / J. Irwin et al. ; Optical -
NASA/STScI
Explanation: Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, published
over 100 years ago, predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing.
And that's what gives these distant galaxies such a whimsical
appearance, seen through the looking glass of X-ray and optical image
data from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes. Nicknamed the
Cheshire Cat galaxy group, the group's two large elliptical galaxies
are suggestively framed by arcs. The arcs are optical images of distant
background galaxies lensed by the foreground group's total distribution
of gravitational mass. Of course, that gravitational mass is dominated
by dark matter. The two large elliptical "eye" galaxies represent the
brightest members of their own galaxy groups which are merging. Their
relative collisional speed of nearly 1,350 kilometers/second heats gas
to millions of degrees producing the X-ray glow shown in purple hues.
Curiouser about galaxy group mergers? The Cheshire Cat group grins in
the constellation Ursa Major, some 4.6 billion light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: ghostly sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Oct 27 00:49:06 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 27
Ghost Aurora over Canada
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka, TWAN
Explanation: What does this aurora look like to you? While braving the
cold to watch the skies above northern Canada early one morning in
2013, a most unusual aurora appeared. The aurora definitely appeared to
be shaped like something , but what? Two ghostly possibilities recorded
by the astrophotographer were "witch" and "goddess of dawn", but please
feel free to suggest your own Halloween-enhanced impressions.
Regardless of fantastical pareidolic interpretations, the pictured
aurora had a typical green color and was surely caused by the
scientifically commonplace action of high energy particles from space
interacting with oxygen in Earth's upper atmosphere. In the image
foreground, at the bottom, is a frozen Alexandra Falls, while evergreen
trees cross the middle.
Tomorrow's picture: sun station
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Oct 28 00:46:44 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 28
The Space Station Crosses a Spotless Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau
Explanation: Typically, the International Space Station is visible only
at night. Slowly drifting across the night sky as it orbits the Earth,
the International Space Station (ISS) can be seen as a bright spot
about once a month from many locations. The ISS is then visible only
just after sunset or just before sunrise because it shines by reflected
sunlight -- once the ISS enters the Earth's shadow, it will drop out of
sight. The only occasion when the ISS is visible during the day is when
it passes right in front of the Sun. Then, it passes so quickly that
only cameras taking short exposures can visually freeze the ISS's
silhouette onto the background Sun. The featured picture did exactly
that -- it is actually a series of images taken a month ago from Santa
Fe, Argentina with perfect timing. This image series was later combined
with a separate image highlighting the texture of the spotless Sun, and
an image bringing up the Sun's prominences around the edge. At an
unusually low Solar Minimum, the Sun has gone without sunspots now for
most of 2019.
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Tomorrow's picture: red robot
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Oct 29 00:59:00 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 29
Curiosity Rover Finds a Clay Cache on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
Explanation: Why is there clay on Mars? On Earth, clay can form at the
bottom of a peaceful lake when specific minerals trap water. At the
pictured site on Mars, the robotic rover Curiosity drilled into two
rocks and found the highest concentration of clay yet. The clay cache
is considered addition evidence that Gale Crater once held water in the
distant past. Pictured, 57 images taken by Curiosity have been combined
into a selfie. The images were taken by a camera at the end of its
robotic arm. Many details of the car-sized rover are visible, including
its rugged wheels, numerous scientific instruments, and a high mast
that contains camera "eyes", one of which can shoot out an infrared
laser beam. Curiosity continues to roll around and up Mount Sharp -- in
the center of Gale Crater -- in a search for new clues about the
ancient history of Mars and whether or not the red planet once had
conditions that could support life.
Tomorrow's picture: orion in detail
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Oct 30 01:00:16 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 30
M42: Inside the Orion Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep M. Drudis & Don Goldman
Explanation: The Great Nebula in Orion, an immense, nearby starbirth
region, is probably the most famous of all astronomical nebulas. Here,
glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense
interstellar molecular cloud only 1500 light-years away. In the
featured deep image in assigned colors highlighted by emission in
oxygen and hydrogen, wisps and sheets of dust and gas are particularly
evident. The Great Nebula in Orion can be found with the unaided eye
near the easily identifiable belt of three stars in the popular
constellation Orion. In addition to housing a bright open cluster of
stars known as the Trapezium, the Orion Nebula contains many stellar
nurseries. These nurseries contain much hydrogen gas, hot young stars,
proplyds, and stellar jets spewing material at high speeds. Also known
as M42, the Orion Nebula spans about 40 light years and is located in
the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as the Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: ghost, shocked
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Oct 31 00:11:08 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 October 31
The Ghostly Veil Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Anis Abdul
Explanation: A ghostly visage on a cosmic scale, these remains of
shocked, glowing gas haunt planet Earth's sky toward the constellation
of Cygnus and form the Veil Nebula. The nebula itself is a large
supernova remnant, an expanding cloud born of the death explosion of a
massive star. Light from the original supernova explosion likely
reached Earth over 5,000 years ago. Also known as the Cygnus Loop, the
Veil Nebula now spans nearly 3 degrees or about 6 times the diameter of
the full Moon. That translates to over 70 light-years at its estimated
distance of 1,500 light-years. In fact, the Veil is so large its
brighter parts are recognized as separate nebulae, including The
Witch's Broom (NGC 6960) below and right of center. At the top left you
can find the Spectre of IC 1340. Happy Halloween!
Tomorrow's picture: Sunday's Childe
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Nov 1 00:26:28 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 1
The Day After Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST)
Explanation: October 31, 1938 was the day after Martians encountered
planet Earth, and everything was calm. Reports of the invasion were
revealed to be part of a Halloween radio drama, the now famous
broadcast based on H.G. Wells' scifi novel War of the Worlds. On Mars
October 20, 2014 was calm too, the day after its close encounter with
Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1). Not a hoax, this comet really did come
within 86,700 miles or so of Mars, about 1/3 the Earth-Moon distance.
Earth's spacecraft and rovers in Mars orbit and on the surface reported
no ill effects though, and had a ringside seat as a visitor from the
outer solar system passed by. Spanning over 2 degrees against stars of
the constellation Ophiuchus, this colorful telescopic snapshot captures
our view of Mars on the day after. Bluish star 51 Ophiuchi is at the
upper right and the comet is just emerging from the Red Planet's bright
glare.
Tomorrow's picture: inside the flame
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Nov 2 01:23:46 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 2
Inside the Flame Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Optical: DSS; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech;
X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/ K.Getman, E.Feigelson, M.Kuhn & the MYStIX team
Explanation: The Flame Nebula stands out in this optical image of the
dusty, crowded star forming regions toward Orion's belt, a mere 1,400
light-years away. X-ray data from the Chandra Observatory and infrared
images from the Spitzer Space Telescope can take you inside the glowing
gas and obscuring dust clouds though. Swiping your cursor (or clicking
the image) will reveal many stars of the recently formed, embedded
cluster NGC 2024, ranging in age from 200,000 years to 1.5 million
years young. The X-ray/infrared composite image overlay spans about 15
light-years across the Flame's center. The X-ray/infrared data also
indicate that the youngest stars are concentrated near the middle of
the Flame Nebula cluster. That's the opposite of the simplest models of
star formation for the stellar nursery that predict star formation
begins in the denser center of a molecular cloud core. The result
requires a more complex model; perhaps star formation continues longer
in the center, or older stars are ejected from the center due to
subcluster mergers.
Tomorrow's picture: surfin' the rings
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Nov 3 00:12:06 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 3
Daphnis and the Rings of Saturn
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Cassini
Explanation: What's happening to the rings of Saturn? A little moon
making big waves. The moon is 8-kilometer Daphnis and it is making
waves in the Keeler Gap of Saturn's rings using just its gravity -- as
it bobs up and down, in and out. The featured image is a colored and
more detailed version of a previously released images taken in 2017 by
the robotic Cassini spacecraft during one of its Grand Finale orbits.
Daphnis can be seen on the far right, sporting ridges likely
accumulated from ring particles. Daphnis was discovered in Cassini
images in 2005 and raised mounds of ring particles so high in 2009 --
during Saturn's equinox when the ring plane pointed directly at the Sun
-- that they cast notable shadows.
Tomorrow's picture: turmoil in a stellar lagoon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Nov 4 01:32:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 4
Near the Center of the Lagoon Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Zhuoqun Wu, Chilescope
Explanation: Stars are battling gas and dust in the Lagoon Nebula but
the photographers are winning. Also known as M8, this photogenic nebula
is visible even without binoculars towards the constellation of the
Archer (Sagittarius). The energetic processes of star formation create
not only the colors but the chaos. The glowing gas results from
high-energy starlight striking interstellar hydrogen gas and trace
amounts of sulfur, and oxygen gases. The dark dust filaments that lace
M8 were created in the atmospheres of cool giant stars and in the
debris from supernovae explosions. The light from M8 we see today left
about 5,000 years ago. Light takes about 50 years to cross this section
of M8.
Tomorrow's picture: super spirals
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Nov 5 07:04:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 5
Spiral Galaxies Spinning Super-Fast
Image Credit: Top row: NASA, ESA, Hubble, P. Ogle & J. DePasquale
(STScI);
Bottom row: SDSS, P. Ogle & J. DePasquale (STScI)
Explanation: Why are these galaxies spinning so fast? If you estimated
each spiral's mass by how much light it emits, their fast rotations
should break them apart. The leading hypothesis as to why these
galaxies don't break apart is dark matter -- mass so dark we can't see
it. But these galaxies are even out-spinning this break-up limit --
they are the fastest rotating disk galaxies known. It is therefore
further hypothesized that their dark matter halos are so massive -- and
their spins so fast -- that it is harder for them to form stars than
regular spirals. If so, then these galaxies may be among the most
massive spirals possible. Further study of surprising super-spirals
like these will continue, likely including observations taken by NASA's
James Webb Space Telescope scheduled for launch in 2021.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Nov 7 00:40:36 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 7
Messier 45: The Daughters of Atlas and Pleione
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University
of Arizona
Explanation: Hurtling through a cosmic dust cloud a mere 400
light-years away, the lovely Pleiades or Seven Sisters open star
cluster is well-known for its striking blue reflection nebulae. It lies
in the night sky toward the constellation Taurus and the Orion Arm of
our Milky Way Galaxy. The sister stars and cosmic dust cloud are not
related though, they just happen to be passing through the same region
of space. Known since antiquity as a compact grouping of stars, Galileo
first sketched the star cluster viewed through his telescope with stars
too faint to be seen by eye. Charles Messier recorded the position of
the cluster as the 45th entry in his famous catalog of things which are
not comets. In Greek myth, the Pleiades were seven daughters of the
astronomical Titan Atlas and sea-nymph Pleione. Their parents names are
included in the cluster's nine brightest stars. This deep and wide
telescopic image spans over 20 light-years across the Pleides star
cluster.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Nov 8 00:10:46 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 8
NGC 3572 and the Southern Tadpoles
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis
Explanation: This cosmic skyscape features glowing gas and dark dust
clouds along side the young stars of NGC 3572. A beautiful emission
nebula and star cluster in far southern skies, the region is often
overlooked by astroimagers in favor of its brighter neighbor, the
nearby Carina Nebula. Stars from NGC 3572 are toward the upper left in
the telescopic frame that would measure about 100 light-years across at
the cluster's estimated distant of 9,000 light-years. The visible
interstellar gas and dust is part of the star cluster's natal molecular
cloud. Dense streamers of material within the nebula, eroded by stellar
winds and radiation, clearly trail away from the energetic young stars.
They are likely sites of ongoing star formation with shapes reminiscent
of the cosmic Tadpoles of IC 410 better known to northern skygazers. In
the coming tens to hundreds of millions of years, gas and stars in the
cluster will be dispersed though, by gravitational tides and by violent
supernova explosions that end the short lives of the massive cluster
stars.
Tomorrow's picture: Saturn the Giant
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Nov 9 00:59:54 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 9
Saturn the Giant
Image Credit: NASA
Explanation: On May 25, 1961 U.S. president John Kennedy announced the
goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the decade. By
November 9, 1967 this Saturn V rocket was ready for launch and the
first full test of its capabilities on the Apollo 4 mission. Its
development directed by rocket pioneer Wernher Von Braun, the three
stage Saturn V stood over 36 stories tall. It had a cluster of five
first stage engines fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene which together
were capable of producing 7.9 million pounds of thrust. Giant Saturn V
rockets ultimately hurled nine Apollo missions to the Moon and back
again with six landing on the lunar surface. The first landing mission,
Apollo 11, achieved Kennedy's goal on July 20, 1969.
Watch: the November 11 Transit of Mercury from Earth or from Space.
Tomorrow's picture: WISE Young Stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Nov 10 00:17:56 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 10
A Mercury Transit Sequence
Image Credit & Copyright: Dominique Dierick
Explanation: Tomorrow -- Monday -- Mercury will cross the face of the
Sun, as seen from Earth. Called a transit, the last time this happened
was in 2016. Because the plane of Mercury's orbit is not exactly
coincident with the plane of Earth's orbit, Mercury usually appears to
pass over or under the Sun. The featured time-lapse sequence,
superimposed on a single frame, was taken from a balcony in Belgium
shows the entire transit of 2003 May 7. That solar crossing lasted over
five hours, so that the above 23 images were taken roughly 15 minutes
apart. The north pole of the Sun, the Earth's orbit, and Mercury's
orbit, although all different, all occur in directions slightly above
the left of the image. Near the center and on the far right, sunspots
are visible. After Monday, the next transit of Mercury will occur in
2032.
Watch: the November 11 Transit of Mercury from Earth or from Space.
Tomorrow's picture: inverted moon bumps
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Nov 11 00:36:30 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 11
Lunar Craters Langrenus and Petavius
Image Credit & Copyright: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau
Explanation: The history of the Moon is partly written in its craters.
Pictured here is a lunar panorama taken from Earth featuring the large
craters Langrenus, toward the left, and Petavius, toward the right. The
craters formed in separate impacts. Langrenus spans about 130 km, has a
terraced rim, and sports a central peak rising about 3 km. Petavius is
slightly larger with a 180 km diameter and has a distinctive fracture
that runs out from its center. Although it is known that Petravius
crater is about 3.9 billion years old, the origin of its large fracture
is unknown. The craters are best visible a few days after a new Moon,
when shadows most greatly accentuate vertical walls and hills. The
featured image is a composite of the best of thousands of
high-resolution, infrared, video images taken through a small
telescope. Although mountains on Earth will likely erode into soil over
a billion years, lunar craters Langrenus and Petavius will likely
survive many billions more years, possibly until the Sun expands and
engulfs both the Earth and Moon.
Watch: the November 11 Transit of Mercury from Earth or from Space.
Tomorrow's picture: spiraling sideways
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Nov 12 00:57:08 2019
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From
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All on Wed Nov 13 00:53:50 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 13
Mercury in Silhouette
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Wise
Explanation: The small, dark, round spot in this solar close up is
planet Mercury. In the high resolution telescopic image, a colorized
stack of 61 sharp video frames, a turbulent array of photospheric
convection cells tile the bright solar surface. Mercury's more regular
silhouette still stands out though. Of course, only inner planets
Mercury and Venus can transit the Sun to appear in silhouette when
viewed from planet Earth. For this November 11, 2019 transit of
Mercury, the innermost planet's silhouette was a mere 1/200th the solar
diameter. So even under clear daytime skies it was difficult to see
without the aid of a safe solar telescope. Following its transit in
2016, this was Mercury's 4th of 14 transits across the solar disk in
the 21st century. The next transit of Mercury will be on November 13,
2032.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in the Sun
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Nov 14 01:19:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 14
Mercury and the Quiet Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: John Chumack
Explanation: On November 11, 2019 the Sun was mostly quiet,
experiencing a minimum in its 11 year cycle of activity. In fact, the
only spot visible was actually planet Mercury, making a leisurely 5 1/2
hour transit in front of the calm solar disk. About 1/200th the
apparent diameter of the Sun, the silhouette of the solar system's
inner most planet is near center in this sharp, full Sun snapshot.
Taken with a hydrogen alpha filter and safe solar telescope, the image
also captures prominences around the solar limb, the glowing plasma
trapped in arcing magnetic fields. Of course, only inner planets
Mercury and Venus can transit the Sun to appear in silhouette when
viewed from planet Earth. Following its transit in 2016, this was
Mercury's 4th of 14 transits across the solar disk in the 21st century.
The next transit of Mercury will be on November 13, 2032.
Tomorrow's picture: star streams and galaxies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Nov 15 00:17:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 15
M16 and the Eagle Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
Explanation: A star cluster around 2 million years young surrounded by
natal clouds of dust and glowing gas, M16 is also known as The Eagle
Nebula. This beautifully detailed portrait of the region was made with
groundbased narrow and broadband image data. It includes cosmic
sculptures made famous in Hubble Space Telescope close-ups of the
starforming complex. Described as elephant trunks or Pillars of
Creation, dense, dusty columns rising near the center are light-years
in length but are gravitationally contracting to form stars. Energetic
radiation from the cluster stars erodes material near the tips,
eventually exposing the embedded new stars. Extending from the ridge of
bright emission at lower left is another dusty starforming column known
as the Fairy of Eagle Nebula. M16 lies about 7,000 light-years away, an
easy target for binoculars or small telescopes in a nebula rich part of
the sky toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the
snake).
Tomorrow's picture: star streams and galaxies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sat Nov 16 00:10:00 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 16
The Star Streams of NGC 5907
Image Credit & Copyright: R Jay Gabany (Blackbird Observatory) -
collaboration; D.Martinez-Delgado(IAC, MPIA),
J.Penarrubia (U.Victoria) I. Trujillo (IAC) S.Majewski (U.Virginia),
M.Pohlen (Cardiff)
Explanation: Grand tidal streams of stars seem to surround galaxy NGC
5907. The arcing structures form tenuous loops extending more than
150,000 light-years from the narrow, edge-on spiral, also known as the
Splinter or Knife Edge Galaxy. Recorded only in very deep exposures,
the streams likely represent the ghostly trail of a dwarf galaxy -
debris left along the orbit of a smaller satellite galaxy that was
gradually torn apart and merged with NGC 5907 over four billion years
ago. Ultimately this remarkable discovery image, from a small robotic
observatory in New Mexico, supports the cosmological scenario in which
large spiral galaxies, including our own Milky Way, were formed by the
accretion of smaller ones. NGC 5907 lies about 40 million light-years
distant in the northern constellation Draco.
Tomorrow's picture: WISE young stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Nov 17 01:28:50 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 17
Young Stars in the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, WISE
Explanation: How do stars form? To help find out, astronomers created
this tantalizing false-color composition of dust clouds and embedded
newborn stars in infrared wavelengths with WISE, the Wide-field
Infrared Survey Explorer. The cosmic canvas features one of the closest
star forming regions, part of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex some 400
light-years distant near the southern edge of the pronounceable
constellation Ophiuchus. After forming along a large cloud of cold
molecular hydrogen gas, young stars heat the surrounding dust to
produce the infrared glow. Stars in the process of formation, called
young stellar objects or YSOs, are embedded in the compact pinkish
nebulae seen here, but are otherwise hidden from the prying eyes of
optical telescopes. An exploration of the region in penetrating
infrared light has detected emerging and newly formed stars whose
average age is estimated to be a mere 300,000 years. That's extremely
young compared to the Sun's age of 5 billion years. The prominent
reddish nebula at the lower right surrounding the star Sigma Scorpii is
a reflection nebula produced by dust scattering starlight. This view
from WISE, released in 2012, spans almost 2 degrees and covers about 14
light-years at the estimated distance of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud.
Tomorrow's picture: distant flyby
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Nov 18 00:31:00 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 18
Passing Asteroid Arrokoth
Video Credit: NASA, JHU APL, SwRI
Explanation: What would it look like to pass asteroid Arrokoth? The
robotic New Horizons spacecraft zoomed past Arrokoth in January, 3.5
years after the spacecraft passed Pluto. If this object's name doesn't
sound familiar, that may be because the distant, double-lobed,
Kuiper-belt object was unofficially dubbed Ultima Thule until recently
receiving its official name: 486958 Arrokoth. The featured black and
white video animates images of Arrokoth taken by New Horizons at
different angles as it zoomed by. The video clearly shows Arrokoth's
two lobes, and even hints that the larger lobe is significantly
flattened. New Horizons found that Arrokoth is different from any known
asteroid in the inner Solar System and is likely composed of two joined
planetesimals -- the building blocks of planets as they existed
billions of years ago. New Horizons continues to speed out of our Solar
System gaining about three additional Earth-Sun separations every year.
Tomorrow's picture: light the galaxy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Nov 19 01:20:30 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 19
Milky Way over Uruguayan Lighthouse
Image Credit & Copyright: Mauricio Salazar
Explanation: Can a lighthouse illuminate a galaxy? No, but in the
featured image, gaps in light emanating from the Jose Ignacio
Lighthouse in Uruguay appear to match up nicely, although only
momentarily and coincidently, with dark dust lanes of our Milky Way
Galaxy. The bright dot on the right is the planet Jupiter. The central
band of the Milky Way Galaxy is actually the central spiral disk seen
from within the disk. The Milky Way band is not easily visible through
city lights but can be quite spectacular to see in dark skies. The
featured picture is actually the addition of ten consecutive images
taken by the same camera from the same location. The images were well
planned to exclude direct light from the famous lighthouse.
Tomorrow's picture: perturbed galaxies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
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From
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All on Wed Nov 20 00:23:08 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 20
Arp 273: Battling Galaxies from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl
Explanation: What's happening to these spiral galaxies? Although
details remain uncertain, there sure seems to be a titanic battle going
on. The upper galaxy is labelled UGC 1810 by itself, but together with
its collisional partners is known as Arp 273. The overall shape of the
UGC 1810 -- in particular its blue outer ring -- is likely a result of
wild and violent gravitational interactions. The blue color of the
outer ring at the top is caused by massive stars that are blue hot and
have formed only in the past few million years. The inner part of the
upper galaxy -- itself an older spiral galaxy -- appears redder and
threaded with cool filamentary dust. A few bright stars appear well in
the foreground, unrelated to colliding galaxies, while several
far-distant galaxies are visible in the background. Arp 273 lies about
300 million light years away toward the constellation of Andromeda.
Quite likely, UGC 1810 will devour its galactic sidekicks over the next
billion years and settle into a classic spiral form.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Nov 21 00:42:50 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 21
Simeis 147: Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: David Lindemann
Explanation: It's easy to get lost following the intricate looping
filaments in this detailed image of supernova remnant Simeis 147. Also
cataloged as Sharpless 2-240 it goes by the popular nickname, the
Spaghetti Nebula. Seen toward the boundary of the constellations Taurus
and Auriga, it covers nearly 3 degrees or 6 full moons on the sky.
That's about 150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud's estimated
distance of 3,000 light-years. This composite includes image data taken
through narrow-band filters where reddish emission from ionized
hydrogen atoms and doubly ionized oxygen atoms in faint blue-green hues
trace the shocked, glowing gas. The supernova remnant has an estimated
age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from the massive stellar
explosion first reached Earth 40,000 years ago. But the expanding
remnant is not the only aftermath. The cosmic catastrophe also left
behind a spinning neutron star or pulsar, all that remains of the
original star's core.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Fri Nov 22 00:41:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 22
Orion Rising
Image Credit & Copyright: Vitalij Kopa
Explanation: Looking toward the east in the early hours of a September
morning this single exposure made with tripod and camera captured a
simple visual experience. Rising above the tree-lined slope are
familiar stars in planet Earth's northern night and the constellation
Orion the Hunter. Brighter stars marking the celestial Hunter's
shoulder (Betelgeuse), foot (Rigel), belt, and sword are clearly
reflected in the calm waters from northern Latvia's Vitrupe river. Of
course, winter is coming to planet Earth's northern hemisphere. By then
Orion and this beautiful starry vista will be seen rising in early
evening skies.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sat Nov 23 00:19:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 23
Apollo 12 and Surveyor 3 Stereo View
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 12, Alan Bean - Stereo Image Copyright:
Kevin Frank
Explanation: Put on your red/blue glasses and gaze across the western
Ocean of Storms on the surface of the Moon. The 3D view features Apollo
12 astronaut Pete Conrad visiting the Surveyor 3 spacecraft 50 years
ago in November of 1969. Surveyor 3 had landed at the site on the
inside slope of a small crater about 2 1/2 years earlier in April of
1967. Visible on the horizon beyond the far crater wall, Apollo 12's
Lunar Module Intrepid touched down less than 200 meters (650 feet)
away, easy moonwalking distance from the robotic Surveyor spacecraft.
The stereo image was carefully created from two separate pictures
(AS12-48-7133, AS12-48-7134) taken on the lunar surface. They depict
the scene from only slightly different viewpoints, approximating the
separation between human eyes.
Tomorrow's picture: glasses off
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From
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All on Sun Nov 24 00:27:34 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 24
Apollo 12: Self-Portrait
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 12, Charles Conrad
Explanation: Is this image art? 50 years ago, Apollo 12
astronaut-photographer Charles "Pete" Conrad recorded this masterpiece
while documenting colleague Alan Bean's lunar soil collection
activities on Oceanus Procellarum. The featured image is dramatic and
stark. The harsh environment of the Moon's Ocean of Storms is echoed in
Bean's helmet, a perfectly composed reflection of Conrad and the lunar
horizon. Works of photojournalists originally intent on recording the
human condition on planet Earth, such as Lewis W. Hine's images from
New York City in the early 20th century, or Margaret Bourke-White's
magazine photography are widely regarded as art. Similarly many
documentary astronomy and space images might also be appreciated for
their artistic and esthetic appeal.
Tomorrow's picture: a bat glow
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From
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All on Mon Nov 25 00:30:48 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 25
NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis
Explanation: Do you see the bat? It haunts this cosmic close-up of the
eastern Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large supernova
remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a
massive star. While the Veil is roughly circular in shape and covers
nearly 3 degrees on the sky toward the constellation of the Swan
(Cygnus), the Bat Nebula, NGC 6995, spans only 1/2 degree, about the
apparent size of the Moon. That translates to 12 light-years at the
Veil's estimated distance, a reassuring 1,400 light-years from planet
Earth. In the composite of image data recorded through broad and narrow
band filters, emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant is shown in
red with strong emission from oxygen and nitrogen atoms shown in hues
of blue. Of course, in the western part of the Veil lies another
seasonal apparition: the Witch's Broom Nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy-sized ring
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From
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All on Tue Nov 26 02:27:56 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 26
Venus and Jupiter on the Horizon
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (TWAN)
Explanation: What are those two bright objects on the horizon? Venus
and Jupiter. The two brightest planets in the night sky passed very
close together -- angularly -- just two days ago. In real space, they
were just about as far apart as usual, since Jupiter (on the right)
orbits the Sun around seven times farther out than Venus. The planetary
duo were captured together two days ago in a picturesque sunset sky
from Llers, Catalonia, Spain between a tree and the astrophotographer's
daughter. These two planets will continue to stand out in the evening
sky, toward the west, for the next few days, with a sliver of a
crescent Moon and a fainter Saturn also visible nearby. As November
ends, Jupiter will sink lower into the sunset horizon with each
subsequent night, while Venus will rise higher. The next Jupiter-Venus
conjunction will occur in early 2021.
Tomorrow's picture: ringing in a new galaxy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Nov 27 02:57:36 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 27
Hoag's Object: A Nearly Perfect Ring Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: Benoit Blanco
Explanation: Is this one galaxy or two? This question came to light in
1950 when astronomer Arthur Hoag chanced upon this unusual
extragalactic object. On the outside is a ring dominated by bright blue
stars, while near the center lies a ball of much redder stars that are
likely much older. Between the two is a gap that appears almost
completely dark. How Hoag's Object formed, including its nearly
perfectly round ring of stars and gas, remains unknown. Genesis
hypotheses include a galaxy collision billions of years ago and the
gravitational effect of a central bar that has since vanished. The
featured photo was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and recently
reprocessed using an artificially intelligent de-noising algorithm.
Observations in radio waves indicate that Hoag's Object has not
accreted a smaller galaxy in the past billion years. Hoag's Object
spans about 100,000 light years and lies about 600 million light years
away toward the constellation of the Snake (Serpens). Many galaxies far
in the distance are visible toward the right, while coincidentally,
visible in the gap at about seven o'clock, is another but more distant
ring galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Nov 28 00:37:10 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 28
Moon and Planets at Twilight
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek
Explanation: This week's ongoing conjunction of Venus and Jupiter may
have whetted your appetite for skygazing. Tonight is the main course
though. On November 28, a young crescent Moon will join them posing
next to the two bright planets above the western horizon at twilight.
Much like tonight's visual feast, this night skyscape shows a young
lunar crescent and brilliant Venus in the western evening twilight on
October 29. The celestial beacons are setting over distant mountains
and the Minya monastery, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan,
China, planet Earth. Then Mercury, not Jupiter, was a celestial
companion to Venus and the Moon. The fleeting innermost planet is just
visible here in the bright twilight, below and left of Venus and near
the center of the frame. Tomorrow, November 29, the crescent Moon will
also help you spot planet Saturn for desert.
Tomorrow's picture: extreme shrimp cocktails
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Nov 29 00:33:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 29
Galileo's Europa Remastered
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SETI Institute, Cynthia Phillips,
Marty Valenti
Explanation: Looping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the
Galileo spacecraft recorded stunning views of Europa and uncovered
evidence that the moon's icy surface likely hides a deep, global ocean.
Galileo's Europa image data has been remastered here, using improved
new calibrations to produce a color image approximating what the human
eye might see. Europa's long curving fractures hint at the subsurface
liquid water. The tidal flexing the large moon experiences in its
elliptical orbit around Jupiter supplies the energy to keep the ocean
liquid. But more tantalizing is the possibility that even in the
absence of sunlight that process could also supply the energy to
support life, making Europa one of the best places to look for life
beyond Earth. What kind of life could thrive in a deep, dark,
subsurface ocean? Consider planet Earth's own extreme shrimp.
Tomorrow's picture: red planet star trails
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Nov 30 01:14:54 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 November 30
Star Trails for a Red Planet
Image Credit & Copyright: Dengyi Huang
Explanation: Does Mars have a north star? In long exposures of Earth's
night sky, star trails make concentric arcs around the north celestial
pole, the direction of our fair planet's axis of rotation. Bright star
Polaris is presently the Earth's North Star, close on the sky to
Earth's north celestial pole. But long exposures on Mars show star
trails too, concentric arcs about a celestial pole determined by Mars'
axis of rotation. Tilted like planet Earth's, the martian axis of
rotation points in a different direction in space though. It points to
a place on the sky between stars in Cygnus and Cepheus with no bright
star comparable to Earth's north star Polaris nearby. So even though
this ruddy, weathered landscape is remarkably reminiscent of terrain in
images from the martian surface, the view must be from planet Earth,
with north star Polaris near the center of concentric star trails. The
landforms in the foreground are found in Qinghai Province in
northwestern China.
Tomorrow's picture: blue starburst
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Dec 1 01:37:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 1
Starburst Galaxy M94 from Hubble
Image Credit & Copyright: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Explanation: Why does this galaxy have a ring of bright blue stars?
Beautiful island universe Messier 94 lies a mere 15 million light-years
distant in the northern constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes
Venatici). A popular target for Earth-based astronomers, the face-on
spiral galaxy is about 30,000 light-years across, with spiral arms
sweeping through the outskirts of its broad disk. But this Hubble Space
Telescope field of view spans about 7,000 light-years across M94's
central region. The featured close-up highlights the galaxy's compact,
bright nucleus, prominent inner dust lanes, and the remarkable bluish
ring of young massive stars. The ring stars are all likely less than 10
million years old, indicating that M94 is a starburst galaxy that is
experiencing an epoch of rapid star formation. The circular ripple of
blue stars is likely a wave propagating outward, having been triggered
by the gravity and rotation of a oval matter distributions. Because M94
is relatively nearby, astronomers can better explore details of its
starburst ring.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: running mercury
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Dec 3 00:22:52 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 3
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Mazlin
Explanation: Is this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. The
first hint of our Sun's future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At
that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not
to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now
known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, the type of
nebula our Sun will produce when nuclear fusion stops in its core. M27
is one of the brightest planetary nebulae on the sky, and can be seen
toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula) with binoculars. It
takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, featured here in
colors emitted by hydrogen and oxygen. Understanding the physics and
significance of M27 was well beyond 18th century science. Even today,
many things remain mysterious about bipolar planetary nebula like M27,
including the physical mechanism that expels a low-mass star's gaseous
outer-envelope, leaving an X-ray hot white dwarf.
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Tomorrow's picture: electric night
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 4 00:06:12 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 4
Electric Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Ivan Pedretti
Explanation: It may appear, at first, like the Galaxy is producing the
lightning, but really it's the Earth. The featured nighttime landscape
was taken from a southern tip of the Italian Island of Sardinia in
early June. The foreground rocks and shrubs are near the famous Capo
Spartivento Lighthouse, and the camera is pointed south toward Algeria
in Africa. In the distance, across the Mediterranean Sea, a
thunderstorm is threatening, with several electric lightning strokes
caught together during this 25-second wide-angle exposure. Much farther
in the distance, strewn about the sky, are hundreds of stars in the
neighborhood of our Sun in the Milky Way Galaxy. Furthest away, and
slanting down from the upper left, are billions of stars that together
compose the central band of our Milky Way.
Free Lecture: APOD editor to speak in NYC on January 3
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Dec 6 00:12:22 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 6
Pleiades to Hyades
Image Credit & Copyright: Amir H. Abolfath (TWAN)
Explanation: This cosmic vista stretches almost 20 degrees from top to
bottom, across the dusty constellation Taurus. It begins at the
Pleiades and ends at the Hyades, two star clusters recognized since
antiquity in Earth's night sky. At top, the compact Pleiades star
cluster is about 400 light-years away. The lovely grouping of young
cluster stars shine through dusty clouds that scatter blue starlight.
At bottom, the V-shaped Hyades cluster looks more spread out in
comparison and lies much closer, 150 light-years away. The Hyades
cluster stars seem anchored by bright Aldebaran, a red giant star with
a yellowish appearance. But Aldebaran actually lies only 65 light-years
distant and just by chance along the line of sight to the Hyades
cluster. Faint and darkly obscuring dust clouds found near the edge of
the Taurus Molecular Cloud are also evident throughout the celestial
scene. The wide field of view includes the dark nebula Barnard 22 at
left with youthful star T Tauri and Hind's variable nebula just above
Aldebaran in the frame.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sat Dec 7 00:53:26 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 7
Lines of Time
Image Credit & Copyright: Anton Komlev
Explanation: In time stars trace lines through the night sky on a
rotating planet. Taken over two hours or more, these digitally added
consecutive exposures were made with a camera and wide angle lens fixed
to a tripod near Orel farm, Primorsky Krai, Russia, planet Earth. The
stars trail in concentric arcs around the planet's south celestial pole
below the scene's horizon, and north celestial pole off the frame at
the upper right. Combined, the many short exposures also bring out the
pretty star colours. Bluish trails are from stars hotter than Earth's
Sun, while yellowish trails are from cooler stars. A long time ago this
tree blossomed, but now reveals the passage of time in the wrinkled and
weathered lines of its remains.
Tomorrow's picture: lines in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Dec 8 00:13:18 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 8
Geminid Meteors over Chile
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas
Observatory, TWAN)
Explanation: Are meteors streaming out from a point in the sky? Yes, in
a way. When the Earth crosses a stream of Sun-orbiting meteors, these
meteors appear to come from the direction of the stream -- with the
directional point called the radiant. An example occurs every
mid-December for the Geminids meteor shower, as apparent in the
featured image. Recorded near the shower's peak in 2013, the featured
skyscape captures Gemini's shooting stars in a four-hour composite from
the dark skies of the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. In the
foreground the 2.5-meter du Pont Telescope is visible as well as the
1-meter SWOPE telescope. The skies beyond the meteors are highlighted
by Jupiter, seen as the bright spot near the image center, the central
band of our Milky Way Galaxy, seen vertically on the image left, and
the pinkish Orion Nebula on the far left. Dust swept up from the orbit
of active asteroid 3200 Phaethon, Gemini's meteors enter the atmosphere
traveling at about 22 kilometers per second. The 2019 Geminid meteor
shower peaks again this coming weekend.
Tomorrow's picture: the sun sideways
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Dec 8 03:18:38 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 8
Geminid Meteors over Chile
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas
Observatory, TWAN)
Explanation: Are meteors streaming out from a point in the sky? Yes, in
a way. When the Earth crosses a stream of Sun-orbiting meteors, these
meteors appear to come from the direction of the stream -- with the
directional point called the radiant. An example occurs every
mid-December for the Geminids meteor shower, as apparent in the
featured image. Recorded near the shower's peak in 2013, the featured
skyscape captures Gemini's shooting stars in a four-hour composite from
the dark skies of the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. In the
foreground the 2.5-meter du Pont Telescope is visible as well as the
1-meter SWOPE telescope. The skies beyond the meteors are highlighted
by Jupiter, seen as the bright spot near the image center, the central
band of our Milky Way Galaxy, seen vertically on the image left, and
the pinkish Orion Nebula on the far left. Dust swept up from the orbit
of active asteroid 3200 Phaethon, Gemini's meteors enter the atmosphere
traveling at about 22 kilometers per second. The 2019 Geminid meteor
shower peaks again this coming weekend.
Tomorrow's picture: the sun sideways
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Dec 9 01:19:24 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 9
Looking Sideways from the Parker Solar Probe
Video Credit: NASA, JHUAPL, Naval Research Lab, Parker Solar Probe
Explanation: Everybody sees the Sun. Nobody's been there. Starting in
2018 though, NASA launched the robotic Parker Solar Probe (PSP) to
investigate regions near to the Sun for the first time. The PSP's
looping orbit brings it yet closer to the Sun each time around -- every
few months. The featured time-lapse video shows the view looking
sideways from behind PSP's Sun shield during its first approach to the
Sun a year ago -- to about half the orbit of Mercury. The PSP's Wide
Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) cameras took the images over nine
days, but they are digitally compressed here into about 14 seconds. The
waving solar corona is visible on the far left, with stars, planets,
and even the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy streaming by in the
background as the PSP orbits the Sun. PSP has found the solar
neighborhood to be surprisingly complex and to include switchbacks --
times when the Sun's magnetic field briefly reverses itself. The Sun is
not only Earth's dominant energy source, its variable solar wind
compresses Earth's atmosphere, triggers auroras, affects power grids,
and can even damage orbiting communication satellites.
Tomorrow's picture: satellite swarm
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Dec 10 01:04:42 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 10
Starlink Satellite Trails over Brazil
Image Credit & Copyright: Egon Filter
Explanation: What are those streaks over the horizon? New Starlink
satellites reflecting sunlight. SpaceX launched 60 Starlink
communication satellites in May and 60 more in November. These
satellites and thousands more are planned by communications companies
in the next few years that may make streaks like these relatively
common. Concern has been voiced by many in the astronomical community
about how reflections from these satellites may affect future
observations into space. In the pictured composite of 33 exposures,
parallel streaks from Starlink satellites are visible over southern
Brazil. Sunflowers dot the foreground, while a bright meteor was caught
by chance on the upper right. Satellite reflections are not new -- the
constellation of 66 first-generation Iridium satellites launched
starting 20 years ago produced some flares so bright that they could be
seen during the day. Most of these old Iridium satellites, however,
have been de-orbited over the past few years.
Infinite Loop: Create an APOD Station in your classroom or Science
Center.
Tomorrow's picture: supernova firefox
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Dec 11 00:49:42 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 11
N63A: Supernova Remnant in Visible and X-ray
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, Chandra; Processing & License: Judy
Schmidt
Explanation: What has this supernova left behind? As little as 2,000
years ago, light from a massive stellar explosion in the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) first reached planet Earth. The LMC is a close
galactic neighbor of our Milky Way Galaxy and the rampaging explosion
front is now seen moving out - destroying or displacing ambient gas
clouds while leaving behind relatively dense knots of gas and dust.
What remains is one of the largest supernova remnants in the LMC: N63A.
Many of the surviving dense knots have been themselves compressed and
may further contract to form new stars. Some of the resulting stars may
then explode in a supernova, continuing the cycle. Featured here is a
combined image of N63A in the X-ray from the Chandra Space Telescope
and in visible light by Hubble. The prominent knot of gas and dust on
the upper right -- informally dubbed the Firefox -- is very bright in
visible light, while the larger supernova remnant shines most brightly
in X-rays. N63A spans over 25 light years and lies about 150,000 light
years away toward the southern constellation of Dorado.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Dec 12 00:37:48 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 12
Decorating the Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Leonardo Julio (Astronomia Pampeana)
Explanation: Bright stars, clouds of dust and glowing nebulae decorate
this cosmic scene, a skyscape just north of Orion's belt. Close to the
plane of our Milky Way galaxy, the wide field view spans about 5.5
degrees. Striking bluish M78, a reflection nebula, is on the right.
M78's tint is due to dust preferentially reflecting the blue light of
hot, young stars. In colorful contrast, the red sash of glowing
hydrogen gas sweeping through the center is part of the region's faint
but extensive emission nebula known as Barnard's Loop. At lower left, a
dark dust cloud forms a prominent silhouette cataloged as LDN 1622.
While M78 and the complex Barnard's Loop are some 1,500 light-years
away, LDN 1622 is likely to be much closer, only about 500 light-years
distant from our fair planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Dec 13 00:30:48 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 13
Full Moon Geminids
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (TWAN)
Explanation: The dependable annual Geminid meteor shower will be near
its peak tonight (December 13/14) and before tomorrow's dawn. As Earth
crosses through the dusty trail of active asteroid 3200 Phaethon the
meteors will flash through the sky from the shower's radiant in Gemini.
Gemini will be pretty easy for skygazers to find too as it won't be far
from a nearly full waning gibbous Moon. You don't have look at the
shower's radiant to see meteors though. The almost full moonlight won't
hide the brightest of the Geminids from view either, but it will
substantially reduce the rate of visible meteors for those who are
counting. In fact, the 2019 Geminids should look a lot like the 2016
meteor shower This composite image from the 2016 Geminids aligns
individual short exposures to capture many of the brighter Geminid
meteors, inspite of a Full Moon shining near the constellation of the
Twins. Along the horizon are the Teide Observatory's Solar Laboratory
(right) and the Teide volcano on the Canary Island of Tenerife.
Tomorrow's picture: moonlight weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sat Dec 14 01:12:06 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 14
Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (UCLA) et al.
Explanation: From somewhere else in the Milky Way galaxy, Comet
2I/Borisov is just visiting the Solar System. Discovered by Crimean
amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov on August 30, 2019, the first known
interstellar comet is captured in these two recent Hubble Space
Telescope images. On the left, a distant background galaxy near the
line-of-sight to Borisov is blurred as Hubble tracked the speeding
comet and dust tail about 327 million kilometers from Earth. At right,
2I/Borisov appears shortly after perihelion, it's closest approach to
Sun. Borisov's closest approach to our fair planet, a distance of about
290 million kilometers, will come on December 28. Even though Hubble's
sharp images don't resolve the comet's nucleus, they do lead to
estimates of less than 1 kilometer for its diameter.
Tomorrow's picture: cloudy day
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Dec 15 00:55:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 15
Mammatus Clouds over Nebraska
Image Credit & Copyright: Jorn Olsen Photography
Explanation: When do cloud bottoms appear like bubbles? Normally, cloud
bottoms are flat. This is because moist warm air that rises and cools
will condense into water droplets at a specific temperature, which
usually corresponds to a very specific height. As water droplets grow,
an opaque cloud forms. Under some conditions, however, cloud pockets
can develop that contain large droplets of water or ice that fall into
clear air as they evaporate. Such pockets may occur in turbulent air
near a thunderstorm. Resulting mammatus clouds can appear especially
dramatic if sunlit from the side. The mammatus clouds pictured here
were photographed over Hastings, Nebraska during 2004 June.
Tomorrow's picture: magnetic spiral
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon Dec 16 00:37:12 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 16
The Magnetic Fields of Spiral Galaxy M77
Image Credit: NASA, SOFIA, HAWC+; JPL-Caltech, Roma Tre. U.; ESA,
Hubble, NuSTAR, SDSS
Explanation: Can magnetic fields help tell us how spiral galaxies form
and evolve? To find out, the HAWC+ instrument on NASA's airborne (747)
SOFIA observatory observed nearby spiral galaxy M77. HAWC+ maps
magnetism by observing polarized infrared light emitted by elongated
dust grains rotating in alignment with the local magnetic field. The
HAWC+ image shows that magnetic fields do appear to trace the spiral
arms in the inner regions of M77, arms that likely highlight density
waves in the inflowing gas, dust and stars caused by the gravity of the
galaxy's oval shape. The featured picture superposes the HAWC+ image
over diffuse X-ray emission mapped by NASA's NuSTAR satellite and
visible light images taken by Hubble and the SDSS. M77 is located about
47 million light years away toward the constellation of the Sea Monster
(Cetus).
Tomorrow's picture: red and dusty
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Dec 17 00:53:32 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 17
The Horsehead Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson & Martin Pugh, SSRO, PROMPT,
CTIO, NSF
Explanation: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, a magnificent
interstellar dust cloud by chance has assumed this recognizable shape.
Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula, it is some 1,500 light-years
distant, embedded in the vast Orion cloud complex. About five
light-years "tall", the dark cloud is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is
visible only because its obscuring dust is silhouetted against the
glowing red emission nebula IC 434. Stars are forming within the dark
cloud. Contrasting blue reflection nebula NGC 2023, surrounding a hot,
young star, is at the lower left of the full image. The featured
gorgeous color image combines both narrowband and broadband images
recorded using several different telescopes.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 18 02:06:42 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 18
A Hotspot Map of Neutron Star J0030's Surface
Image Credit: NASA, NICER, GSFC's CI Lab
Explanation: What do neutron stars look like? Previously these
city-sized stars were too small and too far away to resolve. Recently,
however, the first maps of the locations and sizes of hotspots on a
neutron star's surface have been made by carefully modeling how the
rapid spin makes the star's X-ray brightness rise and fall. Based on a
leading model, an illustrative map of pulsar J0030+0451's hotspots is
pictured, with the rest of the star's surface filled in with a false
patchy blue. J0030 spins once every 0.0049 seconds and is located about
1000 light years away. The map was computed from data taken by NASA's
Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) X-ray telescope
attached to the International Space Station. The computed locations of
these hotspots is surprising and not well understood. Because the
gravitational lensing effect of neutron stars is so strong, J0300
displays more than half of its surface toward the Earth. Studying the
appearance of pulsars like J0030 allows accurate estimates of the
neutron star's mass, radius, and the internal physics that keeps the
star from imploding into a black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Dec 19 00:10:50 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 19
Apollo 17's Moonship
Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA, (Image Reprocessing: Andy Saunders)
Explanation: Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module
Challenger was designed for flight in the near vacuum of space.
Digitally enhanced and reprocessed, this picture taken from Apollo 17's
command module America shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit.
Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with
the bell of the ascent rocket engine underneath. The hatch allowing
access to the lunar surface is seen at the front, with a round radar
antenna at the top. Mission commander Gene Cernan is clearly visible
through the triangular window. This spaceship performed gracefully,
landing on the Moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting
command module in December of 1972. So where is Challenger now? Its
descent stage remains at the Apollo 17 landing site in the
Taurus-Littrow valley. The ascent stage pictured was intentionally
crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to
the astronauts' return to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission came to an
end 47 years ago today. It was the sixth and last time astronauts
landed on the Moon.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Fri Dec 20 00:33:12 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 20
Late Afternoon on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Marco Di Lorenzo
Explanation: Shadows grow long near sunset in this wide panoramic view
from the Curiosity rover on Mars. Made with Curiosity's navcam, the
scene covers about 200 degrees from north through east to south (left
to right), stitched together from frames taken by the Mars rover on sol
2616. That's just Earth date December 16. Curiosity is perched on top
of a plateau on Western Butte. The distant northern rim of Gale crater
is visible along the left. Near center is Central Butte, already
visited by Curiosity. On the right, the shadow of the rover seems to
stretch toward the base of Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp), a future
destination. The monochrome navcam frames have been colorized to
approximate the colors of the late martian afternoon.
Tomorrow's picture: solstice to solstice
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sat Dec 21 00:52:50 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 21
Solstice to Solstice Solargraph Timelapse
Image Credit & Copyright: Sam Cornwell
Explanation: The 2019 December Solstice, on the first day of winter in
planet Earth's northern hemisphere and summer in the south, is at 4:19
Universal Time December 22. That's December 21 for North America,
though. Celebrate with a timelapse animation of the Sun's seasonal
progression through the sky. It was made with solargraph images from an
ingenious array of 27 pinhole cameras. The first frame from the
Solarcan camera matrix was recorded near December 21, 2018. The last
frame in the series finished near June 21, 2019, the northern summer
solstice. All 27 camera exposures were started at the same time, with a
camera covered and removed from the array once a week. Viewed
consecutively the pinhole camera pictures accumulate the traces of the
Sun's daily path from winter (bottom) to summer (top) solstice. Traces
of the Sun's path are reflected by the foreground Williestruther Loch,
in the Scottish Borders. Just select the image or follow this link to
play the entire 27 frame (gif) timelapse.
Tomorrow's picture: a year of sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon Dec 23 01:01:32 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 23
Places for OSIRIS-REx to Touch Asteroid Bennu
Video Credit: NASA, GSFC, U. Arizona, SVS, OSIRIS-REx
Explanation: Where is the best place to collect a surface sample from
asteroid Bennu? Launched in 2016, NASA sent the robotic Origins,
Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith
Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) to investigate the 500-meter-across asteroid
101955 Bennu. After mapping the near-Earth asteroid's dark surface,
OSIRIS-REx will next touch Bennu's surface in 2020 August to collect a
surface sample. The featured 23-second time-lapse video shows four
candidate locations for the touch, from which NASA chose just one
earlier this month. NASA chose the Nightingale near Bennu's northern
hemisphere as the primary touch-down spot because of its relative
flatness, lack of boulders, and apparent abundance of fine-grained
sand. Location Osprey is the backup. NASA plans to return soil samples
for Bennu to Earth in 2023 for a detailed analysis.
Free Presentation: APOD Editor to show best astronomy images of 2019 --
and the decade -- in NYC on January 3
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Dec 24 00:07:28 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 24
A Northern Winter Sky Panorama
Image Credit & Copyright: Tomas Slovinsky
Explanation: What stars shine in Earth's northern hemisphere during
winter? The featured image highlights a number of bright stars visible
earlier this month. The image is a 360-degree horizontal-composite
panorama of 66 vertical frames taken consecutively with the same camera
and from the same location at about 2:30 am. Famous stars visible in
the picture include Castor & Pollux toward the southeast on the left,
Sirius just over the horizon toward the south, Capella just over the
arch of the Milky Way Galaxy toward the west, and Polaris toward the
north on the right. Captured by coincidence is a meteor on the far
left. In the foreground is the Museum of the Orava Village in Zuberec,
Slovakia. This village recreates rural life in the region hundreds of
years ago, while the image captures a timeless sky surely familar to
village residents, a sky also shared with northern residents around the
world.
Free Download: 2020 APOD Calendar
Tomorrow's picture: sun ring
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Dec 25 00:09:40 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 25
An Annular Solar Eclipse over New Mexico
Image Credit & Copyright: Colleen Pinski
Explanation: What is this person doing? In 2012 an annular eclipse of
the Sun was visible over a narrow path that crossed the northern
Pacific Ocean and several western US states. In an annular solar
eclipse, the Moon is too far from the Earth to block out the entire
Sun, leaving the Sun peeking out over the Moon's disk in a ring of
fire. To capture this unusual solar event, an industrious photographer
drove from Arizona to New Mexico to find just the right vista. After
setting up and just as the eclipsed Sun was setting over a ridge about
0.5 kilometers away, a person unknowingly walked right into the shot.
Although grateful for the unexpected human element, the photographer
never learned the identity of the silhouetted interloper. It appears
likely, though, that the person is holding a circular device that would
enable them to get their own view of the eclipse. The shot was taken at
sunset on 2012 May 20 at 7:36 pm local time from a park near
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Tomorrow another annular solar eclipse
will become visible, this time along a thin path starting in Saudi
Arabia and going through southern India, Singapore, and Guam. However,
almost all of Asia with a clear sky will be able to see, tomorrow, at
the least, a partial solar eclipse.
Free Download: 2020 APOD Calendar
Tomorrow's picture: hexagon sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Dec 26 01:19:10 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 26
The Northern Winter Hexagon
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek
Explanation: December's New Moon brought a solar eclipse to some for
the holiday season. It also gave beautiful dark night skies to
skygazers around the globe, like this moonless northern winter night.
In the scene, bright stars of the Winter Hexagon along the Milky Way
are rising. Cosy mountain cabins in the snowy foreground are near the
village of Oravska Lesna, Slovakia. The shining celestial beacons
marking the well-known asterism are Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux (and
Castor), Procyon, Rigel, and Sirius. This winter nightscape also
reveals faint nebulae in Orion, and the lovely Pleiades star cluster.
Slide your cursor over the image to trace the winter hexagon, or just
follow this link.
Tomorrow's picture: a beautiful Trifid
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Dec 27 00:34:54 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 27
A Partial Solar Eclipse Sequence Reflected
Image Credit & Copyright: Majid Ghohroodi
Explanation: What's happened to the Sun? Yesterday, if you were in the
right place at the right time, you could see the Sun rise partially
eclipsed by the Moon. The unusual sight was captured in dramatic
fashion in the featured image not only directly, in a sequence of six
images, but also in reflection from Soltan Salt Lake in Iran. The
almost-white Sun appears dimmer and redder near the horizon primarily
because Earth's atmosphere preferentially scatters away more blue
light. Yesterday's partial solar eclipse appeared in the sky over much
of Asia and Australia, but those with a clear enough sky in a thin band
across the Earth's surface were treated to a more complete annular
solar eclipse -- where the Moon appears completely surrounded by the
Sun in what is known as a ring of fire. The next annular solar eclipse
will occur in 2020 June.
Notable Images Submitted to APOD: The Partial Solar Eclipse of 2019
December
Tomorrow's picture: triangle galaxy
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat Dec 28 00:23:38 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 28
A Distorted Sunrise Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Elias Chasiotis
Explanation: Yes, but have you ever seen a sunrise like this? Here,
after initial cloudiness, the Sun appeared to rise in two pieces and
during partial eclipse, causing the photographer to describe it as the
most stunning sunrise of his life. The dark circle near the top of the
atmospherically-reddened Sun is the Moon -- but so is the dark peak
just below it. This is because along the way, the Earth's atmosphere
had an inversion layer of unusually warm air which acted like a
gigantic lens and created a second image. For a normal sunrise or
sunset, this rare phenomenon of atmospheric optics is known as the
Etrucan vase effect. The featured picture was captured two mornings ago
from Al Wakrah, Qatar. Some observers in a narrow band of Earth to the
east were able to see a full annular solar eclipse -- where the Moon
appears completely surrounded by the background Sun in a ring of fire.
The next solar eclipse, also an annular eclipse, will occur in 2020
June.
Notable Images Submitted to APOD: The Partial Solar Eclipse of 2019
December
Tomorrow's picture: Why Saturn's rings disappear
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sun Dec 29 02:55:06 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 29
Cassini Spacecraft Crosses Saturn's Ring Plane
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, ISS, Cassini Imaging Team; Processing:
Fernando Garcia Navarro
Explanation: If this is Saturn, where are the rings? When Saturn's
"appendages" disappeared in 1612, Galileo did not understand why. Later
that century, it became understood that Saturn's unusual protrusions
were rings and that when the Earth crosses the ring plane, the edge-on
rings will appear to disappear. This is because Saturn's rings are
confined to a plane many times thinner, in proportion, than a razor
blade. In modern times, the robot Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn
frequently crossed Saturn's ring plane during its mission to Saturn,
from 2004 to 2017. A series of plane crossing images from 2005 February
was dug out of the vast online Cassini raw image archive by interested
Spanish amateur Fernando Garcia Navarro. Pictured here, digitally
cropped and set in representative colors, is the striking result.
Saturn's thin ring plane appears in blue, bands and clouds in Saturn's
upper atmosphere appear in gold. Details of Saturn's rings can be seen
in the high dark shadows across the top of this image, taken back in
2005. The moons Dione and Enceladus appear as bumps in the rings.
Free Presentation: APOD Editor to show best astronomy images of 2019 --
and the decade -- in NYC on January 3
Tomorrow's picture: nebulae triple play
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Dec 30 01:07:00 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 30
Messier 20 and 21
Image Credit & Copyright: Stanislav Volskiy, Chilescope Team
Explanation: The beautiful Trifid Nebula, also known as Messier 20, is
easy to find with a small telescope in the nebula rich constellation
Sagittarius. About 5,000 light-years away, the colorful study in cosmic
contrasts shares this well-composed, nearly 1 degree wide field with
open star cluster Messier 21 (top left). Trisected by dust lanes the
Trifid itself is about 40 light-years across and a mere 300,000 years
old. That makes it one of the youngest star forming regions in our sky,
with newborn and embryonic stars embedded in its natal dust and gas
clouds. Estimates of the distance to open star cluster M21 are similar
to M20's, but though they share this gorgeous telescopic skyscape there
is no apparent connection between the two. In fact, M21's stars are
much older, about 8 million years old.
Tomorrow's picture: M31's little sister
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Tue Dec 31 02:32:38 2019
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2019 December 31
M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Rui Liao
Explanation: The small, northern constellation Triangulum harbors this
magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the
Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy. M33 is over 50,000
light-years in diameter, third largest in the Local Group of galaxies
after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About 3
million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 is itself thought to be a
satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy and astronomers in these two galaxies
would likely have spectacular views of each other's grand spiral star
systems. As for the view from planet Earth, this sharp image shows off
M33's blue star clusters and pinkish star forming regions along the
galaxy's loosely wound spiral arms. In fact, the cavernous NGC 604 is
the brightest star forming region, seen here at about the 7 o'clock
position from the galaxy center. Like M31, M33's population of
well-measured variable stars have helped make this nearby spiral a
cosmic yardstick for establishing the distance scale of the Universe.
Tomorrow's picture: a new decade
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jan 1 00:19:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 1
Betelgeuse Imagined
Illustration Credit: ESO, L. Calcada
Explanation: Why is Betelgeuse fading? No one knows. Betelgeuse, one of
the brightest and most recognized stars in the night sky, is only half
as bright as it used to be only five months ago. Such variability is
likely just normal behavior for this famously variable supergiant, but
the recent dimming has rekindled discussion on how long it may be
before Betelgeuse does go supernova. Known for its red color,
Betelgeuse is one of the few stars to be resolved by modern telescopes,
although only barely. The featured artist's illustration imagines how
Betelgeuse might look up close. Betelgeuse is thought to have a complex
and tumultuous surface that frequently throws impressive flares. Were
it to replace the Sun (not recommended), its surface would extend out
near the orbit of Jupiter, while gas plumes would bubble out past
Neptune. Since Betelgeuse is about 700 light years away, its eventual
supernova will not endanger life on Earth even though its brightness
may rival that of a full Moon. Astronomers -- both amateur and
professional -- will surely continue to monitor Betelgeuse as this new
decade unfolds.
Free Presentation: APOD Editor to show best astronomy images of 2019 --
and the decade -- in NYC on January 3
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Jan 2 00:09:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 2
The Fainting of Betelgeuse
Image Credit & Copyright: Jimmy Westlake (Colorado Mountain College)
Explanation: Begirt with many a blazing star, Orion the Hunter is one
of the most recognizable constellations. In this night skyscape the
Hunter's stars rise in the northern hemisphere's winter sky on December
30, 2019, tangled in bare trees near Newnan, Georgia, USA. Red super
giant star Betelgeuse stands out in yellowish hues at Orion's shoulder
left of center, but it no longer so strongly rivals the blue supergiant
star Rigel at the Hunter's foot. In fact, skygazers around planet Earth
can see a strikingly fainter Betelgeuse now, its brightness fading by
more than half in the final months of 2019. Betelgeuse has long been
known to be a variable star, changing its brightness in multiple cycles
with approximate short and long term periods of hundreds of days to
many years. The star is now close to its faintest since photometric
measurements in 1926/27, likely due in part to a near coincidence in
the minimum of short and long term cycles. Betelgeuse is also
recognized as a nearby red supergiant star that will end its life in a
core collapse supernova explosion sometime in the next 1,000 years,
though that cosmic cataclysm will take place a safe 700 light-years or
so from our fair planet.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jan 3 00:59:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 3
Quadrantids over the Great Wall
Image Credit & Copyright: Cheng Luo
Explanation: Named for a forgotten constellation, the Quadrantid Meteor
Shower is an annual event for planet Earth's northern hemisphere
skygazers The shower's radiant on the sky lies within the old,
astronomically obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis. That location
is not far from the Big Dipper, at the boundaries of the modern
constellations Bootes and Draco. With the radiant out of the frame at
the upper right, Quadrantid meteors streak through this night skyscape
composed of digital frames recorded in the hours around the shower's
peak on January 4, 2013. The last quarter moon illuminates rugged
terrain and a section of the Great Wall in Hebei Province, China. A
likely source of the dust stream that produces Quadrantid meteors was
identified in 2003 as an asteroid. As usual, in 2020 the shower is
expected to peak briefly on the night of January 3/4. Meteor fans in
North America can anticpate a good show to celebrate the new year in
moonless skies before tomorrow's dawn.
Free Presentation: APOD Editor to show best astronomy images of 2019 --
and the decade -->tonight in NYC.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 4 01:27:28 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 4
Aurora Slathers Up the Sky
Image Credit: Jack Fischer, Expedition 52, NASA
Explanation: Like salsa verde on your favorite burrito, a green aurora
slathers up the sky in this 2017 June 25 snapshot from the
International Space Station. About 400 kilometers (250 miles) above
Earth, the orbiting station is itself within the upper realm of the
auroral displays. Aurorae have the signature colors of excited
molecules and atoms at the low densities found at extreme altitudes.
Emission from atomic oxygen dominates this view. The tantalizing glow
is green at lower altitudes, but rarer reddish bands extend above the
space station's horizon. The orbital scene was captured while passing
over a point south and east of Australia, with stars above the horizon
at the right belonging to the constellation Canis Major, Orion's big
dog. Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major, is the brightest star near the
Earth's limb.
Tomorrow's picture: sauce serene
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jan 5 01:03:28 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 5
A Starry Night of Iceland
Image Credit: Stephane Vetter (Nuits sacrees)
Explanation: On some nights, the sky is the best show in town. On this
night, the sky was not only the best show in town, but a composite
image of the sky won an international competition for landscape
astrophotography. The featured winning image was taken in 2011 over
Jkulsrln, the largest glacial lake in Iceland. The photographer
combined six exposures to capture not only two green auroral rings, but
their reflections off the serene lake. Visible in the distant
background sky is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda
galaxy. A powerful coronal mass ejection from the Sun caused auroras to
be seen as far south as Wisconsin, USA. As the Sun progresses away from
its current low in surface activity toward a solar maximum a few years
away, many more spectacular images of aurora are expected.
Tomorrow's picture: jupiter tumult
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jan 6 00:23:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 6
Tumultuous Clouds of Jupiter
Image Credit & License: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing: Kevin
M. Gill
Explanation: Some cloud patterns on Jupiter are quite complex. The
featured tumultuous clouds were captured in May by NASA's robotic Juno
spacecraft currently orbiting our Solar System's largest planet. The
image was taken when Juno was only about 15,000 kilometers over
Jupiter's cloud tops, so close that less than half of the giant planet
is visible. The rough white clouds on the far right are high altitude
clouds known as pop-up clouds. Juno's mission, now extended into 2021,
is to study Jupiter in new ways. Among many other things, Juno has been
measuring Jupiter's gravitational field, finding surprising evidence
that Jupiter may be mostly a liquid.
Tomorrow's picture: star flame
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jan 7 00:23:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 7
IC 405: The Flaming Star Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Coles and Mel Helm
Explanation: Rippling dust and gas lanes give the Flaming Star Nebula
its name. The orange and purple colors of the nebula are present in
different regions and are created by different processes. The bright
star AE Aurigae, visible toward the image left, is so hot it is blue,
emitting light so energetic it knocks electrons away from surrounding
gas. When a proton recaptures an electron, red light is frequently
emitted (depicted here in orange). The purple region's color is a mix
of this red light and blue light emitted by AE Aurigae but reflected to
us by surrounding dust. The two regions are referred to as emission
nebula and reflection nebula, respectively. Pictured here in the Hubble
color palette, the Flaming Star Nebula, officially known as IC 405,
lies about 1500 light years distant, spans about 5 light years, and is
visible with a small telescope toward the constellation of the
Charioteer (Auriga).
Tomorrow's picture: galaxies in the river
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jan 8 00:31:46 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 8
Galaxies in the River
Image Credit & Copyright: Star Shadows Remote Observatory, PROMPT, CTIO
Explanation: Large galaxies grow by eating small ones. Even our own
galaxy engages in a sort of galactic cannibalism, absorbing small
galaxies that are too close and are captured by the Milky Way's
gravity. In fact, the practice is common in the universe and
illustrated by this striking pair of interacting galaxies from the
banks of the southern constellation Eridanus, The River. Located over
50 million light years away, the large, distorted spiral NGC 1532 is
seen locked in a gravitational struggle with dwarf galaxy NGC 1531
(right of center), a struggle the smaller galaxy will eventually lose.
Seen edge-on, spiral NGC 1532 spans about 100,000 light-years. Nicely
detailed in this sharp image, the NGC 1532/1531 pair is thought to be
similar to the well-studied system of face-on spiral and small
companion known as M51.
Tomorrow's picture: happy perihelion
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Jan 9 00:35:52 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 9
Perihelion to Aphelion
Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Griffin (Otago Museum)
Explanation: Perihelion for 2020, the point in Earth's elliptical orbit
when it is closest to the Sun, occurred on January 5th. The distance
from the Sun doesn't determine the seasons, though. Those are governed
by the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation, so January is still winter in
the north and summer in southern hemisphere. But it does mean that on
January 5 the Sun was at its largest apparent size. This composite
neatly compares two pictures of the Sun, both taken from planet Earth
with the same telescope and camera. The left half was captured on the
date of the 2020 perihelion. The right was recorded only a week before
the July 4 date of the 2019 aphelion, the farthest point in Earth's
orbit. Otherwise difficult to notice, the change in the Sun's apparent
diameter between perihelion and aphelion amounts to a little over 3
percent. The 2020 perihelion and the preceding 2019 aphelion correspond
to the closest and farthest perihelion and aphelion of the 21st
century.
Tomorrow's picture: clouds like pearls
__________________________________________________________________
> Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jan 10 00:58:20 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 10
Nacreous Clouds over Sweden
Image Credit & Copyright: P-M Hedén (Clear Skies, TWAN)
Explanation: Vivid and lustrous, wafting iridescent waves of color
filled this mountain and skyscape near Tanndalen, Sweden on January 3.
Known as nacreous clouds or mother-of-pearl clouds, they are rare. This
northern winter season they have been making unforgettable appearances
at high latitudes, though. A type of polar stratospheric cloud, they
form when unusually cold temperatures in the usually cloudless lower
stratosphere form ice crystals. Still sunlit at altitudes of around 15
to 25 kilometers the clouds can diffract sunlight after sunset and
before the dawn.
Tomorrow's picture: and beyond
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 11 00:03:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 11
NGC 602 and Beyond
Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/Univ.Potsdam/L.Oskinova et al;
Optical: Hubble: NASA/STScI; Infrared: Spitzer: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Explanation: Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a
satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5 million
year young star cluster NGC 602. Surrounded by natal gas and dust, NGC
602 is featured in this stunning Hubble image of the region, augmented
by images in the X-ray by Chandra, and in the infrared by Spitzer.
Fantastic ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic
radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive young stars have
eroded the dusty material and triggered a progression of star formation
moving away from the cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the
Small Magellanic Cloud, the Picture spans about 200 light-years, but a
tantalizing assortment of background galaxies are also visible in this
sharp multi-colored view. The background galaxies are hundreds of
millions of light-years or more beyond NGC 602.
Tomorrow's picture: blue corona
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jan 12 00:55:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 12
Stars and Dust in Corona Australis
Image Credit & Copyright: CHART32 Team, Processing - Johannes Schedler
Explanation: Cosmic dust clouds and young, energetic stars inhabit this
telescopic vista, less than 500 light-years away toward the northern
boundary of Corona Australis, the Southern Crown. The dust clouds
effectively block light from more distant background stars in the Milky
Way. But the striking complex of reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC
6726, 6727, and IC 4812 produce a characteristic blue color as light
from the region's young hot stars is reflected by the cosmic dust. The
dust also obscures from view stars still in the process of formation.
At the left, smaller yellowish nebula NGC 6729 bends around young
variable star R Coronae Australis. Just below it, glowing arcs and
loops shocked by outflows from embedded newborn stars are identified as
Herbig-Haro objects. On the sky this field of view spans about 1
degree. That corresponds to almost 9 light-years at the estimated
distance of the nearby star forming region.
Video: Best of APOD 2019 for the Night Sky Network
Tomorrow's picture: desert eclipse
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jan 13 00:17:00 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 13
A Desert Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Maxime Daviron
Explanation: A good place to see a ring-of-fire eclipse, it seemed,
would be from a desert. In a desert, there should be relatively few
obscuring clouds and trees. Therefore late last December a group of
photographers traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Rub al-Khali,
the largest continuous sand desert in world, to capture clear images of
an unusual eclipse that would be passing over. A ring-of-fire eclipse
is an annular eclipse that occurs when the Moon is far enough away on
its elliptical orbit around the Earth so that it appears too small,
angularly, to cover the entire Sun. At the maximum of an annular
eclipse, the edges of the Sun can be seen all around the edges of the
Moon, so that the Moon appears to be a dark spot that covers most --
but not all -- of the Sun. This particular eclipse, they knew, would
peak soon after sunrise. After seeking out such a dry and barren place,
it turned out that some of the most interesting eclipse images actually
included a tree in the foreground, because, in addition to the sand
dunes, the tree gave the surreal background a contrasting sense of
normalcy, scale, and texture.
Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: venusian volcano
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Jan 14 00:28:02 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 14
Evidence of an Active Volcano on Venus
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, ESA, Venus Express: VIRTIS, USRA, LPI
Explanation: Are volcanoes still active on Venus? More volcanoes are
known on Venus than Earth, but when Venusian volcanoes last erupted is
not directly known. Evidence bolstering very recent volcanism on Venus
has recently been uncovered, though, right here on Earth. Lab results
showed that images of surface lava would become dim in the infrared in
only months in the dense Venusian atmosphere, a dimming not seen in
ESA's Venus Express images. Venus Express entered orbit around Venus in
2006 and remained in contact with Earth until 2014. Therefore, the
infrared glow (shown in false-color red) recorded by Venus Express for
Idunn Mons and featured here on a NASA Magellan image indicates that
this volcano erupted very recently -- and is still active today.
Understanding the volcanics of Venus might lead to insight about the
volcanics on Earth, as well as elsewhere in our Solar System.
New: APOD now available in Turkish from Turkey
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Wed Jan 15 00:19:00 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 15
Iridescent Clouds over Sweden
Image Credit & Copyright: Goran Strand
Explanation: Why would these clouds multi-colored? A relatively rare
phenomenon in clouds known as iridescence can bring up unusual colors
vividly or even a whole spectrum of colors simultaneously. These polar
stratospheric clouds clouds, also known as nacreous and mother-of-pearl
clouds, are formed of small water droplets of nearly uniform size. When
the Sun is in the right position and, typically, hidden from direct
view, these thin clouds can be seen significantly diffracting sunlight
in a nearly coherent manner, with different colors being deflected by
different amounts. Therefore, different colors will come to the
observer from slightly different directions. Many clouds start with
uniform regions that could show iridescence but quickly become too
thick, too mixed, or too angularly far from the Sun to exhibit striking
colors. The featured image and an accompanying video were taken late
last year over Ostersund, Sweden.
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Tomorrow's picture: a stellar galaxy
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From
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All on Thu Jan 16 00:13:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 16
NGC 247 and Friends
Image Credit & Copyright: Acquisition - Eric Benson, Processing -
Dietmar Hager
Explanation: About 70,000 light-years across, NGC 247 is a spiral
galaxy smaller than our Milky Way. Measured to be only 11 million
light-years distant it is nearby though. Tilted nearly edge-on as seen
from our perspective, it dominates this telescopic field of view toward
the southern constellation Cetus. The pronounced void on one side of
the galaxy's disk recalls for some its popular name, the Needle's Eye
galaxy. Many background galaxies are visible in this sharp galaxy
portrait, including the remarkable string of four galaxies just below
and left of NGC 247 known as Burbidge's Chain. Burbidge's Chain
galaxies are about 300 million light-years distant. NGC 247 itself is
part of the Sculptor Group of galaxies along with the shiny spiral NGC
253.
Tomorrow's picture: in stereo
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From
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All on Fri Jan 17 01:20:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 17
Apollo 17: A Stereo View from Lunar Orbit
Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, NASA; Anaglyph by Patrick Vantuyne
Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and check out this awesome
stereo view of another world. The scene was recorded by Apollo 17
mission commander Eugene Cernan on December 11, 1972, one orbit before
descending to land on the Moon. The stereo anaglyph was assembled from
two photographs (AS17-147-22465, AS17-147-22466) captured from his
vantage point on board the Lunar Module Challenger as he and Dr.
Harrison Schmitt flew over Apollo 17's landing site in the
Taurus-Littrow Valley. The broad, sunlit face of the mountain dubbed
South Massif rises near the center of the frame, above the dark floor
of Taurus-Littrow to its left. Beyond the mountains, toward the lunar
limb, lies the Moon's Mare Serenitatis. Piloted by Ron Evans, the
Command Module America is visible in orbit in the foreground against
the South Massif's peak.
Tomorrow's picture: and beyond
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From
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All on Sat Jan 18 03:07:46 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 18
An Almost Eclipse of the Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Gyorgy Soponyai
Explanation: This composited series of images follows the Moon on
January 10, the first Full Moon of 2020, in Hungarian skies. The lunar
disk is in mid-eclipse at the center of the sequence though. It looks
only slightly darker there as it passes through the light outer shadow
or penumbra of planet Earth. In fact during this penumbral lunar
eclipse the Moon almost crossed into the northern edge of Earth's dark
central shadow or umbra. Subtle and hard to see, this penumbral lunar
eclipse was the first of four lunar eclipses in 2020, all of which will
be penumbral lunar eclipses.
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic crustacean
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From
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All on Mon Jan 20 00:15:46 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 20
Quadrantid Meteors through Orion
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek
Explanation: Why are these meteor trails nearly parallel? Because they
were all shed by the same space rock and so can be traced back to the
same direction on the sky: the radiant of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower.
This direction used to be toward the old constellation of Quadrans
Muralis, hence the name Quadrantids, but when the International
Astronomical Union formulated its list of modern constellations in
1922, this constellation did not make the list. Even though the meteors
are now considered to originate from the recognized constellation of
Bootes, the old name stuck. Regardless of the designation, every
January the Earth moves through a dust stream and bits of this dust
glow as meteors as they heat up in Earth's atmosphere. The featured
image composite was taken on January 4 with a picturesque snowy
Slovakian landscape in the foreground, and a deep-exposure sky
prominently featuring the constellation Orion in the background. The
red star Betelgeuse appears unusually dim -- its fading over the past
few months is being tracked by astronomers.
Teachers: APOD in the Classroom
Tomorrow's picture: sun sounds
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Tue Jan 21 05:07:24 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 21
Parker: Sounds of the Solar Wind
Video Credit: NASA, JHUAPL, Naval Research Lab, Parker Solar Probe;
Processing: Avi Solomon
Explanation: What does the solar wind sound like? A wind of fast moving
particles blows out from our Sun, and although space transmits sound
poorly, particle impact and variable-field data from NASA's near-Sun
Parker Solar Probe is being translated into sound. The disarming audio
track of the featured video recounts several of these reverberations,
including spooky-sounding Langmuir Waves (heard first),
hurricane-sounding Whistler Mode Waves (heard next), and
hard-to-describe Dispersive Chirping Waves (heard last). Also
impressive is the video's time-lapse visual track which shows Parker's
view to the side of its sun shield, and where the planets Earth,
Jupiter, Mercury and Venus appear in succession, interspersed with
bursts of powerful cosmic rays impacting the imager. The nature of the
solar wind near Mercury is surprisingly different from near the Earth,
and much study is underway to better understand the differences.
Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: nearest star cluster
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jan 22 00:10:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 22
The Hyades Star Cluster
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Mtanous
Explanation: It is the closest cluster of stars to the Sun. The Hyades
open cluster is bright enough to have been remarked on even thousands
of years ago, yet is not as bright or compact as the nearby Pleiades
(M45) star cluster. Pictured here is a particularly deep image of the
Hyades which has brings out vivid star colors and faint coincidental
nebulas. The brightest star in the field is yellow Aldebaran, the eye
of the bull toward the constellation of Taurus. Aldebaran, at 65
light-years away, is now known to be unrelated to the Hyades cluster,
which lies about 150 light-years away. The central Hyades stars are
spread out over about 15 light-years. Formed about 625 million years
ago, the Hyades likely shares a common origin with the Beehive cluster
(M44), a naked-eye open star cluster toward the constellation of
Cancer, based on M44's motion through space and remarkably similar age.
Tomorrow's picture: roaming the halo
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From
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All on Thu Jan 23 00:58:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 23
Globular Star Cluster NGC 6752
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Joaquin Perez
Explanation: Some 13,000 light-years away toward the southern
constellation Pavo, the globular star cluster NGC 6752 roams the halo
of our Milky Way galaxy. Over 10 billion years old, NGC 6752 follows
clusters Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae as the third brightest globular
in planet Earth's night sky. It holds over 100 thousand stars in a
sphere about 100 light-years in diameter. Telescopic explorations of
the NGC 6752 have found that a remarkable fraction of the stars near
the cluster's core, are multiple star systems. They also reveal the
presence of blue straggle stars, stars which appear to be too young and
massive to exist in a cluster whose stars are all expected to be at
least twice as old as the Sun. The blue stragglers are thought to be
formed by star mergers and collisions in the dense stellar environment
at the cluster's core. This sharp color composite also features the
cluster's ancient red giant stars in yellowish hues. (Note: The bright,
spiky blue star at 11 o'clock from the cluster center is a foreground
star along the line-of-sight to NGC 6752)
Tomorrow's picture: shadow play
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jan 24 00:55:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 24
Into the Shadow
Image Credit & Copyright: Laszlo Francsics
Explanation: On January 21, 2019 moonwatchers on planet Earth saw a
total lunar eclipse. In 35 frames this composite image follows the Moon
that night as it crossed into Earth's dark umbral shadow. Taken 3
minutes apart, they almost melt together in a continuous screen that
captures the dark colors within the shadow itself and the northern
curve of the shadow's edge. Sunlight scattered by the atmosphere into
the shadow causes the lunar surface to appear reddened during totality
(left), but close to the umbra's edge, the limb of the eclipsed Moon
shows a remarkable blue hue. The blue eclipsed moonlight originates as
rays of sunlight pass through layers high in Earth's upper
stratosphere, colored by ozone that scatters red light and transmits
blue. The Moon's next crossing into Earth's umbral shadow, will be on
May 26, 2021.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 25 01:55:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 25
Rubin's Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, B. Holwerda (University of Louisville)
Explanation: In this Hubble Space Telescope image the bright, spiky
stars lie in the foreground toward the heroic northern constellation
Perseus and well within our own Milky Way galaxy. In sharp focus beyond
is UGC 2885, a giant spiral galaxy about 232 million light-years
distant. Some 800,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way's
diameter of 100,000 light-years or so, it has around 1 trillion stars.
That's about 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way. Part of a current
investigation to understand how galaxies can grow to such enormous
sizes, UGC 2885 was also part of astronomer Vera Rubin's pioneering
study of the rotation of spiral galaxies. Her work was the first to
convincingly demonstrate the dominating presence of dark matter in our
universe.
Tomorrow's picture: Rubin's ridge
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From
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All on Sun Jan 26 00:57:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 26
Hills, Ridges, and Tracks on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS; Processing & Copyright: Thomas
Appere
Explanation: Sometimes, even rovers on Mars stop to admire the scenery.
Just late last November the Curiosity rover on Mars paused to
photograph its impressive surroundings. One thing to admire, straight
ahead, was Central Butte, an unusual flat hill studied by Curiosity
just a few days before this image was taken. To its right was distant
Mount Sharp, the five-kilometer central peak of entire Gale crater, the
interior of which Curiosity is exploring. Mount Sharp, covered in
sulfates, appears quite bright in this colorized, red-filtered image.
To the far left, shrouded in a very dark shadow, was the south slope of
Vera Rubin ridge, an elevation explored previously by Curiosity.
Between the ridge and butte were tracks left by Curiosity's wheels as
they rolled forward, out of the scene. In the image foreground is, of
course, humanity's current eyes on Mars: the complex robotic rover
Curiosity itself. Later this year, if all goes well, NASA will have
another rover -- and more eyes -- on Mars. Today you can help determine
the name of this rover yourself, but tomorrow is the last day to cast
your vote.
Help Name the Mars 2020 Rover: Vote here!
Tomorrow's picture: evaporating comet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jan 27 01:40:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 27
Comet CG Evaporates
Image Credit & License: ESA, Rosetta, NAVCAM
Explanation: Where do comet tails come from? There are no obvious
places on the nuclei of comets from which the jets that create comet
tails emanate. One of the best images of emerging jets is shown in the
featured picture, taken in 2015 by ESA's robotic Rosetta spacecraft
that orbited Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Comet CG) from 2014 to
2016. The picture shows plumes of gas and dust escaping numerous places
from Comet CG's nucleus as it neared the Sun and heated up. The comet
has two prominent lobes, the larger one spanning about 4 kilometers,
and a smaller 2.5-kilometer lobe connected by a narrow neck. Analyses
indicate that evaporation must be taking place well inside the comet's
surface to create the jets of dust and ice that we see emitted through
the surface. Comet CG (also known as Comet 67P) loses in jets about a
meter of radius during each of its 6.44-year orbits around the Sun, a
rate at which will completely destroy the comet in only thousands of
years. In 2016, Rosetta's mission ended with a controlled impact onto
Comet CG's surface.
Outreach Astronomers: Future APOD writers sought.
Tomorrow's picture: a tad spacey
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jan 28 00:58:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 28
Star Formation in the Tadpole Nebula
Image Credit: WISE, IRSA, NASA; Processing & Copyright: Francesco
Antonucci
Explanation: What's all of the commotion in the Tadpole Nebula? Star
formation. Dusty emission in the Tadpole Nebula, IC 410, lies about
12,000 light-years away in the northern constellation of the Charioteer
(Auriga). The cloud of glowing gas is over 100 light-years across,
sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from embedded open star cluster
NGC 1893. Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago,
bright newly formed cluster stars are seen all around the star-forming
nebula. Notable near the image center are two relatively dense
streamers of material trailing away from the nebula's central regions.
Potentially sites of ongoing star formation in IC 410, these cosmic
tadpole shapes are about 10 light-years long. The featured image was
taken in infrared light by NASA's Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer
(WISE) satellite.
Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: steaming galaxy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jan 29 00:26:50 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 29
Milky Way over Yellowstone
Image Credit & Copyright: Lori Jacobs
Explanation: The Milky Way was not created by an evaporating lake. The
pool of vivid blue water, about 10 meters across, is known as Silex
Spring and is located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA.
Steam rises off the spring, heated by a magma chamber deep underneath
known as the Yellowstone hotspot. The steam blurs the image of Venus,
making it seem unusually large. Unrelated and far in the distance, the
central band of our Milky Way Galaxy rises high overhead, a band lit by
billions of stars. The featured picture is a 3-image panorama taken
last August. If the Yellowstone hotspot causes another supervolcanic
eruption as it did 640,000 years ago, a large part of North America
would be affected.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Jan 30 00:48:30 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 30
Two Clusters and a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST)
Explanation: This lovely starfield spans some four full moons (about 2
degrees) across the heroic northern constellation of Perseus. In
telescopic exposures made during the nights of January 24, 26, and 28
it holds the famous pair of open or galactic star clusters h and Chi
Persei with comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 T2) captured each night as it swept
left to right across the field of view. Also cataloged as NGC 869
(right) and NGC 884, both star clusters are about 7,000 light-years
away and contain stars much younger and hotter than the Sun. Separated
by only a few hundred light-years, the clusters are both 13 million
years young based on the ages of their individual stars, evidence that
they were likely a product of the same star-forming region. Discovered
in 2017 while still beyond the orbit of Saturn, Comet PanSTARRs is a
new visitor to the inner solar system and just over 13 light-minutes
from planet Earth. Always a rewarding sight in binoculars, the Double
Cluster is even visible to the unaided eye from dark locations. C/2017
T2 could remain a telescopic comet though. One of the brightest comets
anticipated in 2020 it makes its closest approach to the Sun in early
May.
Tomorrow's picture: Goldilocks and the Three Stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jan 31 00:18:58 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 January 31
Goldilocks Zones and Stars
Infographic Credit: NASA ESA, Z. Levy (STScI)
Explanation: The Goldilocks zone is the habitable zone around a star
where it's not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to exist on
the surface of orbiting planets. This intriguing infographic includes
relative sizes of those zones for yellow G stars like the Sun, along
with orange K dwarf stars and red M dwarf stars, both cooler and
fainter than the Sun. M stars (top) have small, close-in Goldilocks
zones. They are also seen to live long (100 billion years or so) and
are very abundant, making up about 73 percent of the stars in the Milky
Way. Still, they have very active magnetic fields and may produce too
much radiation harmful to life, with an estimated X-ray irradiance 400
times the quiet Sun. Sun-like G stars (bottom) have large Goldilocks
zones and are relatively calm, with low amounts of harmful radiation.
But they only account for 6 percent of Milky Way stars and are much
shorter lived. In the search for habitable planets, K dwarf stars could
be just right, though. Not too rare they have 40 billion year
lifetimes, much longer than the Sun. With a relatively wide habitable
zone they produce only modest amounts of harmful radiation. These
Goldilocks stars account for about 13 percent of the stars of the Milky
Way.
Tomorrow's picture: Apollo 14 Earthrise
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Feb 1 00:25:04 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 1
Apollo 14 Heads for Home
Image Credit Apollo 14, NASA, JSC, ASU (Image Reprocessing: Andy
Saunders)
Explanation: When leaving lunar orbit in February 1971, the crew of
Apollo 14 watched this Earthrise from their command module Kittyhawk.
With Earth's sunlit crescent just peaking over the lunar horizon, the
cratered terrain in the foreground is along the lunar farside. Of
course, while orbiting the Moon, the crew could watch Earth rise and
set, but the Earth hung stationary in the sky over Fra Mauro Base,
their landing site on the lunar surface. Rock samples brought back by
the Apollo 14 mission included a 20 pound rock nicknamed Big Bertha,
later determined to contain a likely fragment of a meteorite from
planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: shocking infrared
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Feb 2 00:39:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 2
Zeta Oph: Runaway Star
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope
Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas, runaway star Zeta
Ophiuchi produces the arcing interstellar bow wave or bow shock seen in
this stunning infrared portrait. In the false-color view, bluish Zeta
Oph, a star about 20 times more massive than the Sun, lies near the
center of the frame, moving toward the left at 24 kilometers per
second. Its strong stellar wind precedes it, compressing and heating
the dusty interstellar material and shaping the curved shock front.
What set this star in motion? Zeta Oph was likely once a member of a
binary star system, its companion star was more massive and hence
shorter lived. When the companion exploded as a supernova
catastrophically losing mass, Zeta Oph was flung out of the system.
About 460 light-years away, Zeta Oph is 65,000 times more luminous than
the Sun and would be one of the brighter stars in the sky if it weren't
surrounded by obscuring dust. The image spans about 1.5 degrees or 12
light-years at the estimated distance of Zeta Ophiuchi. Last week, NASA
placed the Spitzer Space Telescope in safe mode, ending its 16
successful years of studying our universe.
News: NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope Ends Mission of Astronomical
Discovery
Tomorrow's picture: sun bubbling
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Feb 3 00:17:04 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 3
Solar Granules at Record High Resolution
Image Credit: NSO, NSF, AURA, Inouye Solar Telescope
Explanation: Why does the Sun's surface keep changing? The help find
out, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) has built the Daniel K.
Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, USA. The Inouye telescope has a
larger mirror that enables the capturing of images of higher
resolution, at a faster rate, and in more colors than ever before.
Featured are recently-released first-light images taken over 10 minutes
and combined into a 5-second time-lapse video. The video captures an
area on the Sun roughly the size of our Earth, features granules
roughly the size of a country, and resolves features as small as
30-kilometers across. Granule centers are bright due to the upwelling
hot solar plasma, while granule edges are dim due to the cooled plasma
falling back. Some regions between granules edges are very bright as
they are curious magnetic windows into a deep and hotter solar
interior. How the Sun's magnetic field keeps changing, channeling
energy, and affecting the distant Earth, among many other topics, will
be studied for years to come using data from the new Inouye telescope.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,100+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: grand canyon night sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Feb 4 00:12:42 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 4
A Sunset Night Sky over the Grand Canyon
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Q. Fugate
Explanation: Seeing mountain peaks glow red from inside the Grand
Canyon was one of the most incredible sunset experiences of this
amateur photographer's life. They appeared even more incredible later,
when digitally combined with an exposure of the night sky -- taken by
the same camera and from the same location -- an hour later. The two
images were taken last August from the 220 Mile Canyon campsite on the
Colorado River, Colorado, USA. The peaks glow red because they were lit
by an usually red sunset. Later, high above, the band of the Milky Way
Galaxy angled dramatically down, filled with stars, nebula, and dark
clouds of dust. To the Milky Way's left is the planet Saturn, while to
the right is the brighter Jupiter. Although Jupiter and Saturn are now
hard to see, Venus will be visible and quite bright to the west in
clear skies, just after sunset, for the next two months.
Astrophotography with Your Computer: NASA's Astrophoto Challenges
Tomorrow's picture: many moon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Feb 5 03:28:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 5
Lunar Eclipse Perspectives
Image Credit: F. Pichardo, G. Hogan, P. Horálek, F. Hemmerich, S.
Schraebler, L. Hašpl, R. Eder;
Processing & Copyright : Matipon Tangmatitham; Text: Matipon
Tangmatitham (NARIT)
Explanation: Do we all see the same Moon? Yes, but we all see it
differently. One difference is the apparent location of the Moon
against background stars -- an effect known as parallax. We humans use
the parallax between our eyes to judge depth. To see lunar parallax,
though, we need eyes placed at a much greater separations -- hundreds
to thousands of kilometers apart. Another difference is that observers
around the Earth all see a slightly different face of our spherical
Moon -- an effect known as libration. The featured image is a composite
of many views across the Earth, as submitted to APOD, of the total
lunar eclipse of 2019 January 21. These images are projected against
the same background stars to illustrate both effects. The accurate
superposition of these images was made possible by a serendipitous
meteorite impact on the Moon during the lunar eclipse, labeled here
L1-21J -- guaranteeing that these submitted images were all taken
within a split second.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Feb 6 00:03:00 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 6
Southern Moonscape
Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Glenn
Explanation: The Moon's south pole is near the top of this detailed
telescopic view. Looking across the rugged southern lunar highlands it
was captured from southern California, planet Earth. At the Moon's
third quarter phase the lunar terminator, the sunset shadow line, is
approaching from the left. The scene's foreshortened perspective
heightens the impression of a dense field of craters and makes the
craters themselves appear more oval shaped close to the lunar limb.
Below and left of center is sharp-walled crater Tycho, 85 kilometers in
diameter. Young Tycho's central peak is still in sunlight, but casts a
long shadow across the crater floor. The large prominent crater to the
south (above) Tycho is Clavius. Nearly 231 kilometers in diameter its
walls and floor are pocked with smaller, more recent, overlaying impact
craters. Mountains visible along the lunar limb at the top can rise
about 6 kilometers or so above the surrounding terrain.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Fri Feb 7 02:50:02 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 7
NGC 7331 Close Up
Image Credit & License: ESA/Hubble & NASA/D. Milisavljevic (Purdue
University)
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as
an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in
the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as
a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not
included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. Since the
galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic
exposures often result in an image that evokes a strong sense of depth.
In this Hubble Space Telescope close-up, the galaxy's magnificent
spiral arms feature dark obscuring dust lanes, bright bluish clusters
of massive young stars, and the telltale reddish glow of active star
forming regions. The bright yellowish central regions harbor
populations of older, cooler stars. Like the Milky Way, a supermassive
black hole lies at the core of spiral galaxy NGC 7331.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sat Feb 8 02:57:30 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 8
Cosmic Clouds in the Unicorn
Image Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls
Explanation: Interstellar clouds of hydrogen gas and dust abound in
this gorgeous skyscape. The 3 degree wide field of view stretches
through the faint but fanciful constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. A
star forming region cataloged as NGC 2264 is centered, a complex jumble
of cosmic gas, dust and stars about 2,700 light-years distant. It mixes
reddish emission nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars
with dark dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie
close to hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue
reflection nebulae. A few light-years across, a simple sculpted shape
known as the Cone Nebula is near center. Outlined by the red glow of
hydrogen gas, the cone points toward the left and bright, blue-white S
Monocerotis. Itself a multiple system of massive, hot stars S Mon is
adjacent to bluish reflection nebulae and the convoluted Fox Fur
nebula. Expansive dark markings on the sky are silhouetted by a larger
region of fainter emission with yellowish open star cluster Trumpler 5
near the top of the frame. The curious compact cometary shape right of
center is known as Hubble's Variable Nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: closer to home
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sun Feb 9 00:51:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 9
To Fly Free in Space
Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B
Explanation: What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100
meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce
McCandless II was living the dream -- floating farther out than anyone
had ever been before. Guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU),
astronaut McCandless, pictured, was floating free in space. McCandless
and fellow NASA astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience
such an "untethered space walk" during Space Shuttle mission 41-B in
1984. The MMU worked by shooting jets of nitrogen and was used to help
deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over 140 kilograms, an MMU
is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is weightless when drifting in
orbit. The MMU was later replaced with the SAFER backpack propulsion
unit.
Tomorrow's picture: eclipsing camel
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Feb 10 00:13:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 10
Solar Eclipse over the UAE
Image Credit & Copyright: Joshua Cripps
Explanation: What's happening behind that camel? A partial eclipse of
the Sun. About six and a half weeks ago, the Moon passed completely in
front of the Sun as seen from a narrow band on the Earth. Despite
(surely) many camels being located in this narrow band, only one found
itself stationed between this camera, the distant Moon, and the even
more distant Sun. To create this impressive superposition, though, took
a well-planned trip to the United Arab Emirates, careful alignments,
and accurate timings on the day of the eclipse. Although the resulting
featured image shows a partially eclipsed Sun rising, the Moon went on
to appear completely engulfed by the Sun in an annular eclipse known as
a ring of fire. Forward scattering of sunlight, dominated by quantum
mechanical diffraction, gives the camel hair and rope fray an unusual
glow. The next solar eclipse is also an annular eclipse and will occur
this coming June.
Tomorrow's picture: sky divide
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Feb 11 03:29:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 11
Launch of the Solar Orbiter
Image Credit & Copyright: Derek Demeter (Emil Buehler Planetarium)
Explanation: How does weather on the Sun affect humanity? To help find
out, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA have just launched the
Solar Orbiter. This Sun-circling robotic spaceship will monitor the
Sun's changing light, solar wind, and magnetic field not only from the
usual perspective of Earth but also from above and below the Sun.
Pictured, a long duration exposure of the launch of the Solar Orbiter
shows the graceful arc of the bright engines of United Launch
Alliance's Atlas V rocket as they lifted the satellite off the Earth.
Over the next few years, the Solar Orbiter will use the gravity of
Earth and Venus to veer out of the plane of the planets and closer to
the Sun than Mercury. Violent weather on the Sun, including solar
flares and coronal mass ejections, has shown the ability to interfere
with power grids on the Earth and communications satellites in Earth
orbit. The Solar Orbiter is expected to coordinate observations with
the also Sun-orbiting Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018.
Solar Orbiter to Space: Watch the Launch
Tomorrow's picture: sky divide
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Feb 12 00:33:26 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 12
Star Trails of the North and South
Image Credit & Copyright: Saeid Parchini
Explanation: What divides the north from the south? It all has to do
with the spin of the Earth. On Earth's surface, the equator is the
dividing line, but on Earth's sky, the dividing line is the Celestial
Equator -- the equator's projection onto the sky. You likely can't see
the Earth's equator around you, but anyone with a clear night sky can
find the Celestial Equator by watching stars move. Just locate the
dividing line between stars that arc north and stars that arc south.
Were you on Earth's equator, the Celestial Equator would go straight up
and down. In general, the angle between the Celestial Equator and the
vertical is your latitude. The featured image combines 325 photos
taken every 30 seconds over 162 minutes. Taken soon after sunset
earlier this month, moonlight illuminates a snowy and desolate scene in
northwest Iran. The bright streak behind the lone tree is the planet
Venus setting.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Feb 13 00:15:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 13
Spitzer's Trifid
Image Credit: J. Rho (SSC/Caltech), JPL-Caltech, NASA
Explanation: The Trifid Nebula, also known as Messier 20, is easy to
find with a small telescope. About 30 light-years across and 5,500
light-years distant it's a popular stop for cosmic tourists in the
nebula rich constellation Sagittarius. As its name suggests, visible
light pictures show the nebula divided into three parts by dark,
obscuring dust lanes. But this penetrating infrared image reveals the
Trifid's filaments of glowing dust clouds and newborn stars. The
spectacular false-color view is courtesy of the Spitzer Space
Telescope. Astronomers have used the infrared image data to count
newborn and embryonic stars which otherwise can lie hidden in the natal
dust and gas clouds of this intriguing stellar nursery. Launched in
2003, Spitzer explored the infrared Universe from an Earth-trailing
solar orbit until its science operations were brought to a close
earlier this year, on January 30.
Tomorrow's picture: pale blue
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Feb 14 00:19:38 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 14
The Pale Blue Dot
Image Credit: Voyager Project, NASA, JPL-Caltech
Explanation: On Valentine's Day in 1990, cruising four billion miles
from the Sun, the Voyager 1 spacecraft looked back one last time to
make the first ever Solar System family portrait. The portrait consists
of the Sun and six planets in a 60 frame mosaic made from a vantage
point 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane. Planet Earth was captured
within a single pixel in this single frame. It's the pale blue dot
within the sunbeam just right of center in this reprocessed version of
the now famous view from Voyager. Astronomer Carl Sagan originated the
idea of using Voyager's camera to look back toward home from a distant
perspective. Thirty years later, on this Valentine's day, look again at
the pale blue dot.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Feb 15 00:18:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 15
Carina Nebula Close Up
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, ESO, Amateur Data; Processing &
Copyright: Robert Gendler & Roberto Colombari
Explanation: A jewel of the southern sky, the Great Carina Nebula, also
known as NGC 3372, spans over 300 light-years, one of our galaxy's
largest star forming regions. Like the smaller, more northerly Great
Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is easily visible to the unaided eye,
though at a distance of 7,500 light-years it is some 5 times farther
away. This gorgeous telescopic close-up reveals remarkable details of
the region's central glowing filaments of interstellar gas and
obscuring cosmic dust clouds in a field of view nearly 20 light-years
across. The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars,
including the still enigmatic and violently variable Eta Carinae, a
star system with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun. In the
processed composite of space and ground-based image data a dusty,
two-lobed Homunculus Nebula appears to surround Eta Carinae itself just
below and left of center. While Eta Carinae is likely on the verge of a
supernova explosion, X-ray images indicate that the Great Carina Nebula
has been a veritable supernova factory.
Tomorrow's picture: planetary nebula portrait
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Feb 16 00:12:14 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 16
NGC 2392: Double-Shelled Planetary Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, Chandra; Processing & License: Judy
Schmidt
Explanation: To some, this huge nebula resembles a person's head
surrounded by a parka hood. In 1787, astronomer William Herschel
discovered this unusual planetary nebula: NGC 2392. More recently, the
Hubble Space Telescope imaged the nebula in visible light, while the
nebula was also imaged in X-rays by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The
featured combined visible-X ray image, shows X-rays emitted by central
hot gas in pink. The nebula displays gas clouds so complex they are not
fully understood. NGC 2392 is a double-shelled planetary nebula, with
the more distant gas having composed the outer layers of a Sun-like
star only 10,000 years ago. The outer shell contains unusual light-year
long orange filaments. The inner filaments visible are being ejected by
strong wind of particles from the central star. The NGC 2392 Nebula
spans about 1/3 of a light year and lies in our Milky Way Galaxy, about
3,000 light years distant, toward the constellation of the Twins
(Gemini).
Tomorrow's picture: fade to red
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Feb 17 00:08:42 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 17
The Changing Surface of Fading Betelgeuse
Image Credit: ESO, M. Montargès et al.
Explanation: Besides fading, is Betelgeuse changing its appearance?
Yes. The famous red supergiant star in the familiar constellation of
Orion is so large that telescopes on Earth can actually resolve its
surface -- although just barely. The two featured images taken with the
European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope show how the
star's surface appeared during the beginning and end of last year. The
earlier image shows Betelgeuse having a much more uniform brightness
than the later one, while the lower half of Betelgeuse became
significantly dimmer than the top. Now during the first five months of
2019 amateur observations show Betelgeuse actually got slightly
brighter, while in the last five months the star dimmed dramatically.
Such variability is likely just normal behavior for this famously
variable supergiant, but the recent dimming has rekindled discussion on
how long it may be before Betelgeuse does go supernova. Since
Betelgeuse is about 700 light years away, its eventual supernova --
probably thousands of years in the future -- will likely be an amazing
night-sky spectacle, but will not endanger life on Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: hunter stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Feb 18 00:29:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 18
Orion over the Central Bohemian Highlands
Image Credit & Copyright: Vojtěch Bauer
Explanation: Do you recognize this constellation? Setting past the
Central Bohemian Highlands in the Czech Republic is Orion, one of the
most identifiable star groupings on the sky and an icon familiar to
humanity for over 30,000 years. Orion has looked pretty much the same
during this time and should continue to look the same for many
thousands of years into the future. Prominent Orion is high in the sky
at sunset this time of year, a recurring sign of (modern) winter in
Earth's northern hemisphere and summer in the south. The featured
picture is a composite of over thirty images taken from the same
location and during the same night last month. Below and slightly to
the left of Orion's three-star belt is the Orion Nebula, while four of
the bright stars surrounding the belt are, clockwise, Sirius (far left,
blue), Betelgeuse (top, orange, unusually faint), Aldebaran (far
right), and Rigel (below). As future weeks progress, Orion will set
increasingly earlier.
Infinite Random Loop: Create an APOD Station in your classroom or
Science Center.
Tomorrow's picture: fastest galaxy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Feb 19 00:17:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 19
UGC 12591: The Fastest Rotating Galaxy Known
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Leo Shatz
Explanation: Why does this galaxy spin so fast? To start, even
identifying which type of galaxy UGC 12591 is difficult -- featured on
the lower left, it has dark dust lanes like a spiral galaxy but a large
diffuse bulge of stars like a lenticular. Surprisingly observations
show that UGC 12591 spins at about 480 km/sec, almost twice as fast as
our Milky Way, and the fastest rotation rate yet measured. The mass
needed to hold together a galaxy spinning this fast is several times
the mass of our Milky Way Galaxy. Progenitor scenarios for UGC 12591
include slow growth by accreting ambient matter, or rapid growth
through a recent galaxy collision or collisions -- future observations
may tell. The light we see today from UGC 12591 left about 400 million
years ago, when trees were first developing on Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Feb 20 00:17:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 20
Trifecta at Twilight
Image Credit & Copyright: Paul Schmit, Gary Schmit
Explanation: On February 18, as civil twilight began in northern New
Mexico skies, the International Space Station, a waning crescent Moon,
and planet Mars for a moment shared this well-planned single field of
view. From the photographer's location the sky had just begun to grow
light, but the space station orbiting 400 kilometers above the Earth
was already bathed in the morning sunlight. At 6:25am local time it
took less than a second to cross in front of the lunar disk moving
right to left in the composited successive frames. At the time, Mars
itself had already emerged from behind the Moon following its much
anticipated lunar occultation. The yellowish glow of the Red Planet is
still in the frame at the upper right, beyond the Moon's dark edge.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Feb 21 00:01:28 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 21
LDN 1622: Dark Nebula in Orion
Image Credit & Copyright: Min Xie
Explanation: The silhouette of an intriguing dark nebula inhabits this
cosmic scene. Lynds' Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622 appears against a faint
background of glowing hydrogen gas only visible in long telescopic
exposures of the region. In contrast, the brighter reflection nebula
vdB 62 is more easily seen, just above and right of center. LDN 1622
lies near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, close on the sky to
Barnard's Loop, a large cloud surrounding the rich complex of emission
nebulae found in the Belt and Sword of Orion. With swept-back outlines,
the obscuring dust of LDN 1622 is thought to lie at a similar distance,
perhaps 1,500 light-years away. At that distance, this 1 degree wide
field of view would span about 30 light-years. Young stars do lie
hidden within the dark expanse and have been revealed in Spitzer Space
telescope infrared images. Still, the foreboding visual appearance of
LDN 1622 inspires its popular name, the Boogeyman Nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: Central Centaurus A
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Feb 22 00:09:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 22
Central Centaurus A
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/ AURA)-ESA/Hubble
Collaboration
Explanation: A mere 11 million light-years away, Centaurus A is the
closest active galaxy to planet Earth. Also known as NGC 5128, the
peculiar elliptical galaxy is over 60,000 light-years across. A region
spanning about 8,500 light-years, including the galaxy's center (upper
left), is framed in this sharp Hubble Space telescope close-up.
Centaurus A is apparently the result of a collision of two otherwise
normal galaxies resulting in a violent jumble of star forming regions,
massive star clusters, and imposing dark dust lanes. Near the galaxy's
center, left over cosmic debris is steadily being consumed by a central
black hole with a billion times the mass of the Sun. As in other active
galaxies, that process likely generates the radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray
energy radiated by Centaurus A.
Tomorrow's picture: simulated Universe
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Feb 23 00:36:02 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 23
Illustris Simulation of the Universe
Video Credit: Illustris Collaboration, NASA, PRACE, XSEDE, MIT, Harvard
CfA;
Music: The Poisoned Princess (Media Right Productions)
Explanation: How did we get here? Click play, sit back, and watch. A
computer simulation of the evolution of the universe provides insight
into how galaxies formed and perspectives into humanity's place in the
universe. The Illustris project exhausted 20 million CPU hours in 2014
following 12 billion resolution elements spanning a cube 35 million
light years on a side as it evolved over 13 billion years. The
simulation tracks matter into the formation of a wide variety of galaxy
types. As the virtual universe evolves, some of the matter expanding
with the universe soon gravitationally condenses to form filaments,
galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. The featured video takes the
perspective of a virtual camera circling part of this changing
universe, first showing the evolution of dark matter, then hydrogen gas
coded by temperature (0:45), then heavy elements such as helium and
carbon (1:30), and then back to dark matter (2:07). On the lower left
the time since the Big Bang is listed, while on the lower right the
type of matter being shown is listed. Explosions (0:50) depict
galaxy-center supermassive black holes expelling bubbles of hot gas.
Interesting discrepancies between Illustris and the real universe have
been studied, including why the simulation produced an overabundance of
old stars.
Tomorrow's picture: lunar portal
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Feb 24 09:05:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 24
Moon Corona, Halo, and Arcs over Manitoba
Image Credit & Copyright: Brent Mckean
Explanation: Yes, but could you get to work on time if the Moon looked
like this? As the photographer was preparing to drive to work,
refraction, reflection, and even diffraction of moonlight from millions
of falling ice crystals turned the familiar icon of our Moon into a
menagerie of other-worldly halos and arcs. The featured scene was
captured with three combined exposures two weeks ago on a cold winter
morning in Manitoba, Canada. The colorful rings are a corona caused by
quantum diffraction by small drops of water or ice near the direction
of the Moon. Outside of that, a 22-degree halo was created by moonlight
refracting through six-sided cylindrical ice crystals. To the sides are
moon dogs, caused by light refracting through thin, flat, six-sided ice
platelets as they flittered toward the ground. Visible at the top and
bottom of the 22-degree halo are upper and lower tangent arcs, created
by moonlight refracting through nearly horizontal hexagonal ice
cylinders. A few minutes later, from a field just off the road to work,
the halo and arcs had disappeared, the sky had returned to normal --
with the exception of a single faint moon dog.
Tomorrow's picture: Jupiter-sized magnet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Feb 25 00:18:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 25
Jupiter's Magnetic Field from Juno
Video Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Harvard U., K. Moore et al.
Explanation: How similar is Jupiter's magnetic field to Earth's? NASA's
robotic Juno spacecraft has found that Jupiter's magnetic field is
surprisingly complex, so that the Jovian world does not have single
magnetic poles like our Earth. A snapshot of Jupiter's magnetic field
at one moment in time, as animated from Juno data, appears in the
featured video. Red and blue colors depict cloud-top regions of strong
positive (south) and negative (north) magnetic fields, respectively.
Surrounding the planet are imagined lines of constant magnetic field
strength. The first sequence of the animated video starts off by
showing what appears to be a relatively normal dipole field, but soon a
magnetic region now known as the Great Blue Spot rotates into view,
which is not directly aligned with Jupiter's rotation poles. Further,
in the second sequence, the illustrative animation takes us over one of
Jupiter's spin poles where red magnetic hotspots are revealed to be
extended and sometimes even annular. A better understanding of
Jupiter's magnetic field may give clues toward a better understanding
of Earth's enigmatic planetary magnetism.
Tomorrow's picture: planet lost
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Feb 26 00:40:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 26
NGST-10b: Discovery of a Doomed Planet
Illustration Credit: ESA, C. Carreau; Text: Alex R. Howe (NASA/USRA,
Science Meets Fiction Blog)
Explanation: This hot jupiter is doomed. Hot jupiters are giant planets
like Jupiter that orbit much closer to their parent stars than Mercury
does to our Sun. But some hot jupiters are more extreme than others.
NGTS-10b, illustrated generically, is the closest and fastest-orbiting
giant planet yet discovered, circling its home star in only 18 hours.
NGTS-10b is a little larger than Jupiter, but it orbits less than two
times the diameter of its parent star away from the star’s surface.
When a planet orbits this close, it is expected to spiral inward,
pulled down by tidal forces to be eventually ripped apart by the star’s
gravity. NGTS-10b, discovered by researchers at the University of
Warwick, is named after the ESO’s Next Generation Transit Survey, which
detected the imperiled planet when it passed in front of its star,
blocking some of the light. Although the violent demise of NGTS-10b
will happen eventually, we don't yet know when.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Feb 27 00:47:46 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 27
Two Hemisphere Night Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek/ESO, Juan Carlos Casado/IAC
(TWAN)
Explanation: The Sun is hidden by a horizon that runs across the middle
in this two hemisphere view of Earth's night sky. The digitally
stitched mosaics were recorded from corresponding latitudes, one 29
degrees north and one 29 degrees south of the planet's equator. On top
is the northern view from the IAC observatory at La Palma taken in
February 2020. Below is a well-matched southern scene from the ESO La
Silla Observatory recorded in April 2016. In this projection, the Milky
Way runs almost vertically above and below the horizon. Its dark clouds
and and bright nebulae are prominent near the galactic center in the
lower half of the frame. In the upper half, brilliant Venus is immersed
in zodiacal light. Sunlight faintly scattered by interplanetary dust,
the zodiacal light traces the Solar System's ecliptic plane in a
complete circle through the starry sky. Large telescope domes bulge
along the inverted horizon from La Silla while at La Palma,
multi-mirror Magic telescopes stand above center. Explore this two
hemisphere night sky and you can also find the Andromeda Galaxy and the
Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Fri Feb 28 00:10:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 28
South Celestial Rocket Launch
Image Credit & Copyright: Brendan Gully
Explanation: At sunset on December 6 a Rocket Lab Electron rocket was
launched from a rotating planet. With multiple small satellites on
board it departed on a mission to low Earth orbit dubbed Running Out of
Fingers from Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand's north island. The firey
trace of the Electron's graceful launch arc is toward the south in this
southern sea and skyscape. Drifting vapor trails and rocket exhaust
plumes catch the sunlight even as the sky grows dark though, the
setting Sun still shinning at altitude along the rocket's trajectory.
Fixed to a tripod, the camera's perspective nearly aligns the peak of
the rocket arc with the South Celestial Pole, but no bright star marks
that location in the southern hemisphere's evening sky. Still, it's
easy to find at the center of the star trail arcs in the timelapse
composite.
Tomorrow's picture: DOY 60
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sat Feb 29 00:05:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 February 29
Julius Caesar and Leap Days
Image Credit & License: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., Wikimedia
Explanation: In 46 BC Julius Caesar reformed the calendar system. Based
on advice by astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria, the Julian calendar
included one leap day every four years to account for the fact that an
Earth year is slightly more than 365 days long. In modern terms, the
time it takes for the planet to orbit the Sun once is 365.24219 mean
solar days. So if calendar years contained exactly 365 days they would
drift from the Earth's year by about 1 day every 4 years and eventually
July (named for Julius Caesar himself) would occur during the northern
hemisphere winter. By adopting a leap year with an extra day every four
years, the Julian calendar year would drift much less. In 1582 Pope
Gregory XIII provided the further fine-tuning that leap days should not
occur in years ending in 00, unless divisible by 400. This Gregorian
Calendar system is the one in wide use today. Of course, tidal friction
in the Earth-Moon system slows Earth's rotation and gradually lengthens
the day by about 14 milliseconds per century. That means that leap days
like today will not be necessary ... about 4 million years from now.
Tomorrow's picture: a hole in Mars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Mar 1 00:57:28 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 1
A Hole in Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona
Explanation: What created this unusual hole in Mars? The hole was
discovered by chance in 2011 on images of the dusty slopes of Mars'
Pavonis Mons volcano taken by the HiRISE instrument aboard the robotic
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling Mars. The hole, shown in
representative color, appears to be an opening to an underground
cavern, partly illuminated on the image right. Analysis of this and
follow-up images revealed the opening to be about 35 meters across,
while the interior shadow angle indicates that the underlying cavern is
roughly 20 meters deep. Why there is a circular crater surrounding this
hole remains a topic of speculation, as is the full extent of the
underlying cavern. Holes such as this are of particular interest
because their interior caves are relatively protected from the harsh
surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain
Martian life. These pits are therefore prime targets for possible
future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers.
Tomorrow's picture: big dolphin
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Mar 2 00:36:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 2
Sharpless-308: The Dolphin Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Chilesope 2, Pleaides Astrophotography Team
(Peking U.)
Explanation: Blown by fast winds from a hot, massive star, this cosmic
bubble is much larger than the dolphin it appears to be. Cataloged as
Sharpless 2-308 it lies some 5,200 light-years away toward the
constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major) and covers slightly more of
the sky than a Full Moon. That corresponds to a diameter of 60
light-years at its estimated distance. The massive star that created
the bubble, a Wolf-Rayet star, is the bright one near the center of the
nebula. Wolf-Rayet stars have over 20 times the mass of the Sun and are
thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova phase of massive star
evolution. Fast winds from this Wolf-Rayet star create the
bubble-shaped nebula as they sweep up slower moving material from an
earlier phase of evolution. The windblown nebula has an age of about
70,000 years. Relatively faint emission captured in the featured
expansive image is dominated by the glow of ionized oxygen atoms mapped
to a blue hue.
Tomorrow's picture: around the moon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Mar 3 01:17:58 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 3
Apollo 13 Views of the Moon
Video Credit: NASA, LRO; Data Visualization: Ernie Wright (USRA); Video
Production & Editing: David Ladd (USRA);
Music: Visions of Grandeur, Universal Production Music, Fredrick
Wiedmann
Explanation: What if the only way to get back to Earth was to go around
the far side of the Moon? Such was the dilemma of the Apollo 13 Crew in
1970 as they tried to return home in their unexpectedly damaged
spacecraft. With the Moon in the middle, their perilous journey
substituted spectacular views of the lunar farside for radio contact
with NASA's Mission Control. These views have now been digitally
recreated from detailed images of the Moon taken by the robotic Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter. The featured video starts by showing Earth
disappear behind a dark lunar limb, while eight minutes later the Sun
rises around the opposite side of the Moon and begins to illuminate the
Moon's unusual and spectacularly cratered surface. Radio contact was
only re-established several minutes after that, as a crescent Earth
rose into view. With the gravity of the Moon and the advice of many
industrious NASA engineers and scientists, a few days later Apollo 13
opened its parachutes over the Pacific Ocean and landed safely back on
Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxies dance
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Mar 4 01:23:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 4
The Slow Dance of Galaxies NGC 5394 and 5395
Image Credit: Gemini, NSF, OIR Lab, AURA; Text: Ryan Tanner (NASA/USRA)
Explanation: If you like slow dances, then this may be one for you. A
single turn in this dance takes several hundred million years. Two
galaxies, NGC 5394 and NGC 5395, slowly whirl about each other in a
gravitational interaction that sets off a flourish of sparks in the
form of new stars. The featured image, taken with the Gemini North
8-meter telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii, USA, combines four different
colors. Emission from hydrogen gas, colored red, marks stellar
nurseries where new stars drive the evolution of the galaxies. Also
visible are dark dust lanes that mark gas that will eventually become
stellar nurseries. If you look carefully you will see many more
galaxies in the background, some involved in their own slow cosmic
dances.
APOD across world languages: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese (Beijing),
Chinese (Taiwan), Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Farsi, French,
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Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish and Ukrainian
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Mar 5 00:18:06 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 5
The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty
Image Credit & Copyright: Casey Good
Explanation: This colorful skyscape spans about four full moons across
nebula rich starfields along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy in the
royal northern constellation Cepheus. Near the edge of the region's
massive molecular cloud some 2,400 light-years away, bright reddish
emission region Sharpless (Sh) 155 is left of center, also known as the
Cave Nebula. About 10 light-years across the cosmic cave's bright walls
of gas are ionized by ultraviolet light from the hot young stars around
it. Dusty blue reflection nebulae, like vdB 155 at lower right, and
dense obscuring clouds of dust also abound on the interstellar canvas.
Astronomical explorations have revealed other dramatic signs of star
formation, including the bright red fleck of Herbig-Haro (HH) 168.
Below center in the frame, the Herbig-Haro object emission is generated
by energetic jets from a newborn star.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Mar 6 01:09:42 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 6
Mars Panorama from Curiosity
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
Explanation: The Mars Rover named Curiosity recorded high-resolution,
360 degree views of its location on Mars late last year. The panoramic
scene was stitched from over 1,000 images from Curiosity's Mast camera
or Mastcam. In this version, captured with Mastcam's medium angle lens,
the rover's deck and robotic arm are in the foreground, stretched and
distorted by the extreme wide perspective. Just beyond the rover are
regions of clay rich rock, evidence for an ancient watery environment,
with a clear view toward more distant martian ridges and buttes. Gale
crater wall runs across the center (toward the north) in the background
over 30 kilometers in the distance. The upper reaches of Mt. Sharp are
at the far right. Images to construct the panorama were recorded over 4
consecutive sols between local noon and 2pm to provide consistent
lighting. Zoom in to the panoramic scene and you can easily spot the
shadow casting sundial mounted on rover's deck (right). In July NASA
plans to launch a new rover to Mars named Perseverance.
Tomorrow's picture: under the stars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Mar 7 00:14:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 7
Pic du Midi Panorama
Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick Lécureuil
Explanation: A surreal night skyscape, this panorama stitched from 12
photos looks to the west at an evening winter sky over Pic du Midi
Observatory, Pyrenees Mountains, Planet Earth. Telescope domes and a
tall communications tower inhabit the rugged foreground. On the right,
lights from Tarbes, France about 35 kilometers away impinge on the
designated dark sky site though, but more distant terrestrial lights
seen toward the left are from cities in Spain. Stars and nebulae of the
northern winter's Milky Way arc through the sky above. Known to the
planet's night skygazers, the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters still
hang over the western horizon near center. Captured in mid February the
familiar stars of the constellation Orion are to the left and include
the no longer fainting star Betelgeuse.
Tomorrow's picture: stellar winds
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Mar 8 00:27:52 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 8
Wolf-Rayet Star 124: Stellar Wind Machine
Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA; Processing & License:
Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Some stars explode in slow motion. Rare, massive
Wolf-Rayet stars are so tumultuous and hot that they are slowly
disintegrating right before our telescopes. Glowing gas globs each
typically over 30 times more massive than the Earth are being expelled
by violent stellar winds. Wolf-Rayet star WR 124, visible near the
featured image center spanning six light years across, is thus creating
the surrounding nebula known as M1-67. Details of why this star has
been slowly blowing itself apart over the past 20,000 years remains a
topic of research. WR 124 lies 15,000 light-years away towards the
constellation of the Arrow (Sagitta). The fate of any given Wolf-Rayet
star likely depends on how massive it is, but many are thought to end
their lives with spectacular explosions such as supernovas or gamma-ray
bursts.
Tomorrow's picture: light after sunset
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Mar 9 00:15:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 9
Milky Way and Zodiacal Light over Chile
Image Credit & Copyright: Roman PonÄ
a (ht: Masaryk U.)
Explanation: What is the band of light connecting the ground to the
Milky Way? Zodiacal light -- a stream of dust that orbits the Sun in
the inner Solar System. It is most easily seen just before sunrise,
where it has been called a false dawn, or just after sunset. The origin
of zodiacal dust remains a topic of research, but is hypothesized to
result from asteroid collisions and comet tails. The featured
wide-angle image shows the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy arching
across the top, while the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite
galaxy to our Milky Way, is visible on the far left. The image is a
combination of over 30 exposures taken last July near La Serena among
the mountains of Chile. During the next two months, zodiacal light can
appear quite prominent in northern skies just after sunset.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: cone of stars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Mar 10 06:32:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 10
Wide Field: Fox Fur, Unicorn, and Christmas Tree
Image Credit & Copyright: Greg Gurdak
Explanation: What do the following things have in common: a cone, the
fur of a fox, and a Christmas tree? Answer: they all occur in the
constellation of the unicorn (Monoceros). Pictured as a star forming
region and cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of cosmic gas and
dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish emission
nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars with dark
interstellar dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie
close to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue
reflection nebulae. The featured wide-field image spans over three
times the diameter of a full moon, covering over 100 light-years at the
distance of NGC 2264. Its cast of cosmic characters includes the Fox
Fur Nebula, whose convoluted pelt lies just to the lower right of the
image center, bright variable star S Mon visible just above the Fox
Fur, and the Cone Nebula just to the left. Given their distribution,
the stars of NGC 2264 are also known as the Christmas Tree star
cluster.
Tomorrow's picture: extreme boom
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Mar 11 00:02:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 11
An Extreme Black Hole Outburst
Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/NRL/S. Giacintucci, et al.,
XMM-Newton: ESA/XMM-Newton; Radio: NCRA/TIFR/GMRT; Infrared:
2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF; Text: Michael F. Corcoran (NASA,
Catholic U., HEAPOW)
Explanation: Astronomers believe they have now found the most powerful
example of a black hole outburst yet seen in our Universe. The
composite, false-color featured image is of a cluster of galaxies in
the constellation of Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer. The composite
includes X-ray images (from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and
XMM-Newton) in purple, and a radio image (from India's Giant Metrewave
Radio Telescope) in blue (along with an infrared image of the galaxies
and stars in the field in white for good measure). The dashed line
marks the border of a cavity blown out by the supermassive black hole
which lurks at the center of the galaxy marked by the cross. Radio
emission fills this cavity. This big blowout is believed to be due to
the black hole eating too much and experiencing a transient bout of
"black hole nausea", which resulted in the ejection of a powerful radio
jet blasting into intergalactic space. The amount of energy needed to
blow this cavity is equivalent to about 10 billion supernova
explosions.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Mar 12 00:24:38 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 12
Falcon 9 Boostback
Image Credit & Copyright: John Kraus
Explanation: Short star trails appear in this single 84 second long
exposure, taken on March 6 from a rotating planet. The remarkable scene
also captures the flight of a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo
spacecraft over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station shortly after launch,
on a resupply mission bound for the International Space Station.
Beginning its return to a landing zone about 9 kilometers from the
launch site, the Falcon 9 first stage boostback burn arcs toward the
top of the frame. The second stage continues toward low Earth orbit
though, its own fiery arc traced below the first stage boostback burn
from the camera's perspective, along with expanding exhaust plumes from
the two stages. This Dragon spacecraft was a veteran of two previous
resupply missions. Successfully returning to the landing zone, this
Falcon 9 first stage had flown before too. Its second landing marked
the 50th landing of a SpaceX orbital class rocket booster.
Tomorrow's picture: an awesome starry night
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Mar 13 00:13:58 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 13
Starry Night by Jean-Francois Millet
Digital Reproduction Credit: Yale University Art Gallery - Text: Letty
Bonnell
Explanation: A dramatic nocturnal landscape from around 1850, this oil
painting is the work of French artist Jean-Francois Millet. In the dark
and atmospheric night sky are shooting stars, known too as meteors,
above a landscape showing a path through the faintly lit countryside
that leads toward trees and a cart in silhouette on the horizon. Millet
was raised in a farming family in Normandy and is known for his
paintings of rural scenes and peasant life. This Starry Night was
painted after the artist moved to Barbizon, about 30 kilometers
southeast of any 19th century light pollution from Paris. Millet wrote
to his brother at this time, "If only you knew how beautiful the night
is ... the calm and grandeur of it are so awesome that I find that I
actually feel overwhelmed." Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh was an
admirer of Millet's work, and later also painted two dramatic starry
nights.
Tomorrow's picture: pi in the sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sat Mar 14 00:19:22 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 14
Moonrise and Mountain Shadow
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Lopez (El Cielo de Canarias)
Explanation: What phase of the Moon is 3.14 radians from the Sun? The
Full Moon, of course. Even though the Moon might look full for several
days, the Moon is truly at its full phase when it is 3.14 radians (aka
180 degrees) from the Sun in ecliptic longitude. That's opposite the
Sun in planet Earth's sky. Rising as the Sun set on March 9, only an
hour or so after the moment of its full phase, this orange tinted and
slightly flattened Moon still looked full. It was photographed opposite
the setting Sun from Teide National Park on the Canary Island of
Tenerife. Also opposite the setting Sun, seen from near the Teide
volcano peak about 3,500 meters above sea level, is the mountain's
rising triangular shadow extending into Earth's dense atmosphere. Below
the distant ridge line on the left are the white telescope domes of
Teide Observatory
Tomorrow's picture: comet blizzard
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Mar 15 00:34:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 15
The Snows of Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Images Credit: ESA, Rosetta, MPS, OSIRIS;
UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA;
Animation: Jacint Roger Perez
Explanation: You couldn't really be caught in this blizzard while
standing by a cliff on Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Orbiting the comet --
frequently abbreviated as 67P or CG -- in June of 2016, the Rosetta
spacecraft's narrow angle camera did record streaks of dust and ice
particles -- similar to snow -- as they drifted across the field of
view near the camera and above the comet's surface. Some of the bright
specks in the scene, however, are likely due to a rain of energetic
charged particles or cosmic rays hitting the camera, and the dense
background of stars in the direction of the constellation of the Big
Dog (Canis Major). In the featured video, these background stars are
easy to spot trailing from top to bottom. The stunning movie was
constructed from 33 consecutive images taken over 25 minutes while
Rosetta cruised some 13 kilometers from the comet's nucleus.
Tomorrow's picture: almost saturn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Mar 16 00:24:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 16
A Moon Dressed Like Saturn
Image Credit & Copyright: Francisco Sojuel
Explanation: Why does Saturn appear so big? It doesn't -- what is
pictured are foreground clouds on Earth crossing in front of the Moon.
The Moon shows a slight crescent phase with most of its surface visible
by reflected Earthlight known as ashen glow. The Sun directly
illuminates the brightly lit lunar crescent from the bottom, which
means that the Sun must be below the horizon and so the image was taken
before sunrise. This double take-inducing picture was captured on 2019
December 24, two days before the Moon slid in front of the Sun to
create a solar eclipse. In the foreground, lights from small Guatemalan
towns are visible behind the huge volcano Pacaya.
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Tomorrow's picture: galaxy swirl
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Mar 17 00:16:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 17
M77: Spiral Galaxy with an Active Center
Image Credit: Hubble, NASA, ESA; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: What's happening in the center of nearby spiral galaxy
M77? The face-on galaxy lies a mere 47 million light-years away toward
the constellation of the Sea Monster (Cetus). At that estimated
distance, this gorgeous island universe is about 100 thousand
light-years across. Also known as NGC 1068, its compact and very bright
core is well studied by astronomers exploring the mysteries of
supermassive black holes in active Seyfert galaxies. M77 and its active
core glows bright at x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and radio
wavelengths. The featured sharp image of M77 was taken by the Hubble
Space Telescope and is dominated by the (visible) red light emitted by
hydrogen. The image shows details of the spiral's winding spiral arms
as traced by obscuring dust clouds, and red-tinted star forming regions
close in to the galaxy's luminous core.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,100+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: amazing rays
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Mar 18 00:29:20 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 18
Anticrepuscular Rays over Florida
Image Credit & Copyright: Bryan Goff
Explanation: What's happening behind those clouds? Although the scene
may appear somehow supernatural, nothing more unusual is occurring than
a Sun setting on the other side of the sky. Pictured here are
anticrepuscular rays. To understand them, start by picturing common
crepuscular rays that are seen any time that sunlight pours though
scattered clouds. Now although sunlight indeed travels along straight
lines, the projections of these lines onto the spherical sky are great
circles. Therefore, the crepuscular rays from a setting (or rising) sun
will appear to re-converge on the other side of the sky. At the
anti-solar point 180 degrees around from the Sun, they are referred to
as anticrepuscular rays. Featured here is a particularly striking
display of anticrepuscular rays photographed in 2016 over Dry Tortugas
National Park in Florida, USA.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Mar 19 01:03:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 19
M13: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Coles and Mel Helm
Explanation: In 1716, English astronomer Edmond Halley noted, "This is
but a little Patch, but it shews itself to the naked Eye, when the Sky
is serene and the Moon absent." Of course, M13 is now less modestly
recognized as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, one of the
brightest globular star clusters in the northern sky. Sharp telescopic
views like this one reveal the spectacular cluster's hundreds of
thousands of stars. At a distance of 25,000 light-years, the cluster
stars crowd into a region 150 light-years in diameter. Approaching the
cluster core upwards of 100 stars could be contained in a cube just 3
light-years on a side. For comparison, the closest star to the Sun is
over 4 light-years away. The remarkable range of brightness recorded in
this image follows stars into the dense cluster core and reveals three
subtle dark lanes forming the apparent shape of a propeller just below
and slightly left of center. Distant background galaxies in the
medium-wide field of view include NGC 6207 at the upper left.
Tomorrow's picture: when night/day = 1
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Fri Mar 20 00:30:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 20
Morning, Planets, Moon and Montreal
Image Credit & Copyright: Arnaud Mariat
Explanation: Dawn's early light came to Montreal, northern planet
Earth, on March 18, the day before the vernal equinox. At the end of
that nearly equal night the Moon stands above a dense constellation of
urban lights in this serene city and skyscape. Of course the Moon's
waning crescent faces toward the rising Sun. Skygazers could easily
spot bright Jupiter just above the Moon, close on the sky to a fainter
Mars. Saturn, a telescopic favorite, is just a pinprick of light below
and farther left of the closer conjunction of Moon, Jupiter and Mars.
Near the ecliptic, even Mercury is rising along a line extended to the
horizon from Jupiter and Saturn. The elusive inner planet is very close
to the horizon though, and not quite visible in this morning's sky.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sat Mar 21 00:12:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 21
Comet ATLAS and the Mighty Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST)
Explanation: Comet ATLAS C/2019 Y4 was discovered by the NASA funded
Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, the last comet discovery
reported in 2019. Now growing brighter in northern night skies, the
comet's pretty greenish coma is at the upper left of this telescopic
skyview captured from a remotely operated observatory in New Mexico on
March 18. At lower right are M81 and M82, well-known as large,
gravitationally interacting galaxies. Seen through faint dust clouds
above the Milky Way, the galaxy pair lies about 12 million light-years
distant, toward the constellation Ursa Major. In bound Comet ATLAS is
about 9 light-minutes from Earth, still beyond the orbit of Mars. The
comet's elongated orbit is similar to orbit of the Great Comet of 1844
though, a trajectory that will return this comet to the inner Solar
System in about 6,000 years. Comet ATLAS will reach a perihelion or
closest approach to the Sun on May 31 inside the orbit of Mercury and
may become a naked-eye comet in the coming days.
Tomorrow's picture: moon down
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sun Mar 22 00:15:30 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 22
Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano
Video Credit & Copyright: Daniel L<pez (El Cielo de Canarias); Music:
Piano della Moon (Dan Silva)
Explanation: These people are not in danger. What is coming down from
the left is just the Moon, far in the distance. Luna appears so large
here because she is being photographed through a telescopic lens. What
is moving is mostly the Earth, whose spin causes the Moon to slowly
disappear behind Mount Teide, a volcano in the Canary Islands off the
northwest coast of Africa. The people pictured are 16 kilometers away
and many are facing the camera because they are watching the Sun rise
behind the photographer. It is not a coincidence that a full moon rises
just when the Sun sets because the Sun is always on the opposite side
of the sky from a full moon. The featured video was made two years ago
during the full Milk Moon. The video is not time-lapse -- this was
really how fast the Moon was setting.
Free Video Lectures: Introductory Astronomy
Tomorrow's picture: clusters & dust
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Mar 23 00:25:00 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 23
From the Pleiades to the Eridanus Loop
Image Credit & Copyright: Hirofumi Okubo
Explanation: If you stare at an interesting patch of sky long enough,
will it look different? In the case of Pleiades and Hyades star
clusters -- and surrounding regions -- the answer is: yes, pretty
different. Long duration camera exposures reveal an intricate network
of interwoven interstellar dust and gas that was previously invisible
not only to the eye but to lower exposure images. In the featured wide
and deep mosaic, the dust stands out spectacularly, with the familiar
Pleaides star cluster visible as the blue patch near the top of the
image. Blue is the color of the Pleiades' most massive stars, whose
distinctive light reflects from nearby fine dust. On the upper left is
the Hyades star cluster surrounding the bright, orange, foreground-star
Aldebaran. Red glowing emission nebula highlight the bottom of the
image, including the curving vertical red ribbon known as the Eridanus
Loop. The pervasive dust clouds appear typically in light brown and are
dotted with unrelated stars.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: black hole shredder
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Mar 24 00:08:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 24
A Black Hole Disrupts a Passing Star
Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech
Explanation: What happens to a star that goes near a black hole? If the
star directly impacts a massive black hole, then the star falls in
completely -- and everything vanishes. More likely, though, the star
goes close enough to have the black hole's gravity pull away the outer
layers of the star, or disrupt the star. Then most of the star's gas
does not fall into the black hole. These stellar tidal disruption
events can be as bright as a supernova, and an increasing amount of
them are being discovered by automated sky surveys. In the featured
artist's illustration, a star has just passed a massive black hole and
sheds gas that continues to orbit. The inner edge of a disk of gas and
dust surrounding the black hole is heated by the disruption event and
may glow long after the star is gone.
Tomorrow's picture: star wings
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Mar 25 07:26:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 25
Star Forming Region S106
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing & Copyright:
Utkarsh Mishra
Explanation: Massive star IRS 4 is beginning to spread its wings. Born
only about 100,000 years ago, material streaming out from this newborn
star has formed the nebula dubbed Sharpless 2-106 Nebula (S106),
featured here. A large disk of dust and gas orbiting Infrared Source 4
(IRS 4), visible in brown near the image center, gives the nebula an
hourglass or butterfly shape. S106 gas near IRS 4 acts as an emission
nebula as it emits light after being ionized, while dust far from IRS 4
reflects light from the central star and so acts as a reflection
nebula. Detailed inspection of a relevant infrared image of S106 reveal
hundreds of low-mass brown dwarf stars lurking in the nebula's gas.
S106 spans about 2 light-years and lies about 2000 light-years away
toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus).
Tomorrow's picture: Andromeda Station
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Mar 26 01:42:52 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 26
Andromeda Station
Composite Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner
Explanation: This surreal picture isn't from a special effects sci-fi
movie. It is a digital composite of frames of the real Andromeda
Galaxy, also known as M31, rising over a real mountain. Exposures
tracking the galaxy and background stars have been digitally combined
with separate exposures of the foreground terrain. All background and
foreground exposures were made back to back with the same camera and
telephoto lens on the same night from the same location. In the
"Deepscape" combination they produce a stunning image that reveals a
range of brightness and color that your eye can't quite see on its own.
Still, it does look like you could ride a cable car up this mountain
and get off at the station right next to Andromeda. But at 2.5 million
light-years from Earth the big beautiful spiral galaxy really is a
little out of reach as a destination. Don't worry, though. Just wait 5
billion years and the Andromeda Galaxy will come to you. This Andromeda
Station is better known as Weisshorn, the highest peak of the ski area
in Arosa, Switzerland.
Tomorrow's picture: a little drop of galaxy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Fri Mar 27 00:26:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 27
A Little Drop of Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Massimo Tamajo
Explanation: A drop of water seems to hold an entire galaxy in this
creative macro-astrophotograph. In the imaginative work of cosmic
nature photography a close-up lens was used to image a previously made
picture of a galaxy, viewed through a water drop suspended from a stem.
A favorite of many telescope-wielding astroimagers, the galaxy is the
Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31. About 100,000 light-years across
that majestic galaxy's spiral arms and dust lanes are curved and
distorted in the image contained in the centimeter-sized droplet.
Andromeda is some 2.5 million light-years distant, but this project was
still carried out while spending time indoors.
Tomorrow's picture: a light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sat Mar 28 00:36:54 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 28
Stars Trail over Ragusa
Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Tumino
Explanation: In trying times, stars still trail in the night. Taken on
March 14, this night skyscape was made by combining 230 exposures each
15 seconds long to follow the stars' circular paths. The camera was
fixed to a tripod on an isolated terrace near the center of Ragusa,
Italy, on the island of Sicily. But the night sky was shared around the
rotating planet. A friend to celestial navigators and
astrophotographers alike Polaris, the north star, makes the short
bright trail near the center of the concentric celestial arcs.
Tomorrow's picture: Orion, Orion, Orion
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sun Mar 29 00:32:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 29
A 212-Hour Exposure of Orion
Image Credit & Copyright: Stanislav Volskiy, Rollover Annotation: Judy
Schmidt
Explanation: The constellation of Orion is much more than three stars
in a row. It is a direction in space that is rich with impressive
nebulas. To better appreciate this well-known swath of sky, an
extremely long exposure was taken over many clear nights in 2013 and
2014. After 212 hours of camera time and an additional year of
processing, the featured 1400-exposure collage spanning over 40 times
the angular diameter of the Moon emerged. Of the many interesting
details that have become visible, one that particularly draws the eye
is Barnard's Loop, the bright red circular filament arcing down from
the middle. The Rosette Nebula is not the giant red nebula near the top
of the image -- that is a larger but lesser known nebula known as
Lambda Orionis. The Rosette Nebula is visible, though: it is the red
and white nebula on the upper left. The bright orange star just above
the frame center is Betelgeuse, while the bright blue star on the lower
right is Rigel. Other famous nebulas visible include the Witch Head
Nebula, the Flame Nebula, the Fox Fur Nebula, and, if you know just
where to look, the comparatively small Horsehead Nebula. About those
famous three stars that cross the belt of Orion the Hunter -- in this
busy frame they can be hard to locate, but a discerning eye will find
them just below and to the right of the image center.
Tomorrow's picture: shadow saturn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Mar 30 00:27:20 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 30
The Colors of Saturn from Cassini
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, ISS, Cassini Imaging Team; Processing &
License: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: What creates Saturn's colors? The featured picture of
Saturn only slightly exaggerates what a human would see if hovering
close to the giant ringed world. The image was taken in 2005 by the
robot Cassini spacecraft that orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. Here
Saturn's majestic rings appear directly only as a curved line,
appearing brown, in part, from its infrared glow. The rings best show
their complex structure in the dark shadows they create across the
upper part of the planet. The northern hemisphere of Saturn can appear
partly blue for the same reason that Earth's skies can appear blue --
molecules in the cloudless portions of both planet's atmospheres are
better at scattering blue light than red. When looking deep into
Saturn's clouds, however, the natural gold hue of Saturn's clouds
becomes dominant. It is not known why southern Saturn does not show the
same blue hue -- one hypothesis holds that clouds are higher there. It
is also not known why some of Saturn's clouds are colored gold.
Activities: NASA Science at Home
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy center
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Mar 31 00:27:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 March 31
The Galactic Center from Radio to X-ray
Image Credit: X-Ray: NASA, CXC, UMass, D. Wang et al.; Radio: NRF,
SARAO, MeerKAT
Explanation: In how many ways does the center of our Galaxy glow? This
enigmatic region, about 26,000 light years away toward the
constellation of the Archer (Sagittarius), glows in every type of light
that we can see. In the featured image, high-energy X-ray emission
captured by NASA's orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory appears in green
and blue, while low-energy radio emission captured by SARAO's
ground-based MeerKAT telescope array is colored red. Just on the right
of the colorful central region lies Sagittarius A (Sag A), a strong
radio source that coincides with Sag A*, our Galaxy's central
supermassive black hole. Hot gas surrounds Sag A, as well as a series
of parallel radio filaments known as the Arc, seen just left of the
image center. Numerous unusual single radio filaments are visible
around the image. Many stars orbit in and around Sag A, as well as
numerous small black holes and dense stellar cores known as neutron
stars and white dwarfs. The Milky Way's central supermassive black hole
is currently being imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope.
Activities: NASA Science at Home
Tomorrow's picture: edible asteroid?
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Apr 1 00:34:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 1
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
resolution version available.
Asteroid or Potato?
Image Credit: Jack Sutton
Explanation: Is this asteroid Arrokoth or a potato? Perhaps, after all
the data was beamed back to Earth from NASA's robotic New Horizons
spacecraft, the featured high resolution image of asteroid Arrokoth was
constructed. Perhaps, alternatively, the featured image is of a potato.
Let's consider some facts. Arrokoth is the most distant asteroid ever
visited and a surviving remnant of the early years of our Solar System.
A potato is a root vegetable that you can eat. Happy April Fool's Day
from the folks at APOD! Although asteroid Arrokoth may look like a
potato, in fact very much like the featured potato, Arrokoth (formerly
known as Ultima Thule) is about 200,000 times wider and much harder to
eat.
Activities: NASA Science at Home
Tomorrow's picture: tubers in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Apr 2 03:39:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 2
Venus and the Pleiades in April
Digital Illustration Credit & Copyright: Fred Espenak (Bifrost
Astronomical Observatory)
Explanation: Venus is currently the brilliant evening star. Shared
around world, in tonight's sky Venus will begin to wander across the
face of the lovely Pleiades star cluster. This digital sky map
illustrates the path of the inner planet as the beautiful conjunction
evolves, showing its position on the sky over the next few days. The
field of view shown is appropriate for binocular equipped skygazers but
the star cluster and planet are easily seen with the naked-eye. As
viewed from our fair planet, Venus passed in front of the stars of the
Seven Sisters 8 years ago, and will again 8 years hence. In fact,
orbiting the Sun 13 Venus years are almost equal to 8 years on planet
Earth. So we can expect our sister planet to visit nearly the same
place in our sky every 8 years.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Fri Apr 3 00:31:30 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 3
The Traffic in Taurus
Image Credit & Copyright: Lionel Majzik
Explanation: There's a traffic jam in Taurus lately. On April 1, this
celestial frame from slightly hazy skies over Tapiobicske, Hungary
recorded an impressive pile up toward the zodiacal constellation of the
Bull and the Solar System's ecliptic plane. Streaking right to left the
International Space Station speeds across the bottom of the telescopic
field of view. Wandering about as far from the Sun in planet Earth's
skies as it can get, inner planet Venus is bright and approaching much
slower, overexposed at the right. Bystanding at the upper left are the
sister stars of the Pleiades. No one has been injured in the close
encounter though, because it really isn't very close. Continuously
occupied since November 2000, the space station orbits some 400
kilometers above the planet's surface. Venus, currently the brilliant
evening star, is almost 2/3 of an astronomical unit away. A more
permanent resident of Taurus, the Pleiades star cluster is 400
light-years distant.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Apr 4 01:29:52 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 4
Venus and the Sisters
Image Credit & Copyright: Fred Espenak (Bifrost Astronomical
Observatory)
Explanation: After wandering about as far from the Sun on the sky as
Venus can get, the brilliant evening star is crossing paths with the
sister stars of the Pleiades cluster. Look west after sunset and you
can share the ongoing conjunction with skygazers around the world.
Taken on April 2, this celestial group photo captures the view from
Portal, Arizona, USA. Even bright naked-eye Pleiades stars prove to be
much fainter than Venus though. Apparent in deeper telescopic images,
the cluster's dusty surroundings and familiar bluish reflection nebulae
aren't quite visible, while brighter Venus itself is almost
overwhelming in the single exposure. And while Venus and the Sisters do
look a little star-crossed, their spiky appearance is the diffraction
pattern caused by multiple leaves in the aperture of the telephoto
lens. The last similar conjunction of Venus and Pleiades occurred
nearly 8 years ago.
Tomorrow's picture: color the universe
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Apr 5 00:25:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 5
Color the Universe
Image Credit: Unknown
Explanation: Wouldn't it be fun to color in the universe? If you think
so, please accept this famous astronomical illustration as a
preliminary substitute. You, your friends, your parents or children,
can print it out or even color it digitally. While coloring, you might
be interested to know that even though this illustration has appeared
in numerous places over the past 100 years, the actual artist remains
unknown. Furthermore, the work has no accepted name -- can you think of
a good one? The illustration, first appearing in a book by Camille
Flammarion in 1888, is used frequently to show that humanity's present
concepts are susceptible to being supplanted by greater truths.
Tomorrow's picture: hubble spiral
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Apr 6 00:12:00 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 6
NGC 1672: Barred Spiral Galaxy from Hubble
Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA; Processing & Copyright:
Daniel Nobre
Explanation: Many spiral galaxies have bars across their centers. Even
our own Milky Way Galaxy is thought to have a modest central bar.
Prominently barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672, featured here, was captured
in spectacular detail in an image taken by the orbiting Hubble Space
Telescope. Visible are dark filamentary dust lanes, young clusters of
bright blue stars, red emission nebulas of glowing hydrogen gas, a long
bright bar of stars across the center, and a bright active nucleus that
likely houses a supermassive black hole. Light takes about 60 million
years to reach us from NGC 1672, which spans about 75,000 light years
across. NGC 1672, which appears toward the constellation of the
Dolphinfish (Dorado), has been studied to find out how a spiral bar
contributes to star formation in a galaxy's central regions.
Notable APOD Submissions: Gallery of Venus passing in front of the
Pleiades
Tomorrow's picture: northerly
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Apr 7 00:28:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 7
A Path North
Image Credit & Copyright: Mario Konang
Explanation: What happens if you keep going north? The direction north
on the Earth, the place on your horizon below the northern spin pole of
the Earth -- around which other stars appear to slowly swirl, will
remain the same. This spin-pole-of-the-north will never move from its
fixed location on the sky -- night or day -- and its height will always
match your latitude. The further north you go, the higher the north
spin pole will appear. Eventually, if you can reach the Earth's North
Pole, the stars will circle a point directly over your head. Pictured,
a four-hour long stack of images shows stars trailing in circles around
this north celestial pole. The bright star near the north celestial
pole is Polaris, known as the North Star. The bright path was created
by the astrophotographer's headlamp as he zigzagged up a hill just over
a week ago in Lower Saxony, Germany. The astrophotographer can be seen,
at times, in shadow. Actually, the Earth has two spin poles -- and much
the same would happen if you started below the Earth's equator and went
south.
Tomorrow's picture: contrasting skies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Apr 9 00:07:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 9
A Flow of Time
Image Credit & Copyright: Paul Schmit
Explanation: This surreal timelapse, landscape, panorama spans predawn,
blue hour, and sunrise skies. Close to the start of planet Earth's
northern hemisphere spring, the flow of time was captured between 4:30
and 7:00 am from a location overlooking northern New Mexico's Rio
Grande Valley. In tracked images of the night sky just before twilight
begins, the Milky Way is cast across the southern (right) edge of the
panoramic frame. Toward the east, a range of short and long exposures
resolves the changing brightness as the Sun rises over the distant
peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In between, exposures made
during the spring morning's tantalizing blue hour are used to blend the
night sky and sunrise over the high desert landscape.
Tomorrow's picture: a full moon of northern spring
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Apr 10 00:17:22 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 10
Full Moon of Spring
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)
Explanation: From home this Full Moon looked bright. Around our fair
planet it rose as the Sun set on April 7/8, the first Full Moon after
the vernal equinox and the start of northern hemisphere spring. April's
full lunar phase was also near perigee, the closest point in the Moon's
elliptical orbit. In fact, it was nearer perigee than any other Full
Moon of 2020 making it the brightest Full Moon of the year. To create
the visual experience a range of exposures were blended to capture the
emerging foreground foliage and bright lunar disk. The hopefull image
of spring was recorded from a home garden in skies over Chongqing,
China.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Apr 11 00:03:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 11
Venus and the Pleiades in April
Image Credit & Copyright: Antonio Finazzi
Explanation: Shared around world in early April skies Venus, our
brilliant evening star, wandered across the face of the lovely Pleiades
star cluster. This timelapse image follows the path of the inner planet
during the beautiful conjunction showing its daily approach to the
stars of the Seven Sisters. From a composite of tracked exposures made
with a telephoto lens, the field of view is also appropriate for
binocular equipped skygazers. While the star cluster and planet were
easily seen with the naked-eye, the spiky appearance of our sister
planet in the picture is the result of a diffraction pattern produced
by the camera's lens. All images were taken from a home garden in
Chiuduno, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy, fortunate in good weather and clear
spring nights.
Notable APOD Submissions: Gallery of Venus passing in front of the
Pleiades
Tomorrow's picture: a horse of a different color
__________________________________________________________________
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Apr 12 00:16:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 12
The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Explanation: While drifting through the cosmos, a magnificent
interstellar dust cloud became sculpted by stellar winds and radiation
to assume a recognizable shape. Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula,
it is embedded in the vast and complex Orion Nebula (M42). A
potentially rewarding but difficult object to view personally with a
small telescope, the above gorgeously detailed image was taken in 2013
in infrared light by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope in honor of
the 23rd anniversary of Hubble's launch. The dark molecular cloud,
roughly 1,500 light years distant, is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is
seen above primarily because it is backlit by the nearby massive star
Sigma Orionis. The Horsehead Nebula will slowly shift its apparent
shape over the next few million years and will eventually be destroyed
by the high energy starlight.
April: (AWB's) Global Astronomy Month
Tomorrow's picture: strangely placed stone
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Apr 13 00:10:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 13
A Sailing Stone across Death Valley
Image Credit: Keith Burke
Explanation: How did this big rock end up on this strange terrain? One
of the more unusual places here on Earth occurs inside Death Valley,
California, USA. There a dried lakebed named Racetrack Playa exists
that is almost perfectly flat, with the odd exception of some very
large stones, one of which is pictured here in April of 2019 beneath a
dark, Milky-Way filled sky. Now the flatness and texture of large playa
like Racetrack are fascinating but not scientifically puzzling -- they
are caused by mud flowing, drying, and cracking after a heavy rain.
Only recently, however, has a viable scientific hypothesis been given
to explain how heavy sailing stones end up near the middle of such a
large flat surface. Unfortunately, as frequently happens in science, a
seemingly surreal problem ends up having a relatively mundane solution.
It turns out that in winter thin ice sheets form, and winds push ice
sections laden with even heavy rocks across the temporarily slick playa
when sunlight melts the ice.
Tomorrow's picture: garbled galaxy
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Apr 14 00:08:04 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 14
NGC 253: The Silver Coin Galaxy
Image Credit: NOAJ: Subaru, NASA & ESA: Hubble, ESO: VLT & Danish
1.5-m;
Processing & Copyright: Robert Gendler & Roberto Colombari
Explanation: NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible,
but also one of the dustiest. Dubbed the Silver Coin for its appearance
in smalltelescopes, it is more formally known as the Sculptor Galaxy
for its location within the boundaries of the southern constellation
Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer Caroline
Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years
away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253, pictured, is the
largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to our
own Local Group of galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes,
tendrils of dust seem to be rising from a galactic disk laced with
young star clusters and star forming regions in this sharp color image.
The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation, earning NGC
253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also known to be
a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, likely due to
massive black holes near the galaxy's center. Take a trip through
extragalactic space in this short video flyby of NGC 253.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,100+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: triple play MVP
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Apr 15 00:39:30 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 15
A Cosmic Triangle
Image Credit & Copyright: Scott Aspinall
Explanation: It was an astronomical triple play. Setting on the left,
just after sunset near the end of last month, was our Moon -- showing a
bright crescent phase. Setting on the right was Venus, the brightest
planet in the evening sky last month -- and this month, too. With a
small telescope, you could tell that Venus' phase was half, meaning
that only half of the planet, as visible from Earth, was exposed to
direct sunlight and brightly lit. High above and much further in the
distance was the Pleiades star cluster. Although the Moon and Venus
move with respect to the background stars, the Pleiades do not --
because they are background stars. In the beginning of this month,
Venus appeared to move right in front of the Pleiades, a rare event
that happens only once every eight years. The featured image captured
this cosmic triangle with a series of exposures taken from the same
camera over 70 minutes near Avonlea, Saskatchewan, Canada. The
positions of the celestial objects was predicted. The only thing
unpredicted was the existence of the foreground tree -- and the
astrophotographer is still unsure what type of tree that is.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Apr 16 01:04:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 16
Comet ATLAS Breaks Up
Image Credit & Copyright: Milen Minev (Bulgarian Inst. of Astronomy and
NAO Rozhen), Velimir Popov, Emil Ivanov (Irida Observatory)
Explanation: Cruising through the inner solar system, Comet ATLAS
C2019/Y4 has apparently fragmented. Multiple separate condensations
within its diffuse coma are visible in this telescopic close-up from
April 12, composed of frames tracking the comet's motion against
trailing background stars. Discovered at the end of December 2019, this
comet ATLAS showed a remarkably rapid increase in brightness in late
March. Northern hemisphere comet watchers held out hope that it would
become a bright nake-eye comet as it came closer to Earth in late April
and May. But fragmenting ATLAS is slowly fading in northern skies. The
breakup of comets is not uncommon though. This comet ATLAS is in an
orbit similar to the Great Comet of 1844 (C/1844 Y1) and both may be
fragments of a single larger comet.
Tomorrow's picture: The Starmill
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Fri Apr 17 00:15:42 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 17
The Windmill and the Star Trails
Image Credit & Copyright: Antonio Gonzalez
Explanation: Stars can't turn these old wooden arms, but it does look
like they might in this scene from a rotating planet. The well-composed
night skyscape was recorded from Garafia, a municipality on the island
of La Palma, Canary Islands, planet Earth. The center of the once
working windmill, retired since 1953, is lined-up with the north
celestial pole, the planet's rotation axis projected on to the northern
sky. From a camera fixed to a tripod, the star trails are a reflection
of the planet's rotation traced in a digital composite of 39 sequential
exposures each 25 seconds long. Brought out by highlighting the final
exposure in the sequence, the stars themselves appear at the ends of
their short concentric arcs. A faint band of winter's Milky Way and
even a diffuse glow from our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy also shine in
the night.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Apr 20 01:05:14 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 20
IC 2944: The Running Chicken Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Filas
Explanation: To some, it looks like a giant chicken running across the
sky. To others, it looks like a gaseous nebula where star formation
takes place. Cataloged as IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula spans
about 100 light years and lies about 6,000 light years away toward the
constellation of the Centaur (Centaurus). The featured image, shown in
scientifically assigned colors, was captured recently in a 12-hour
exposure. The star cluster Collinder 249 is visible embedded in the
nebula's glowing gas. Although difficult to discern here, several dark
molecular clouds with distinct shapes can be found inside the nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: eye on
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Apr 21 00:22:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 21
Eye on the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva)
Explanation: Have you ever had stars in your eyes? It appears that the
eye on the left does, and moreover it appears to be gazing at even more
stars. The featured 27-frame mosaic was taken last July from Ojas de
Salar in the Atacama Desert of Chile. The eye is actually a small
lagoon captured reflecting the dark night sky as the Milky Way Galaxy
arched overhead. The seemingly smooth band of the Milky Way is really
composed of billions of stars, but decorated with filaments of
light-absorbing dust and red-glowing nebulas. Additionally, both
Jupiter (slightly left the galactic arch) and Saturn (slightly to the
right) are visible. The lights of small towns dot the unusual vertical
horizon. The rocky terrain around the lagoon appears to some more like
the surface of Mars than our Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: earth day
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Apr 22 00:15:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 22
Planet Earth at Twilight
Image Credit: ISS Expedition 2 Crew, Gateway to Astronaut Photography
of Earth, NASA
Explanation: No sudden, sharp boundary marks the passage of day into
night in this gorgeous view of ocean and clouds over our fair planet
Earth. Instead, the shadow line or terminator is diffuse and shows the
gradual transition to darkness we experience as twilight. With the Sun
illuminating the scene from the right, the cloud tops reflect gently
reddened sunlight filtered through the dusty troposphere, the lowest
layer of the planet's nurturing atmosphere. A clear high altitude
layer, visible along the dayside's upper edge, scatters blue sunlight
and fades into the blackness of space. This picture was taken in June
of 2001 from the International Space Station orbiting at an altitude of
211 nautical miles. Of course from home, you can check out the Earth
Now.
Celebrate: Today is Earth Day
Tomorrow's picture: Planet Earth at Night
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Apr 23 00:48:20 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 23
Lyrid Meteor Streak
Image Credit & Copyright: Zolt Levay
Explanation: Earth's annual Lyrid Meteor Shower peaked before dawn
yesterday, as our fair planet plowed through debris from the tail of
long-period comet Thatcher. In crisp, clear and moonless predawn skies
over Brown County, Indiana this streak of vaporizing comet dust briefly
shared a telephoto field of view with stars and nebulae along the Milky
Way. Alpha star of the constellation Cygnus, Deneb lies near the bright
meteor's path along with the region's dark interstellar clouds of dust
and the recognizable glow of the North America nebula (NGC 7000). The
meteor's streak points back to the shower's radiant, its apparent point
of origin on the sky. That would be in the constellation Lyra, near
bright star Vega and off the top edge of the frame.
Celebrate the Night: International Dark Sky Week
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Apr 24 00:49:54 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 24
Around the World at Night
Video Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN, IDA), Music: Peter Jeremias
Explanation: Watch this video. In only a minute or so you can explore
the night skies around planet Earth through a compilation of stunning
timelapse sequences. The presentation will take you to sites in the
United States, Germany, Russia, Iran, Nepal, Thailand, Laos and China.
You might even catch the view from a small island in the southeastern
Pacific Ocean. But remember that while you're home tonight, the night
sky will come to you. Look up and celebrate the night during this
International Dark Sky Week.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Apr 25 00:31:26 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 25
Hubble's Cosmic Reef
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
Explanation: These bright ridges of interstellar gas and dust are
bathed in energetic starlight. With its sea of young stars, the massive
star-forming region NGC 2014 has been dubbed the Cosmic Reef. Drifting
just off shore, the smaller NGC 2020, is an expansive blue-hued
structure erupting from a single central Wolf-Rayet star, 200,000 times
brighter than the Sun. The cosmic frame spans some 600 light-years
within the Large Magellanic Cloud 160,000 light-years away, a satellite
galaxy of our Milky Way. A magnificent Hubble Space Telescope portrait,
the image was released this week as part of a celebration to mark
Hubble's 30th year exploring the Universe from Earth orbit.
Tomorrow's picture: 100th Anniversary
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Apr 26 00:12:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 26
Edwin Hubble Discovers the Universe
Image Credit & Copyright: Courtesy Carnegie Institution for Science
Explanation: How big is our universe? This very question, among others,
was debated by two leading astronomers 100 years ago today in what has
become known as astronomy's Great Debate. Many astronomers then
believed that our Milky Way Galaxy was the entire universe. Many
others, though, believed that our galaxy was just one of many. In the
Great Debate, each argument was detailed, but no consensus was reached.
The answer came over three years later with the detected variation of
single spot in the Andromeda Nebula, as shown on the original glass
discovery plate digitally reproduced here. When Edwin Hubble compared
images, he noticed that this spot varied, and so wrote "VAR!" on the
plate. The best explanation, Hubble knew, was that this spot was the
image of a variable star that was very far away. So M31 was really the
Andromeda Galaxy -- a galaxy possibly similar to our own. The featured
image may not be pretty, but the variable spot on it opened a door
through which humanity gazed knowingly, for the first time, into a
surprisingly vast cosmos.
Centennial Celebration: Astronomy's Great Debate was 100 Years Ago
Today
Tomorrow's picture: Another Great Debate?
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Apr 27 00:41:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 27
Fresh Tiger Stripes on Saturn's Enceladus
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, SSI, Cassini Imaging Team
Explanation: How will humanity first learn of extraterrestrial life?
One possibility is to find it under the icy surface of Saturn's moon
Enceladus. A reason to think that life may exist there are long
features -- dubbed tiger stripes -- that are known to be spewing ice
from the moon's icy interior into space. These surface cracks create
clouds of fine ice particles over the moon's South Pole and create
Saturn's mysterious E-ring. Evidence for this has come from the robot
Cassini spacecraft that orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. Pictured
here, a high resolution image of Enceladus is shown from a close flyby.
The unusual surface tiger stripes are shown in false-color blue. Why
Enceladus is active remains a mystery, as the neighboring moon Mimas,
approximately the same size, appears quite dead. A recent analysis of
ejected ice grains has yielded evidence that complex organic molecules
exist inside Enceladus. These large carbon-rich molecules bolster --
but do not prove -- that oceans under Enceladus' surface could contain
life. Another Solar System moon that might contain underground life is
Europa.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover ET life?
Tomorrow's picture: an almost solar system
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Apr 28 00:11:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 28
The Kepler-90 Planetary System
Illustration Credit: NASA Ames, Wendy Stenzel
Explanation: Do other stars have planetary systems like our own? Yes --
one such system is Kepler-90. Cataloged by the Kepler satellite that
operated from Earth orbit between 2009 and 2018, eight planets were
discovered, giving Kepler-90 the same number of known planets as our
Solar System. Similarities between Kepler-90 and our system include a
G-type star comparable to our Sun, rocky planets comparable to our
Earth, and large planets comparable in size to Jupiter and Saturn.
Differences include that all of the known Kepler-90 planets orbit
relatively close in -- closer than Earth's orbit around the Sun --
making them possibly too hot to harbor life. However, observations over
longer time periods may discover cooler planets further out. Kepler-90
lies about 2,500 light years away, and at magnitude 14 is visible with
a medium-sized telescope toward the constellation of the Dragon
(Draco). The exoplanet-finding mission TESS was launched in 2018, while
missions with exoplanet finding capability planned for launch in the
next decade include NASA's JWST and WFIRST.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Apr 29 00:30:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 29
The Ion Tail of New Comet SWAN
Image Credit & Copyright: Gerald Rhemann
Explanation: Newly discovered Comet SWAN has already developed an
impressive tail. The comet came in from the outer Solar System and has
just passed inside the orbit of the Earth. Officially designated C/2020
F8 (SWAN), this outgassing interplanetary iceberg will pass its closest
to the Earth on May 13, and closest to the Sun on May 27. The comet was
first noticed in late March by an astronomy enthusiast looking through
images taken by NASA's Sun-orbiting SOHO spacecraft, and is named for
this spacecraft's Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) camera. The featured
image, taken from the dark skies in Namibia in mid-April, captured
Comet SWAN's green-glowing coma and unexpectedly long, detailed, and
blue ion-tail. Although the brightness of comets are notoriously hard
to predict, some models have Comet SWAN becoming bright enough to see
with the unaided eye during June.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Apr 30 00:29:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 April 30
Andromeda Island Universe
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuzhe Xiao
Explanation: The most distant object easily visible to the unaided eye
is M31, the great Andromeda Galaxy some two and a half million
light-years away. But without a telescope, even this immense spiral
galaxy - spanning over 200,000 light years - appears as a faint,
nebulous cloud in the constellation Andromeda. In contrast, a bright
yellow nucleus, dark winding dust lanes, expansive blue spiral arms and
star clusters are recorded in this stunning telescopic image. While
even casual skygazers are now inspired by the knowledge that there are
many distant galaxies like M31, astronomers debated this fundamental
concept 100 years ago. Were these "spiral nebulae" simply outlying
components of our own Milky Way Galaxy or were they instead "island
universes", distant systems of stars comparable to the Milky Way
itself? This question was central to the famous Shapley-Curtis debate
of 1920, which was later resolved by observations of M31 in favor of
Andromeda, island universe.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: galaxies away
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri May 1 00:33:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 1
A View Toward M106
Image Credit & Copyright: Joonhwa Lee
Explanation: Big, bright, beautiful spiral, Messier 106 dominates this
cosmic vista. The nearly two degree wide telescopic field of view looks
toward the well-trained constellation Canes Venatici, near the handle
of the Big Dipper. Also known as NGC 4258, M106 is about 80,000
light-years across and 23.5 million light-years away, the largest
member of the Canes II galaxy group. For a far far away galaxy, the
distance to M106 is well-known in part because it can be directly
measured by tracking this galaxy's remarkable maser, or microwave laser
emission. Very rare but naturally occurring, the maser emission is
produced by water molecules in molecular clouds orbiting its active
galactic nucleus. Another prominent spiral galaxy on the scene, viewed
nearly edge-on, is NGC 4217 below and right of M106. The distance to
NGC 4217 is much less well-known, estimated to be about 60 million
light-years, but the bright spiky stars are in the foreground, well
inside our own Milky Way galaxy. Even the existence of galaxies beyond
the Milky Way was questioned 100 years ago in astronomy's Great Debate.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat May 2 00:06:02 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 2
Radio, The Big Ear, and the Wow! Signal
Image Credit & Copyright: Rick Scott
Explanation: Since the early days of radio and television we have been
freely broadcasting signals into space. For some time now, we have been
listening too. A large radio telescope at Ohio State University known
as affectionately The Big Ear was one of the first listeners. The Big
Ear was about the size of three football fields and consisted of an
immense metal ground plane with two fence-like reflectors, one fixed
and one tiltable. It relied on the Earth's rotation to help scan the
sky. This photo, taken by former Big Ear student volunteer Rick Scott,
looks out across the ground plane toward the fixed reflector with the
radio frequency receiver horns in the foreground. Starting in 1965, the
Big Ear was used in an ambitious survey of the radio sky. In the 1970s,
it became the first telescope to continuously listen for signals from
extraterrestrial civilizations. For an exciting moment during August
1977 a very strong, unexpected signal, dubbed the Wow! Signal, was
detected by the Big Ear. But alas, heard only once, the source of the
signal could not be determined. In May 1998 the final pieces of the Big
Ear were torn down.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: a message from Earth
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun May 3 00:05:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 3
A Message from Earth
Image Credit: Frank Drake (UCSC) et al., Arecibo Observatory (Cornell
U.);
License: Arne Nordmann (Wikimedia)
Explanation: What are these Earthlings trying to tell us? The featured
message was broadcast from Earth towards the globular star cluster M13
in 1974. During the dedication of the Arecibo Observatory - still one
of the largest single radio telescopes in the world - a string of 1's
and 0's representing the diagram was sent. This attempt at
extraterrestrial communication was mostly ceremonial - humanity
regularly broadcasts radio and television signals out into space
accidentally. Even were this message received, M13 is so far away we
would have to wait almost 50,000 years to hear an answer. The featured
message gives a few simple facts about humanity and its knowledge: from
left to right are numbers from one to ten, atoms including hydrogen and
carbon, some interesting molecules, DNA, a human with description,
basics of our Solar System, and basics of the sending telescope.
Several searches for extraterrestrial intelligence are currently
underway, including one where you can use your own home computer.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover ET life?
Tomorrow's picture: passing earth
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon May 4 00:09:06 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 4
Earth Flyby of BepiColombo
Image Credit & License: ESA, BepiColombo, MTM
Explanation: What it would look like to approach planet Earth? Such an
event was recorded visually in great detail by ESA's and JAXA's robotic
BepiColombo spacecraft last month as it swung back past Earth on its
journey in to the planet Mercury. Earth can be seen rotating on
approach as it comes out from behind the spacecraft's high-gain antenna
in this nearly 10-hour time-lapse video. The Earth is so bright that no
background stars are visible. Launched in 2018, the robotic BepiColombo
used the gravity of Earth to adjust its course, the first of nine
planetary flybys over the next seven years -- but the only one
involving Earth. Scheduled to enter orbit in 2025, BepiColombo will
take images and data of the surface and magnetic field of Mercury in an
effort to better understand the early evolution of our Solar System and
its innermost planet.
New: APOD now available through Instagram in Portuguese
Tomorrow's picture: carina perspective
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue May 5 00:32:24 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 5
Carina in Perspective
Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Kiko Fairbairn
Explanation: You need to be in the south, looking south, to see such a
sky. And only then if you're lucky. Just above the picturesque tree is
the impressive Carina Nebula, one of the few nebulas in the sky that is
visible to the unaided eye. The featured image had to be taken from a
very dark location to capture the Carina Nebula with such perspective
and so near the horizon. The Great Nebula in Carina, cataloged as NGC
3372, is home to the wildly variable star Eta Carinae that sometimes
flares to become one of the brightest stars in the sky. Above Carina is
IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula, a nebula that not only looks like
a chicken, but contains impressive dark knots of dust. Above these
red-glowing emission nebulas are the bright stars of the Southern
Cross, while on the upper left of the image is the dark Coalsack
Nebula. This image was composed from six consecutive exposures taken
last summer from Padre Bernardo, Goiás, Brazil. Even with careful
planning, the astrophotographer felt lucky to get this shot because
clouds -- some still visible near the horizon -- kept getting in the
way.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: star parabola
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed May 6 02:08:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 6
LDN 1471: A Windblown Star Cavity
Image Credit: Hubble, NASA, ESA; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: What is the cause of this unusual parabolic structure?
This illuminated cavity, known as LDN 1471, was created by a newly
forming star, seen as the bright source at the peak of the parabola.
This protostar is experiencing a stellar outflow which is then
interacting with the surrounding material in the Perseus Molecular
Cloud, causing it to brighten. We see only one side of the cavity --
the other side is hidden by dark dust. The parabolic shape is caused by
the widening of the stellar-wind blown cavity over time. Two additional
structures can also be seen either side of the protostar, these are
known as Herbig-Haro objects, again caused by the interaction of the
outflow with the surrounding material. What causes the striations on
the cavity walls, though, remains unknown. The featured image was taken
by NASA and ESA's Hubble Space Telescope after an original detection by
the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu May 7 01:04:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 7
Analemma of the Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Gyorgy Soponyai
Explanation: An analemma is that figure-8 curve you get when you mark
the position of the Sun at the same time each day for one year. But the
trick to imaging an analemma of the Moon is to wait bit longer. On
average the Moon returns to the same position in the sky about 50
minutes and 29 seconds later each day. So photograph the Moon 50
minutes 29 seconds later on successive days. Over one lunation or lunar
month it will trace out an analemma-like curve as the Moon's actual
position wanders due to its tilted and elliptical orbit. To create this
composite image of a lunar analemma, astronomer Gyorgy Soponyai chose a
lunar month from March 26 to April 18 with a good stretch of weather
and a site close to home near Mogyorod, Hungary. Crescent lunar phases
too thin and faint to capture around the New Moon are missing though.
Facing southwest, the lights of Budapest are in the distance of the
base image taken on March 27.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Fri May 8 01:12:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 8
Long Tailed Comet SWAN
Image Credit & Copyright: D. Peach, Chilescope team
Explanation: Blowing in the solar wind the spectacular ion tail of
Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) extends far across this 10 degree wide telephoto
field of view. Captured on May 2 its greenish coma was about 6
light-minutes from Earth. The pretty background starfield lies near the
border of the constellations Cetus and Aquarius. This comet SWAN was
discovered at home by Australian amateur Michael Mattiazzo by checking
images from the Sun-staring SOHO spacecraft's SWAN (Solar Wind
ANisotropies) camera. The comet has now become just visible to the
naked-eye as it sweeps from southern to northern skies. Appearing in
morning twilight near the eastern horizon, Comet SWAN will make its
closest approach to planet Earth on May 12 and reach perihelion on May
27.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sat May 9 02:43:14 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 9
Full Flower Moonrise
Image Credit & Copyright: Tiziano Boldrini
Explanation: Rising as the Sun set, the Moon was bright and full in
planet Earth skies on May 7 and known to some as a Flower Moon. Near
the horizon it does seem to take on rose pink hues of reddened sunlight
in this reflective twilight scene. In fact one of the brighter Full
Moons of the year, this month's full lunar phase occurred within about
32 hours of perigee. That's the closest point in the Moon's elliptical
orbit. Flooded field and ruined church tower are near the municipality
of Casaleggio Novara, Piedmont Region of northern Italy.
Tomorrow's picture: peculiar galaxies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sun May 10 00:16:02 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 10
The Porpoise Galaxy from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Reprocessing & Copyright: Raul
Villaverde
Explanation: What's happening to this spiral galaxy? Just a few hundred
million years ago, NGC 2936, the upper of the two large galaxies shown,
was likely a normal spiral galaxy -- spinning, creating stars -- and
minding its own business. But then it got too close to the massive
elliptical galaxy NGC 2937 below and took a dive. Dubbed the Porpoise
Galaxy for its iconic shape, NGC 2936 is not only being deflected but
also being distorted by the close gravitational interaction. A burst of
young blue stars forms the nose of the porpoise toward the right of the
upper galaxy, while the center of the spiral appears as an eye.
Alternatively, the galaxy pair, together known as Arp 142, look to some
like a penguin protecting an egg. Either way, intricate dark dust lanes
and bright blue star streams trail the troubled galaxy to the lower
right. The featured re-processed image showing Arp 142 in unprecedented
detail was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope last year. Arp 142 lies
about 300 million light years away toward the constellation,
coincidently, of the Water Snake (Hydra). In a billion years or so the
two galaxies will likely merge into one larger galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: behind betelgeuse
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon May 11 01:05:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 11
Behind Betelgeuse
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University
of Arizona
Explanation: What's behind Betelgeuse? One of the brighter and more
unusual stars in the sky, the red supergiant star Betelgeuse can be
found in the direction of famous constellation Orion. Betelgeuse,
however, is actually well in front of many of the constellation's other
bright stars, and also in front of the greater Orion Molecular Cloud
Complex. Numerically, light takes about 700 years to reach us from
Betelgeuse, but about 1,300 years to reach us from the Orion Nebula and
its surrounding dust and gas. All but the largest telescopes see
Betelgeuse as only a point of light, but a point so bright that the
inherent blurriness created by the telescope and Earth's atmosphere
make it seem extended. In the featured long-exposure image, thousands
of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy can be seen in the background behind
Betelgeuse, as well as dark dust from the Orion Molecular Cloud, and
some red-glowing emission from hydrogen gas on the outskirts of the
more distant Lambda Orionis Ring. Betelgeuse has recovered from
appearing unusually dim over the past six months, but is still expected
to explode in a spectacular supernova sometime in the next (about)
100,000 years.
Tomorrow's picture: little harp meteors
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue May 12 00:05:22 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 12
Lyrid Meteors from the Constellation Lyra
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek
Explanation: Where are all of these meteors coming from? In terms of
direction on the sky, the pointed answer is the constellation of Small
Harp (Lyra). That is why the famous meteor shower that peaks every
April is known as the Lyrids -- the meteors all appear to came from a
radiant toward Lyra. In terms of parent body, though, the sand-sized
debris that makes up the Lyrid meteors come from Comet Thatcher. The
comet follows a well-defined orbit around our Sun, and the part of the
orbit that approaches Earth is superposed in front of Lyra. Therefore,
when Earth crosses this orbit, the radiant point of falling debris
appears in Lyra. Featured here, a composite image containing over 33
meteors (can you find them all?) from last month's Lyrid meteor shower
shows several bright meteors that streaked over a shore of Sec Lake in
the Czech Republic. Also visible are the bright stars Vega and Altair,
the planet Jupiter, and the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Notable APOD Submissions: Lyrid Meteor Shower 2020
Tomorrow's picture: jupiter IR
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed May 13 00:04:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 13
Jupiter in Infrared from Gemini
Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory, NOIRLab, NSF, AURA; M.
H. Wong (UC Berkeley) & Team;
Acknowledgment: Mahdi Zamani; Text: Alex R. Howe (NASA/USRA, Reader's
History of SciFi Podcast)
Explanation: In infrared, Jupiter lights up the night. Recently,
astronomers at the Gemini North Observatory in Hawaii, USA, created
some of the best infrared photos of Jupiter ever taken from Earth's
surface, pictured. Gemini was able to produce such a clear image using
a technique called lucky imaging, by taking many images and combining
only the clearest ones that, by chance, were taken when Earth's
atmosphere was the most calm. Jupiter's jack-o'-lantern-like appearance
is caused by the planet's different layers of clouds. Infrared light
can pass through clouds better than visible light, allowing us to see
deeper, hotter layers of Jupiter's atmosphere, while the thickest
clouds appear dark. These pictures, together with ones from the Hubble
Space Telescope and the Juno spacecraft, can tell us a lot about
weather patterns on Jupiter, like where its massive, planet-sized
storms form.
Notable APOD Submissions: Flower Moon 2020
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue May 19 00:04:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 19
Posters of the Solar System
Image Credit: NASA
Explanation: Would you like a NASA astronomy-exploration poster? You
are just one page-print away. Any of the panels you see on the featured
image can appear on your wall. Moreover, this NASA page has, typically,
several more posters of each of the Solar System objects depicted.
These posters highlight many of the places humanity, through NASA, has
explored in the past 50 years, including our Sun, and planets Mercury,
Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Moons of
Jupiter that have been posterized include Europe, Ganymede, Callisto,
and Io, while moons of Saturn that can be framed include Enceladus and
Titan. Images of Pluto, Ceres, comets and asteroids are also presented,
while six deep space scenes -- well beyond our Solar System -- can also
be prominently displayed. If you lack wall space or blank poster sheets
don't despair -- you can still print many of these out as trading
cards.
Tomorrow's picture: planet line up
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu May 21 00:03:22 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 21
Phases of Venus
Image Credit & Copyright: Richard Addis
Explanation: Just as the Moon goes through phases, Venus' visible
sunlit hemisphere waxes and wanes. This composite of backyard
telescopic images illustrates the steady changes for Venus during its
current stint as our evening star, as the inner planet grows larger but
narrows to a thin crescent. Images from bottom to top were taken during
2020 on dates February 27, March 20, April 14, April 24, May 8, and May
14. Gliding along its interior orbit between Earth and Sun, Venus grows
larger during that period because it is approaching planet Earth. Its
crescent narrows, though, as Venus swings closer to our line-of-sight
to the Sun. Closest to the Earth-Sun line but passing about 1/2 degree
north of the Sun on June 3, Venus will reach a (non-judgmental)
inferior conjunction. Soon after, Venus will shine clearly above the
eastern horizon in predawn skies as planet Earth's morning star. After
sunset tonight look for Venus above the western horizon and you can
also spot elusive innermost planet Mercury.
Tomorrow's picture: South Carina
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat May 30 00:18:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 30
Green Flashes: Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace
Explanation: Follow a sunset on a clear day against a distant horizon
and you might glimpse green just as the Sun disappears from view. The
green flash is caused by refraction of light rays traveling to the eye
over a long path through the atmosphere. Shorter wavelengths refract
more strongly than longer redder wavelengths and the separation of
colors lends a green hue to the last visible vestige of the solar disk.
It's harder to see a green flash from the Moon, not to mention the
diminutive disks of Venus and Mercury. But a telescope or telephoto
lens and camera can help catch this tantalizing result of atmospheric
refraction when the celestial bodies are near the horizon. From Sicily,
the top panels were recorded on March 18, 2019 for the Sun and May 8,
2020 for the Moon. Also from the Mediterranean island, the bottom
panels were shot during the twilight apparition of Venus and Mercury
near the western horizon on May 24.
Tomorrow's picture: green arches
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sun May 31 00:23:06 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 May 31
Aurora over Sweden
Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand
Explanation: It was bright and green and stretched across the sky. This
striking aurora display was captured in 2016 just outside of Östersund,
Sweden. Six photographic fields were merged to create the featured
panorama spanning almost 180 degrees. Particularly striking aspects of
this aurora include its sweeping arc-like shape and its stark
definition. Lake Storsjön is seen in the foreground, while several
familiar constellations and the star Polaris are visible through the
aurora, far in the background. Coincidently, the aurora appears to
avoid the Moon visible on the lower left. The aurora appeared a day
after a large hole opened in the Sun's corona allowing particularly
energetic particles to flow out into the Solar System. The green color
of the aurora is caused by oxygen atoms recombining with ambient
electrons high in the Earth's atmosphere.
Tomorrow's picture: red lagoon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Jun 1 00:39:38 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 1
The Lively Center of the Lagoon Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Diego
Gravinese
Explanation: The center of the Lagoon Nebula is a whirlwind of
spectacular star formation. Visible near the image center, at least two
long funnel-shaped clouds, each roughly half a light-year long, have
been formed by extreme stellar winds and intense energetic starlight. A
tremendously bright nearby star, Hershel 36, lights the area. Vast
walls of dust hide and redden other hot young stars. As energy from
these stars pours into the cool dust and gas, large temperature
differences in adjoining regions can be created generating shearing
winds which may cause the funnels. This picture, spanning about 15
light years, features two colors detected by the orbiting Hubble Space
Telescope. The Lagoon Nebula, also known as >M8, lies about 5000 light
years distant toward the constellation of the Archer Sagittarius.
Tomorrow's picture: human foe
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Jun 11 02:25:14 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 11
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300
Image Credit: Hubble Heritage Team, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Big, beautiful, barred spiral galaxy NGC 1300 lies some 70
million light-years away on the banks of the constellation Eridanus.
This Hubble Space Telescope composite view of the gorgeous island
universe is one of the largest Hubble images ever made of a complete
galaxy. NGC 1300 spans over 100,000 light-years and the Hubble image
reveals striking details of the galaxy's dominant central bar and
majestic spiral arms. In fact, on close inspection the nucleus of this
classic barred spiral itself shows a remarkable region of spiral
structure about 3,000 light-years across. Like other spiral galaxies,
including our own Milky Way, NGC 1300 is thought to have a supermassive
central black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Jun 12 00:36:54 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 12
NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
Explanation: NGC 2359 is a helmet-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like
appendages popularly called Thor's Helmet. Heroically sized even for a
Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the
helmet is more like an interstellar bubble, blown as a fast wind from
the bright, massive star near the bubble's center inflates a region
within the surrounding molecular cloud. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the
central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief,
pre-supernova stage of evolution. NGC 2359 is located about 15,000
light-years away in the constellation of the Great Overdog. The
remarkably sharp image is a mixed cocktail of data from broadband and
narrowband filters using three different telescopes. It captures
natural looking stars and the details of the nebula's filamentary
structures. The predominant bluish hue is strong emission from doubly
ionized oxygen atoms in the glowing gas.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jun 17 13:35:14 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 17
Magnetic Streamlines of the Milky Way
Image Credit: ESA, Planck; Text: Joan Schmelz (USRA)
Explanation: What role do magnetic fields play in interstellar physics?
Analyses of observations by ESA's Planck satellite of emission by small
magnetically-aligned dust grains reveal previously unknown magnetic
field structures in our Milky Way Galaxy -- as shown by the curvy lines
in the featured full-sky image. The dark red shows the plane of the
Milky Way, where the concentration of dust is the highest. The huge
arches above the plane are likely remnants of past explosive events
from our Galaxy's core, conceptually similar to magnetic loop-like
structures seen in our Sun's atmosphere. The curvy streamlines align
with interstellar filaments of neutral hydrogen gas and provide
tantalizing evidence that magnetic fields may supplement gravity in not
only in shaping the interstellar medium, but in forming stars. How
magnetism affected our Galaxy's evolution will likely remain a topic of
research for years to come.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon Jun 22 00:31:56 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 22
Moon Mountains Magnified during Ring of Fire Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night)
Explanation: What are those dark streaks in this composite image of
yesterday's solar eclipse? They are reversed shadows of mountains at
the edge of the Moon. The center image, captured from Xiamen, China,
has the Moon's center directly in front of the Sun's center. The Moon,
though, was too far from the Earth to completely block the entire Sun.
Light that streamed around all of the edges of the Moon is called a
ring of fire. Images at each end of the sequence show sunlight that
streamed through lunar valleys. As the Moon moved further in front of
the Sun, left to right, only the higher peaks on the Moon's perimeter
could block sunlight. Therefore, the dark streaks are projected,
distorted, reversed, and magnified shadows of mountains at the Moon's
edge. Bright areas are called Bailey's Beads. Only a narrow swath
across Earth's Eastern Hemisphere was able to see yesterday's full
annular solar eclipse. Next June, though, a narrow swath across Earth's
Northern Hemisphere will be able to see the next annular solar eclipse.
A total solar eclipse will be visible at the bottom of the world near
the end of this year.
Gallery: Notable images of the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2020 June
submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: x-raying the sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jun 27 00:09:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 27
Eclipse under the ISS
Image Credit: NASA ISS Expedition 63
Explanation: The dark shadow of the New Moon reached out and touched
planet Earth on June 21. A high definition camera outside the
International Space Station captured its passing in this snapshot from
low Earth orbit near the border of Kazakhstan and China. Of course
those along the Moon's central shadow track below could watch the much
anticipated annular eclipse of the Sun. In the foreground a cargo
spacecraft is docked with the orbital outpost. It's the H-II Transfer
Vehicle-9 from JAXA the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Gallery: Notable images of the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2020 June
submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: moons and shadows
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Jun 28 00:29:38 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 28
Europa and Jupiter from Voyager 1
Image Credit: NASA, Voyager 1, JPL, Caltech; Processing & License:
Alexis Tranchandon / Solaris
Explanation: What are those spots on Jupiter? Largest and furthest,
just right of center, is the Great Red Spot -- a huge storm system that
has been raging on Jupiter possibly since Giovanni Cassini's likely
notation of it 355 years ago. It is not yet known why this Great Spot
is red. The spot toward the lower left is one of Jupiter's largest
moons: Europa. Images from Voyager in 1979 bolster the modern
hypothesis that Europa has an underground ocean and is therefore a good
place to look for extraterrestrial life. But what about the dark spot
on the upper right? That is a shadow of another of Jupiter's large
moons: Io. Voyager 1 discovered Io to be so volcanic that no impact
craters could be found. Sixteen frames from Voyager 1's flyby of
Jupiter in 1979 were recently reprocessed and merged to create the
featured image. About 43 years ago, Voyager 1 launched from Earth and
started one of the greatest explorations of the Solar System ever.
Free Download: Voyager Posters
Tomorrow's picture: double sky trees
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jun 29 00:03:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 29
Dark Sky Reflections
Image Credit & Copyright: Will Godward
Explanation: When the lake calmed down, many wonders of the land and
sky appeared twice. Perhaps the most dramatic from the dark sky was the
central band of our Milky Way Galaxy, visible as a diagonal band.
Toward the right were both the Small (SMC) and Large (LMC) Magellanic
Clouds, satellite galaxies of our Milky Way. Faint multicolored bands
of airglow fanned across the night. Numerous bright stars were visible
including Antares, while the bright planet Jupiter appears just above
the image center. The featured image is a composite of exposures all
taken from the same camera and from the same location within 30 minutes
in mid-May from the shore of Lake Bonney Riverland in South Australia.
Dead trees that extend from the lake were captured not only in
silhouette, but reflection, while lights from the small town of Barmera
were visible across the lake. In July, Jupiter and Saturn will rise
toward the east just as the Sun sets in the west.
Tomorrow's picture: pillow star
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jun 30 00:17:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 June 30
Bright Planetary Nebula NGC 7027 from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Joel Kastner (RIT) et al.; Processing: Alyssa
Pagan (STScI)
Explanation: What created this unusual planetary nebula? NGC 7027 is
one of the smallest, brightest, and most unusually shaped planetary
nebulas known. Given its expansion rate, NGC 7027 first started
expanding, as visible from Earth, about 600 years ago. For much of its
history, the planetary nebula has been expelling shells, as seen in
blue in the featured image. In modern times, though, for reasons
unknown, it began ejecting gas and dust (seen in red) in specific
directions that created a new pattern that seems to have four corners.
These shells and patterns have been mapped in impressive detail by
recent images from the Wide Field Camera 3 onboard the Hubble Space
Telescope. What lies at the nebula's center is unknown, with one
hypothesis holding it to be a close binary star system where one star
sheds gas onto an erratic disk orbiting the other star. NGC 7027, about
3,000 light years away, was first discovered in 1878 and can be seen
with a standard backyard telescope toward the constellation of the Swan
(Cygnus).
Tomorrow's picture: inverted Earth
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jul 1 00:18:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 July 1
Our Rotating Earth
Video Credit & Copyright: Bartosz Wojczynski
Explanation: Has your world ever turned upside-down? It would happen
every day if you stay fixed to the stars. Most time-lapse videos of the
night sky show the stars and sky moving above a steady Earth. Here,
however, the camera has been forced to rotate so that the stars remain
fixed, and the Earth rotates around them. The movie, with each hour is
compressed to a second, dramatically demonstrates the daily rotation of
the Earth, called diurnal motion. The video begins by showing an open
field in Namibia, Africa, on a clear day, last year. Shadows shift as
the Earth turns, the shadow of the Earth rises into the sky, the Belt
of Venus momentarily appears, and then day turns into night. The
majestic band of our Milky Way Galaxy stretches across the night sky,
while sunlight-reflecting, Earth-orbiting satellites zoom by. In the
night sky, you can even spot the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The
video shows a sky visible from Earth's Southern Hemisphere, but a
similar video could be made for every middle latitude on our blue
planet.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Jul 2 01:42:22 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 July 2
The Galaxy, the Planet, and the Apple Tree
Image Credit & Copyright: Kristine Richer
Explanation: The Old Astronomer's Milky Way arcs through this peaceful
northern sky. Against faint, diffuse starlight you can follow dark
rifts of interstellar dust clouds stretching from the galaxy's core.
They lead toward bright star Antares at the right, almost due south
above the horizon. The brightest beacon in the twilight is Jupiter,
though. From the camera's perspective it seems to hang from the limb of
a tree framing the foreground, an apple tree of course. The serene
maritime nightscape was recorded in tracked and untracked exposures on
June 16 from Dover, Nova Scotia, planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Jul 7 00:03:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 July 7
Comet NEOWISE over Lebanon
Image Credit & Copyright: Maroun Habib (Moophz)
Explanation: A comet has suddenly become visible to the unaided eye.
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered in late March and brightened
as it reached its closest approach to the Sun, inside the orbit of
Mercury, late last week. The interplanetary iceberg survived solar
heating, so far, and is now becoming closer to the Earth as it starts
its long trek back to the outer Solar System. As Comet NEOWISE became
one of the few naked-eye comets of the 21st Century, word spread
quickly, and the comet has already been photographed behind many famous
sites and cities around the globe. Featured, Comet NEOWISE was captured
over Lebanon two days ago just before sunrise. The future brightness of
Comet NEOWISE remains somewhat uncertain but the comet will likely
continue to be findable not only in the early morning sky, but also
next week in the early evening sky.
Comet NEOWISE from Around the Globe: Notable Images Submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: mercury extended
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jul 17 00:12:20 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 July 17
NEOWISE of the North
Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Peters
Explanation: After local midnight on July 14 comet NEOWISE was still
above the horizon for Goldenrod, Alberta, Canada, just north of
Calgary, planet Earth. In this snapshot it makes for an awesome night
with dancing displays of the northern lights. The long-tailed comet and
auroral displays are beautiful apparitions in the north these days.
Both show the influence of spaceweather and the wind from the Sun.
Skygazers have widely welcomed the visitor from the Oort cloud, though
C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is in an orbit that is now taking it out of the
inner Solar System.
Comet NEOWISE Images: July 16 | July 15 | July 14 | July 13 | July 12 |
July 11 | July 10 & earlier
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Jul 23 00:09:46 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 July 23
Fairytale NEOWISE
Image Credit & Copyright: Stephane Guisard (Los Cielos de America,
TWAN)
Explanation: Comet dust falls through a twilight sky in this dream-like
scene, but it's not part of a fairytale movie. Still, Castle
Neuschwanstein, nestled in the Bavarian Alps, did inspire Disneyland's
Sleeping Beauty Castle. Captured on July 20, the bright streak above
the castle towers is likely a Perseid meteor. Though it peaks near
mid-August, the annual summer meteor shower is active now. The meteor
trail over the fairytale castle can be traced back to the shower's
radiant in the heroic constellation Perseus off the top right of the
frame. Perseid meteors are produced by dust from periodic Comet
Swift-Tuttle. With its own broad dust tail now sweeping through
northern skies the celestial apparition above the distant horizon is
planet Earth's current darling, Comet NEOWISE.
Comet NEOWISE Images: July 22 || 21 || 20 || 19 || 18 || 17 || 16 || 15
|| 14 || 13 || 12 || 11 || 10 & earlier ||
Tomorrow's picture: Magic NEOWISE
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Jul 24 00:23:08 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 July 24
MAGIC NEOWISE
Image Credit & Copyright: Urs Leutenegger
Explanation: The multi-mirror, 17 meter-diameter MAGIC telescopes
reflect this starry night sky from the Roque de los Muchachos European
Northern Observatory on the Canary Island of La Palma. MAGIC stands for
Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov and the telescopes can see
the brief flashes of optical light produced in particle air showers as
high-energy gamma rays impact the Earth's upper atmosphere. On July 20,
two of the three telescopes in view were looking for gamma rays from
the center of our Milky Way galaxy. In reflection they show the bright
stars of Sagittarius and Scorpius near the galactic center to the
southeast. Beyond the segmented-mirror arrays, above the northwest
horizon and below the Big Dipper is Comet NEOWISE. NEOWISE stands for
Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. That's the
Earth-orbiting satellite used to discover the comet designated C/2020
F3, but you knew that.
Comet NEOWISE Images: July 23 || 22 || 21 || 20 || 19 || 18 || 17 || 16
|| 15 || 14 || 13 || 12 || 11 || 10 & earlier
Tomorrow's picture: from a rotating planet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jul 26 00:33:04 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 July 26
A Flight through the Hubble Ultra Deep Field
Video Credit: NASA, ESA, F. Summers, Z. Levay, L. Frattare, B.
Mobasher, A. Koekemoer and the HUDF Team (STScI)
Explanation: What would it look like to fly through the distant
universe? To find out, a team of astronomers estimated the relative
distances to over 5,000 galaxies in one of the most distant fields of
galaxies ever imaged: the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF). Because it
takes light a long time to cross the universe, most galaxies visible in
the featured video are seen when the universe was only a fraction of
its current age, were still forming, and have unusual shapes when
compared to modern galaxies. No mature looking spiral galaxies such as
our Milky Way or the Andromeda galaxy yet exist. Toward the end of the
video the virtual observer flies past the farthest galaxies in the HUDF
field, recorded to have a redshift past 8. This early class of low
luminosity galaxies likely contained energetic stars emitting light
that transformed much of the remaining normal matter in the universe
from a cold gas to a hot ionized plasma.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,200+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: mountain, comet, lightning
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Aug 1 00:54:02 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 1
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula in Cepheus
Image Credit & Copyright: Chad Leader
Explanation: Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the
Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission nebula and young
star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of
Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20
light-years long. This detailed close-up view was recorded through
narrow band filters that transmit the light from ionized hydrogen and
oxygen atoms in the region. The resulting composite highlights the
bright swept-back ridges that outline pockets of cool interstellar dust
and gas. Such embedded, dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw
material for star formation and hide protostars within. Nearly 3,000
light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers a
large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. This dramatic scene
spans a 1 degree wide field of view though, about the size of 2 Full
Moons.
Mars 2020 Launch: photos from planet Earth
Tomorrow's picture: two worlds
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Aug 4 00:12:58 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 4
NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans
Image Credit & Copyright: Processing: Robert Gendler & Roberto
Colombari
Data: Hubble Legacy Archive, European Southern Observatory
Explanation: Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern
constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) Volans. Located about 50
million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a
pronounced central bar have a hook-like appearance in wide-field
images. But this mosaicked close-up, constructed from Hubble Space
Telescope and European Southern Observatory data, follows the galaxy's
structure in amazing detail. Obscuring dust lanes, young blue star
clusters and reddish star forming regions surround a core of yellowish
light from an older population of stars. The sharp image data also
reveal more distant background galaxies seen right through NGC 2442's
star clusters and nebulae. The image spans about 75,000 light-years at
the estimated distance of NGC 2442.
Tomorrow's picture: sun dagger
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Aug 7 01:15:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 7
The Pipe Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Mtanos
Explanation: East of Antares, dark markings sprawl through crowded star
fields toward the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. Cataloged in the
early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard, the obscuring
interstellar dust clouds include B59, B72, B77 and B78, seen in against
the starry background. Here, their combined shape suggests a pipe stem
and bowl, and so the dark nebula's popular name is the Pipe Nebula. The
deep and expansive view covers a full 10 by 10 degree field in the
pronounceable constellation Ophiuchus. The Pipe Nebula is part of the
Ophiuchus dark cloud complex located at a distance of about 450
light-years. Dense cores of gas and dust within the Pipe Nebula are
collapsing to form stars.
Tomorrow's picture: Somewhat Saturn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Aug 13 05:34:50 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 13
Jupiter and Saturn Rising Beyond Alien Throne Rock
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcin Zajac
Explanation: What planets are those behind that unusual rock spire?
Saturn (lower left) and Jupiter. This month, after sunset, the bright
planetary duo are quite prominent toward the southeast. Now your view
of our Solar System's largest planets might not include a picturesque
hoodoo in the foreground, nor the spectacular central band of our Milky
Way Galaxy across the background, but should be quite eye-catching
anyway. The featured image is a composite of consecutive foreground
and background exposures all taken in late May with the same camera and
from the same location -- the badlands of the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah
Wilderness in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico, USA. The rock spire,
informally dubbed 'Alien Throne', stands about 3 meters tall. Saturn
and Jupiter will remain visible together after sunset for several
months.
Tomorrow's picture: Space S
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Aug 14 00:23:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 14
NGC 5189: An Unusually Complex Planetary Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Reprocessing & Copyright: Jesús
M. Vargas
Explanation: Why is this nebula so complex? When a star like our Sun is
dying, it will cast off its outer layers, usually into a simple overall
shape. Sometimes this shape is a sphere, sometimes a double lobe, and
sometimes a ring or a helix. In the case of planetary nebula NGC 5189,
however, besides an overall "Z" shape (the featured image is flipped
horizontally and so appears as an "S"), no such simple structure has
emerged. To help find out why, the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space
Telescope has observed NGC 5189 in great detail. Previous findings
indicated the existence of multiple epochs of material outflow,
including a recent one that created a bright but distorted torus
running horizontally across image center. Hubble results appear
consistent with a hypothesis that the dying star is part of a binary
star system with a precessing symmetry axis. NGC 5189 spans about three
light years and lies about 3,000 light years away toward the southern
constellation of the Fly (Musca).
Tomorrow's picture: Moon meets Mars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Aug 15 00:18:22 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 15
Mars at the Moon's Edge
Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Scauso
Explanation: Does the Moon ever block out Mars? Yes, the Moon
occasionally moves in front of all of the Solar System's planets. Just
this past Sunday, as visible from some locations in South America, a
waning gibbous Moon eclipsed Mars. The featured image from Córdoba,
Argentina captured this occultation well, showing a familiar cratered
Moon in the foreground with the bright planet Mars unusually adjacent.
Within a few seconds, Mars then disappeared behind the Moon, only to
reappear a few minutes later across the Moon. Today the Moon moves
close to, but not in front of, Venus. Because alignments will not have
changed by much, the next two times the Moon passes through this part
of the sky - in early September and early October - it will also occult
Mars, as seen from parts of South America.
Pereid Meteor Shower: Notable images submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: grand galaxy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Aug 16 00:22:14 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 16
NGC 6814: Grand Design Spiral Galaxy from Hubble
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: In the center of this serene stellar swirl is likely a
harrowing black-hole beast. The surrounding swirl sweeps around
billions of stars which are highlighted by the brightest and bluest.
The breadth and beauty of the display give the swirl the designation of
a grand design spiral galaxy. The central beast shows evidence that it
is a supermassive black hole about 10 million times the mass of our
Sun. This ferocious creature devours stars and gas and is surrounded by
a spinning moat of hot plasma that emits blasts of X-rays. The central
violent activity gives it the designation of a Seyfert galaxy.
Together, this beauty and beast are cataloged as NGC 6814 and have been
appearing together toward the constellation of the Eagle (Aquila) for
roughly the past billion years.
Pereid Meteor Shower: Notable images submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Aug 19 00:53:24 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 19
The Sun Rotating
Video Credit: SDO, NASA; Digital Composition: Kevin M. Gill
Explanation: Does the Sun change as it rotates? Yes, and the changes
can vary from subtle to dramatic. In the featured time-lapse sequences,
our Sun -- as imaged by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory -- is shown
rotating though an entire month in 2014. In the large image on the
left, the solar chromosphere is depicted in ultraviolet light, while
the smaller and lighter image to its upper right simultaneously shows
the more familiar solar photosphere in visible light. The rest of the
inset six Sun images highlight X-ray emission by relatively rare iron
atoms located at different heights of the corona, all false-colored to
accentuate differences. The Sun takes just under a month to rotate
completely -- rotating fastest at the equator. A large and active
sunspot region rotates into view soon after the video starts. Subtle
effects include changes in surface texture and the shapes of active
regions. Dramatic effects include numerous flashes in active regions,
and fluttering and erupting prominences visible all around the Sun's
edge. Presently, our Sun is passing an unusually low Solar minimum in
activity of its 11-year magnetic cycle. As the video ends, the same
large and active sunspot region previously mentioned rotates back into
view, this time looking different.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Aug 21 00:27:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 21
Unwinding M51
Image Credit & Copyright: Data - Hubble Heritage Project, Unwinding -
Paul Howell
Explanation: The arms of a grand design spiral galaxy 60,000
light-years across are unwound in this digital transformation of the
magnificent 2005 Hubble Space Telescope portrait of M51. In fact, M51
is one of the original spiral nebulae, its winding arms described by a
mathematical curve known as a logarithmic spiral, a spiral whose
separation grows in a geometric way with increasing distance from the
center. Applying logarithms to shift the pixel coordinates in the
Hubble image relative to the center of M51 maps the galaxy's spiral
arms into diagonal straight lines. The transformed image dramatically
shows the arms themselves are traced by star formation, lined with
pinkish starforming regions and young blue star clusters. Companion
galaxy NGC 5195 (top) seems to alter the track of the arm in front of
it though, and itself remains relatively unaffected by this unwinding
of M51. Also known as the spira mirabilis, logarthimic spirals can be
found in nature on all scales. For example, logarithmic spirals can
also describe hurricanes, the tracks of subatomic particles in a bubble
chamber and, of course, cauliflower.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Aug 22 00:22:04 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 22
Yogi And Friends In 3D
Image Credit & Copyright: IMP Team, JPL, NASA
Explanation: From July of 1997, a ramp from the Pathfinder lander, the
Sojourner robot rover, airbags, a couch, Barnacle Bill and Yogi Rock
appear together in this 3D stereo view of the surface of Mars. Barnacle
Bill is the rock just left of the solar-paneled Sojourner. Yogi is the
big friendly-looking boulder at top right. The "couch" is the angular
rock shape visible near center on the horizon. Look at the image with
red/blue glasses (or just hold a piece of clear red plastic over your
left eye and blue or green over your right) to get the dramatic 3D
perspective. The stereo view was recorded by the remarkable Imager for
Mars Pathfinder (IMP) camera. The IMP had two optical paths for stereo
imaging and ranging and was equipped with an array of color filters for
spectral analysis. Operating as the first astronomical observatory on
Mars, the IMP also recorded images of the Sun and Deimos, the smallest
of Mars' two tiny moons. This July saw the launch of NASA's Mars
Perseverance Rover on a mission to the Red Planet.
Tomorrow's picture: helix in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Aug 23 08:22:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 23
The Helix Nebula from Blanco and Hubble
Image Credit: C. R. O'Dell, (Vanderbilt) et al. ESA, NOAO, NASA
Explanation: How did a star create the Helix nebula? The shapes of
planetary nebula like the Helix are important because they likely hold
clues to how stars like the Sun end their lives. Observations by the
orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and the 4-meter Blanco Telescope in
Chile, however, have shown the Helix is not really a simple helix.
Rather, it incorporates two nearly perpendicular disks as well as arcs,
shocks, and even features not well understood. Even so, many strikingly
geometric symmetries remain. How a single Sun-like star created such
beautiful yet geometric complexity is a topic of research. The Helix
Nebula is the nearest planetary nebula to Earth, lies only about 700
light years away toward the constellation of Aquarius, and spans about
3 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: a rounder moon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon Aug 24 00:08:58 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 24
Crescent Moon HDR
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva)
Explanation: How come the crescent Moon doesn't look like this? For one
reason, because your eyes can't simultaneously discern bright and dark
regions like this. Called earthshine or the da Vinci glow, the unlit
part of a crescent Moon is visible but usually hard to see because it
is much dimmer than the sunlit arc. In our digital age, however, the
differences in brightness can be artificially reduced. The featured
image is actually a digital composite of 15 short exposures of the
bright crescent, and 14 longer exposures of the dim remainder. The
origin of the da Vinci glow, as explained by Leonardo da Vinci about
510 years ago, is sunlight reflected first by the Earth to the Moon,
and then back from the Moon to the Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: around a black hole
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Aug 28 00:10:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 28
The Valley of Orion
Visualization Credit: NASA, ESA, F. Summers, G. Bacon,
Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Frattare, M. Robberto, M. Gennaro (STScI)
and R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC)
Explanation: This exciting and unfamiliar view of the Orion Nebula is a
visualization based on astronomical data and movie rendering
techniques. Up close and personal with a famous stellar nursery
normally seen from 1,500 light-years away, the digitally modeled frame
transitions from a visible light representation based on Hubble data on
the left to infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope on the
right. The perspective at the center looks along a valley over a
light-year wide, in the wall of the region's giant molecular cloud.
Orion's valley ends in a cavity carved by the energetic winds and
radiation of the massive central stars of the Trapezium star cluster.
The single frame is part of a multiwavelength, three-dimensional video
that lets the viewer experience an immersive, three minute flight
through the Great Nebula of Orion.
Tomorrow's picture: light-dark Mars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Aug 30 00:11:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 August 30
NGC 6357: Cathedral to Massive Stars
Image Credit: NASA, ESA and Jesús Maíz Apellániz (IAA, Spain);
Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin (ESA/Hubble)
Explanation: How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from
distance, brightness and standard solar models had given one star in
the open cluster Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making
it one of the most massive stars known. This star is the brightest
object located just above the gas front in the featured image. Close
inspection of images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, however,
have shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a
single star but from three at least. Component stars would still remain
near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars
currently on record. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still
forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357. Appearing perhaps
like a Gothic cathedral, energetic stars near the center appear to be
breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon.
Teachers & Students: Ideas for Utilizing APOD in the Classroom
Tomorrow's picture: micro-quasar imagined
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Sep 1 00:03:00 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 1
Salt Water Remnants on Ceres
Video Credit: Dawn Mission, NASA, JPL-Caltech, UCLA, MPS/DLR/IDA
Explanation: Does Ceres have underground pockets of water? Ceres, the
largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, was thought to be composed of
rock and ice. At the same time, Ceres was known to have unusual bright
spots on its surface. These bright spots were clearly imaged during
Dawn's exciting approach in 2015. Analyses of Dawn images and spectra
indicated that the bright spots arise from the residue of
highly-reflective salt water that used to exist on Ceres' surface but
evaporated. Recent analysis indicates that some of this water may have
originated from deep inside Ceres, indicating Ceres to be a kindred
spirit with several Solar System moons, also thought to harbor deep
water pockets. The featured video shows in false-color pink the bright
evaporated brine named Cerealia Facula in Occator Crater. In 2018, the
mission-successful but fuel-depleted Dawn spacecraft was placed in a
distant parking orbit, keeping it away from the Ceres' surface for at
least 20 years to avoid interfering with any life that might there
exist.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: bonus moons
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Sep 3 00:40:52 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 3
A Halo for Andromeda
Digital Illustration Credit: NASA, ESA, J. DePasquale and E. Wheatley
(STScI) and Z. Levay
Explanation: M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, is the closest large spiral
galaxy to our Milky Way. Some 2.5 million light-years distant it shines
in Earth's night sky as a small, faint, elongated cloud just visible to
the unaided eye. Invisible to the eye though, its enormous halo of hot
ionized gas is represented in purplish hues for this digital
illustration of our neighboring galaxy above rocky terrain. Mapped by
Hubble Space Telescope observations of the absorption of ultraviolet
light against distant quasars, the extent and make-up of Andromeda's
gaseous halo has been recently determined by the AMIGA project. A
reservoir of material for future star formation, Andromeda's halo of
diffuse plasma was measured to extend around 1.3 million light-years or
more from the galaxy. That's about half way to the Milky Way, likely
putting it in contact with the diffuse gaseous halo of our own galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Sep 5 00:03:22 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 5
A Falcon 9 Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Katie Darby
Explanation: Illuminating planet Earth's night, full moons can have
many names. This year the last full moon of northern hemisphere summer
was on September 2, known to some as the Full Corn Moon. A few days
earlier on August 30 this almost full moon rose just before sunset
though, shining through cloudy skies over Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station on Florida's Space Coast. A well-timed snapshot caught the
glare of rocket engines firing below the lunar disk, a Falcon 9
rocket's first stage successfully returning to Cape Canaveral's landing
zone 1. About 9 minutes earlier, the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket had
launched the SAOCOM 1B satellite toward polar orbit. The fourth launch
for this reusable Falcon 9 first stage, it was the first launch to a
polar orbit from Cape Canaveral since 1969.
Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic crustacean
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Sep 8 00:41:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 8
GW190521: Unexpected Black Holes Collide
Illustration Credit: Raúl Rubio (Virgo Valencia Group, The Virgo
Collaboration)
Explanation: How do black holes like this form? The two black holes
that spiraled together to produce the gravitational wave event GW190521
were not only the most massive black holes ever seen by LIGO and VIRGO
so far, their masses -- 66 and 85 solar masses -- were unprecedented
and unexpected. Lower mass black holes, below about 65 solar masses are
known to form in supernova explosions. Conversely, higher mass black
holes, above about 135 solar masses, are thought to be created by very
massive stars imploding after they use up their weight-bearing
nuclear-fusion-producing elements. How such intermediate mass black
holes came to exist is yet unknown, although one hypothesis holds that
they result from consecutive collisions of stars and black holes in
dense star clusters. Featured is an illustration of the black holes
just before collision, annotated with arrows indicating their spin
axes. In the illustration, the spiral waves indicate the production of
gravitational radiation, while the surrounding stars highlight the
possibility that the merger occurred in a star cluster. Seen last year
but emanating from an epoch when the universe was only about half its
present age (z ~ 0.8), black hole merger GW190521 is the farthest yet
detected, to within measurement errors.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,200+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: stellar sisters
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Sep 9 00:47:38 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 9
Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster
Image Credit & Copyright: Raul Villaverde Fraile
Explanation: Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you
have, you probably have never seen it as large and clear as this.
Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of
the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a
light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though,
the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very
evident. The featured exposure covers a sky area several times the size
of the full moon. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades
lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull
(Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the
brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six of
the sister stars visible to the unaided eye. The actual number of
Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or less than seven,
depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the
observer's eyesight.
Teachers & Students: Ideas for utilizing APOD in the classroom.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Sep 15 00:56:04 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 15
Biomarker Phosphine Discovered in the Atmosphere of Venus
Image Credit: ISAS, JAXA, Akatsuki; Processing: Meli thev
Explanation: Could there be life floating in the atmosphere of Venus?
Although Earth's planetary neighbor has a surface considered too
extreme for any known lifeform, Venus' upper atmosphere may be
sufficiently mild for tiny airborne microbes. This usually disfavored
prospect took an unexpected upturn yesterday with the announcement of
the discovery of Venusian phosphine. The chemical phosphine (PH3) is a
considered a biomarker because it seems so hard to create from routine
chemical processes thought to occur on or around a rocky world such as
Venus -- but it is known to be created by microbial life on Earth. The
featured image of Venus and its thick clouds was taken in two bands of
ultraviolet light by the Venus-orbing Akatsuki, a Japanese robotic
satellite that has been orbiting the cloud-shrouded world since 2015.
The phosphine finding, if confirmed, may set off renewed interest in
searching for other indications of life floating high in the atmosphere
of our Solar System's second planet out from the Sun.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: asteroid ejection
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Sep 23 00:31:50 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 23
ISS Transits Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Glenn
Explanation: Yes, but have you ever seen the space station do this? If
you know when and where to look, watching the bright International
Space Station (ISS) drift across your night sky is a fascinating sight
-- but not very unusual. Images of the ISS crossing in front of the
half-degree Moon or Sun do exist, but are somewhat rare as they take
planning, timing, and patience to acquire. Catching the ISS crossing in
front of minuscule Mars, though, is on another level. Using online
software, the featured photographer learned that the unusual transit
would be visible only momentarily along a very narrow stretch of nearby
land spanning just 90 meters. Within this stretch, the equivalent
ground velocity of the passing ISS image would be a quick 7.4
kilometers per second. However, with a standard camera, a small
telescope, an exact location to set up his equipment, an exact
direction to point the telescope, and sub-millisecond timing -- he
created a video from which the featured 0.00035 second exposure was
extracted. In the resulting image capture, details on both Mars and the
ISS are visible simultaneously. The featured image was acquired last
Monday at 05:15:47 local time from just northeast of San Diego,
California, USA. Although typically much smaller, angularly, than the
ISS, Mars is approaching its maximum angular size in the next few
weeks, because the blue planet (Earth) is set to pass its closest to
the red planet (Mars) in their respective orbits around the Sun.
Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Sep 24 00:51:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 24
Enceladus in Infrared
Image Credit: VIMS Team, SSI, U. Arizona, U. Nantes, ESA, NASA
Explanation: One of our Solar System's most tantalizing worlds, icy
Saturnian moon Enceladus appears in these detailed hemisphere views
from the Cassini spacecraft. In false color, the five panels present 13
years of infrared image data from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping
Spectrometer and Imaging Science Subsystem. Fresh ice is colored red,
and the most dramatic features look like long gashes in the 500
kilometer diameter moon's south polar region. They correspond to the
location of tiger stripes, surface fractures that likely connect to an
ocean beneath the Enceladus ice shell. The fractures are the source of
the moon's icy plumes that continuously spew into space. The plumes
were discovered by by Cassini in 2005. Now, reddish hues in the
northern half of the leading hemisphere view also indicate a recent
resurfacing of other regions of the geologically active moon, a world
that may hold conditions suitable for life.
Experts Debate: How will humanity first discover extraterrestrial life?
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Sep 25 00:23:58 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 September 25
Moon over Andromeda
Composite Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block and Tim Puckett
Explanation: The Great Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda (also known as M31),
a mere 2.5 million light-years distant, is the closest large spiral to
our own Milky Way. Andromeda is visible to the unaided eye as a small,
faint, fuzzy patch, but because its surface brightness is so low,
casual skygazers can't appreciate the galaxy's impressive extent in
planet Earth's sky. This entertaining composite image compares the
angular size of the nearby galaxy to a brighter, more familiar
celestial sight. In it, a deep exposure of Andromeda, tracing beautiful
blue star clusters in spiral arms far beyond the bright yellow core, is
combined with a typical view of a nearly full Moon. Shown at the same
angular scale, the Moon covers about 1/2 degree on the sky, while the
galaxy is clearly several times that size. The deep Andromeda exposure
also includes two bright satellite galaxies, M32 and M110 (below and
right).
Tomorrow's picture: Observe the Moon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 2 00:28:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 2
Biking to the Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Susan Snow
Explanation: As you watched October's first Full Moon rise last night,
the Full Moon closest to the northern autumnal equinox, you were
probably asking yourself, "How long would it take to bike to the Moon?"
Sure, Apollo 11 astronauts made the trip in 1969, from launch to Moon
landing, in about 103 hours or 4.3 days. But the Moon is 400,000
kilometers away. This year, the top bike riders in planet Earth's
well-known Tour de France race covered almost 3,500 kilometers in 21
stages after about 87 hours on the road. That gives an average speed of
about 40 kilometers per hour and a lunar cycling travel time of 10,000
hours, a little over 416 days. While this bike rider's destination
isn't clear, his journey did begin around moonrise on September 27 near
Cleeve Hill, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, UK.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Oct 6 00:43:28 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 6
Mars Approach 2020
Image Credit: Jonathan T. Grayson
Explanation: Look to the east just after sunset tonight and you'll see
a most impressive Mars. Tonight, Mars will appear its biggest and
brightest of the year, as Earth passes closer to the red planet than it
has in over two years -- and will be again for another two years. In a
week, Mars will be almost as bright -- but at opposition, meaning that
it will be directly opposite the Sun. Due to the slightly oval shape of
the orbits of Mars and Earth, closest approach and opposition occur on
slightly different days. The featured image sequence shows how the
angular size of Mars has grown during its approach over the past few
months. Noticeably orange, Mars is now visible nearly all night long,
reflecting more sunlight toward Earth than either Saturn or Jupiter.
Even at its closest and largest, though, Mars will still appear over
100 times smaller, in diameter, than a full moon.
Tomorrow's picture: flying bat squid
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Oct 9 00:21:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 9
The Very Large Array at Moonset
Image Credit: Jeff Hellermann, NRAO / AUI / NSF
Explanation: An inspirational sight, these giant dish antennas of the
Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) rise above the New Mexico desert
at moonset. Mounted on piers but transportable on railroad tracks to
change the VLA's configuration, its 27 operating antennas are each
house-sized (25 meters across) and can be organized into an array
spanning the size of a city (35 kilometers). A prolific radio astronomy
workhorse, the VLA has been used to discover water on planet Mercury,
radio-bright coronae around stars, micro-quasars in our Galaxy,
gravitationally-induced Einstein rings around distant galaxies, and
radio counterparts to cosmologically distant gamma-ray bursts. Its vast
size has allowed astronomers to study the details of radio galaxies,
super-fast cosmic jets, and map the center of our own Milky Way. Now 40
years since its dedication the VLA has been used in more than 14,000
observing projects and contributed to more than 500 Ph.D.
dissertations. On October 10, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
will host a day-long online celebration of the VLA at 40 featuring
virtual tours and presentations on the history, operations, science,
and future of the Very Large Array.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Oct 12 00:34:50 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 12
Descending Toward Asteroid Bennu
Video Credit: NASA, OSIRIS-REx, NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio;
Data: NASA, U. Arizona, CSA, York U., MDA
Explanation: What would it be like to land on an asteroid? Although no
human has yet done it, NASA's robotic OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is
scheduled to attempt to touch the surface of asteroid 101955 Bennu next
week. The goal is to collect a sample from the nearby minor planet for
return to Earth for a detailed analysis in 2023. The featured video
shows what it looks like to descend toward the 500-meter diamond-shaped
asteroid, based on a digital map of Bennu's rocky surface constructed
from image and surface data taken by OSIRIS-REx over the past 1.5
years. The video begins by showing a rapidly spinning Bennu -- much
faster than its real rotation period of 4.3 hours. After the rotation
stops, the virtual camera drops you down to just above the rugged
surface and circles a house-sized rock outcrop named Simurgh, with the
flatter outcrop Roc visible behind it. If the return sample reaches
Earth successfully, it will be scrutinized for organic compounds that
might have seeded a young Earth, rare or unusual elements and minerals,
and clues about the early history of our Solar System.
Tomorrow's picture: opposing Mars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Oct 13 00:11:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 13
Mars, Pleiades, and Andromeda over Stone Lions
Image Credit & Copyright: Cem Özkeser
Explanation: Three very different -- and very famous -- objects were
all captured in a single frame last month. On the upper left is the
bright blue Pleiades, perhaps the most famous cluster of stars on the
night sky. The Pleiades (M45) is about 450 light years away and easily
found a few degrees from Orion. On the upper right is the expansive
Andromeda Galaxy, perhaps the most famous galaxy -- external to our own
-- on the night sky. Andromeda (M31) is one of few objects visible to
the unaided eye where you can see light that is millions of years old.
In the middle is bright red Mars, perhaps the most famous planet on the
night sky. Today Mars is at opposition, meaning that it is opposite the
Sun, with the result that it is visible all night long. In the
foreground is an ancient tomb in the Phygrian Valley in Turkey. The
tomb, featuring two stone lions, is an impressive remnant of a powerful
civilization that lived thousands of years ago. Mars, currently near
its brightest, can be easily found toward the east just after sunset.
Tomorrow's picture: a colorful space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Oct 14 00:21:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 14
The Colorful Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi
Image Credit & Copyright: Amir H. Abolfath
Explanation: The many spectacular colors of the Rho Ophiuchi
(oh'-fee-yu-kee) clouds highlight the many processes that occur there.
The blue regions shine primarily by reflected light. Blue light from
the Rho Ophiuchi star system and nearby stars reflects more efficiently
off this portion of the nebula than red light. The Earth's daytime sky
appears blue for the same reason. The red and yellow regions shine
primarily because of emission from the nebula's atomic and molecular
gas. Light from nearby blue stars - more energetic than the bright star
Antares - knocks electrons away from the gas, which then shines when
the electrons recombine with the gas. The dark brown regions are caused
by dust grains - born in young stellar atmospheres - which effectively
block light emitted behind them. The Rho Ophiuchi star clouds, well in
front of the globular cluster M4 visible here on the upper right, are
even more colorful than humans can see - the clouds emits light in
every wavelength band from the radio to the gamma-ray.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,200+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Oct 19 00:35:48 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 19
A Flight over Jupiter Near the Great Red Spot
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Video Processing & License:
Kevin M. Gill; Music: Vangelis
Explanation: Are you willing to wait to see the largest and oldest
known storm system in the Solar System? In the featured video,
Jupiter's Great Red Spot finally makes its appearance 2 minutes and 12
seconds into the 5-minute video. Before it arrives, you may find it
pleasing to enjoy the continually changing view of the seemingly serene
clouds of Jupiter, possibly with your lights low and sound up. The 41
frames that compose the video were captured in June as the robotic Juno
spacecraft was making a close pass over our Solar System's largest
planet. The time-lapse sequence actually occurred over four hours.
Since arriving at Jupiter in 2016, Juno's numerous discoveries have
included unexpectedly deep atmospheric jet streams, the most powerful
auroras ever recorded, and water-bearing clouds bunched near Jupiter's
equator.
Follow: Live coverage of tomorrow's OSIRIS-REx attempted
touchdown-and-go on asteroid Bennu
Tomorrow's picture: great sky orbs
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Oct 20 00:49:20 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 20
Saturn and Jupiter over Italian Peaks
Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer
Explanation: Saturn and Jupiter are getting closer. Every night that
you go out and check for the next two months, these two bright planets
will be even closer together on the sky. Finally, in mid-December, a
Great Conjunction will occur -- when the two planets will appear only
0.1 degrees apart -- just one fifth the angular diameter of the full
Moon. And this isn't just any Great Conjunction -- Saturn (left) and
Jupiter (right) haven't been this close since 1623, and won't be nearly
this close again until 2080. This celestial event is quite easy to see
-- already the two planets are easily visible toward the southwest just
after sunset -- and already they are remarkably close. Pictured, the
astrophotographer and partner eyed the planetary duo above the Tre Cime
di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo) in the Italian Alps about two
weeks ago.
Follow: Live coverage of today's OSIRIS-REx attempted touchdown-and-go
on asteroid Bennu
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Oct 21 00:31:24 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 21
A Night Sky Vista from Sardinia
Image Credit & Copyright: Tomás Slovinský
Explanation: How many famous sky objects can you find in this image?
The featured dark sky composite combines over 60 exposures spanning
over 220 degrees to create a veritable menagerie of night sky wonders.
Visible celestial icons include the Belt of Orion, the Orion Nebula,
the Andromeda Galaxy, the California Nebula, and bright stars Sirius
and Betelgeuse. You can verify that you found these, if you did, by
checking an annotated version of the image. A bit harder, though, is
finding Polaris and the Big Dipper. Also discernible are several
meteors from the Quandrantids meteor shower, red and green airglow, and
two friends of the astrophotographer. The picture was captured in
January from Sardinia, Italy. You can see sky wonders in your own night
sky tonight -- including more meteors than usual -- because tonight is
near peak of the yearly Orionids meteor shower.
News: NASA's OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Successfully Touches Asteroid
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 23 00:38:02 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 23
Supernova in NGC 2525
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Riess (STScI/JHU) and the SH0ES team
Acknowledgment: M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
Explanation: Big, beautiful, barred spiral galaxy NGC 2525 lies 70
million light-years from the Milky Way. It shines in Earth's night sky
within the boundaries of the southern constellation Puppis. About
60,000 light-years across, its spiral arms lined with dark dust clouds,
massive blue stars, and pinkish starforming regions wind through this
gorgeous Hubble Space Telescope snapshot. Spotted on the outskirts of
NGC 2525 in January 2018, supernova SN 2018gv is the brightest star in
the frame at the lower left. In time-lapse, a year long series of
Hubble observations followed the stellar explosion, the nuclear
detonation of a white dwarf star triggered by accreting material from a
companion star, as it slowly faded from view. Identified as a Type Ia
supernova, its brightness is considered a cosmic standard candle. Type
Ia supernovae are used to measure distances to galaxies and determine
the expansion rate of the Universe.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Oct 24 00:12:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 24
Globular Star Cluster 47 Tuc
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Mtanous
Explanation: Globular star cluster 47 Tucanae is a jewel of the
southern sky. Also known as NGC 104, it roams the halo of our Milky Way
Galaxy along with some 200 other globular star clusters. The second
brightest globular cluster (after Omega Centauri) as seen from planet
Earth, it lies about 13,000 light-years away and can be spotted
naked-eye close on the sky to the Small Magellanic Cloud in the
constellation of the Toucan. The dense cluster is made up of hundreds
of thousands of stars in a volume only about 120 light-years across.
Red giant stars on the outskirts of the cluster are easy to pick out as
yellowish stars in this sharp telescopic portrait. Tightly packed
globular cluster 47 Tuc is also home to a star with the closest known
orbit around a black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: dark-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Oct 25 00:25:36 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 25
Dark Matter in a Simulated Universe
Illustration Credit & Copyright: Tom Abel & Ralf Kaehler (KIPAC, SLAC),
AMNH
Explanation: Is our universe haunted? It might look that way on this
dark matter map. The gravity of unseen dark matter is the leading
explanation for why galaxies rotate so fast, why galaxies orbit
clusters so fast, why gravitational lenses so strongly deflect light,
and why visible matter is distributed as it is both in the local
universe and on the cosmic microwave background. The featured image
from the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium
previous Space Show Dark Universe highlights one example of how
pervasive dark matter might haunt our universe. In this frame from a
detailed computer simulation, complex filaments of dark matter, shown
in black, are strewn about the universe like spider webs, while the
relatively rare clumps of familiar baryonic matter are colored orange.
These simulations are good statistical matches to astronomical
observations. In what is perhaps a scarier turn of events, dark matter
-- although quite strange and in an unknown form -- is no longer
thought to be the strangest source of gravity in the universe. That
honor now falls to dark energy, a more uniform source of repulsive
gravity that seems to now dominate the expansion of the entire
universe.
Tomorrow's picture: spooky space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Oct 26 00:21:46 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 26
Reflections of the Ghost Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Bogdan Jarzyna
Explanation: Do any shapes seem to jump out at you from this
interstellar field of stars and dust? The jeweled expanse, filled with
faint, starlight-reflecting clouds, drifts through the night in the
royal constellation of Cepheus. Far from your own neighborhood on
planet Earth, these ghostly apparitions lurk along the plane of the
Milky Way at the edge of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex some
1,200 light-years away. Over two light-years across and brighter than
the other spooky chimeras, VdB 141 or Sh2-136 is also known as the
Ghost Nebula, seen at toward the bottom of the featured image. Within
the reflection nebula are the telltale signs of dense cores collapsing
in the early stages of star formation.
Tomorrow's picture: venusian volcano
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Oct 28 00:10:30 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 28
NGC 6357: The Lobster Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Mohr
Explanation: Why is the Lobster Nebula forming some of the most massive
stars known? No one is yet sure. Cataloged as NGC 6357, the Lobster
Nebula houses the open star cluster Pismis 24 near its center -- a home
to unusually bright and massive stars. The overall blue glow near the
inner star forming region results from the emission of ionized hydrogen
gas. The surrounding nebula, featured here, holds a complex tapestry of
gas, dark dust, stars still forming, and newly born stars. The
intricate patterns are caused by complex interactions between
interstellar winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity.
NGC 6357 spans about 400 light years and lies about 8,000 light years
away toward the constellation of the Scorpion.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Oct 29 00:06:34 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 29
The Ghoul of IC 2118
Image Credit & Copyright: Casey Good/Steve Timmons
Explanation: Inspired by the halloween season, this telescopic portrait
captures a cosmic cloud with a scary visage. The interstellar scene
lies within the dusty expanse of reflection nebula IC 2118 in the
constellation Orion. IC 2118 is about 800 light-years from your
neighborhood, close to bright bluish star Rigel at the foot of Orion.
Often identified as the Witch Head nebula for its appearance in a wider
field of view it now rises before the witching hour though. With spiky
stars for eyes, the ghoulish apparition identified here seems to extend
an arm toward Orion's hot supergiant star. The source of illumination
for IC 2118, Rigel is just beyond this frame at the upper left.
Tomorrow's picture: fear and terror
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 30 00:45:32 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 October 30
Fear and Dread: The Moons of Mars
Composite Image Credit & Copyright: Dennis Simmons
Explanation: On Halloween fear and dread will stalk your night skies,
also known as Phobos and Deimos the moons of Mars. The 2020 opposition
of Mars was on October 13, so the Red Planet will still rise shortly
after sunset. Near Halloween's Full Moon on the sky, its strange
yellowish glow will outshine other stars throughout the night. But the
two tiny Martian moons are very faint and in close orbits, making them
hard to spot, even with a small telescope. You can find them in this
carefully annotated composite view though. The overexposed planet's
glare is reduced and orbital paths for inner moon Phobos and outer moon
Deimos are overlayed on digitally combined images captured on October
6. The diminutive moons of Mars were discovered in August of 1877 by
astronomer Asaph Hall at the US Naval Observatory using the Great
Equatorial 26-inch Alvan Clark refractor.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy of horrors
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Nov 5 00:28:44 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 November 5
North of Orion's Belt
Image Credit & Copyright: Terry Hancock (Grand Mesa Observatory)
Explanation: Bright stars, interstellar clouds of dust and glowing
nebulae fill this cosmic scene, a skyscape just north of Orion's belt.
Close to the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, the wide field view spans
just under 5 degrees or about 10 full moons on the sky. Striking bluish
M78, a reflection nebula, is at the lower right. M78's tint is due to
dust preferentially reflecting the blue light of hot, young stars. In
colorful contrast, the red swath of glowing hydrogen gas streaming
through the center is part of the region's faint but extensive emission
nebula known as Barnard's Loop. At upper left, a dark dust cloud forms
a prominent silhouette cataloged as LDN 1622. While M78 and the complex
Barnard's Loop are some 1,500 light-years away, LDN 1622 is likely to
be much closer, only about 500 light-years distant from our fair planet
Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Nov 9 00:47:18 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 November 9
In Green Company: Aurora over Norway
Image Credit & Copyright: Max Rive
Explanation: Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those
instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the
third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only
cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went
high in the air, patience and experience paid off, and the creative
featured image was captured as a composite from three separate
exposures. The setting is a summit of the Austnesfjorden fjord close to
the town of Svolvear on the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. The
time was early 2014. Although our Sun has just passed the solar minimum
of its 11-year cycle, surface activity should pick up over the next few
years with the promise of triggering more spectacular auroras on Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: a soul without stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Nov 15 00:26:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 November 15
Edge-On Galaxy NGC 5866
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA);
Acknowledgment: W. Keel (U. Alabama)
Explanation: Why is this galaxy so thin? Many disk galaxies are just as
thin as NGC 5866, pictured here, but are not seen edge-on from our
vantage point. One galaxy that is situated edge-on is our own Milky Way
Galaxy. Classified as a lenticular galaxy, NGC 5866 has numerous and
complex dust lanes appearing dark and red, while many of the bright
stars in the disk give it a more blue underlying hue. The blue disk of
young stars can be seen extending past the dust in the extremely thin
galactic plane, while the bulge in the disk center appears tinged more
orange from the older and redder stars that likely exist there.
Although similar in mass to our Milky Way Galaxy, light takes about
60,000 years to cross NGC 5866, about 30 percent less than light takes
to cross our own Galaxy. In general, many disk galaxies are very thin
because the gas that formed them collided with itself as it rotated
about the gravitational center. Galaxy NGC 5866 lies about 44 million
light years distant toward the constellation of the Dragon (Draco).
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: grecian skyscape
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Nov 18 01:38:12 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 November 18
A Double Star Cluster in Perseus
Image Credit & Copyright: Greg Polanski
Explanation: Most star clusters are singularly impressive. Open
clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884, however, could be considered doubly
impressive. Also known as "h and chi Persei", this unusual double
cluster, shown above, is bright enough to be seen from a dark location
without even binoculars. Although their discovery surely predates
recorded history, the Greek astronomer Hipparchus notably cataloged the
double cluster. The clusters are over 7,000 light years distant toward
the constellation of Perseus, but are separated by only hundreds of
light years. In addition to being physically close together, the
clusters' ages based on their individual stars are similar - evidence
that both clusters were likely a product of the same star-forming
region.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sat Nov 21 01:39:20 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 November 21
Mars and Meteor over Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)
Explanation: A brilliant yellowish celestial beacon, Mars still dazzles
in the night. Peering between clouds the wandering planet was briefly
joined by the flash of a meteor in this moonless dark sky on November
18. The single exposure was taken as the Earth swept up dust from
periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle during the annual Leonid Meteor Shower.
The view of a rugged western horizon looks along the Yulong mountain
range in Yunnan province, southwestern China. Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow
Mountain lies below the clouds and beyond the end of the meteor streak.
Tomorrow's picture: dark marking on the sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Dec 10 00:32:28 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 10
Simeis 147: Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Georges Attard
Explanation: It's easy to get lost following the intricate looping
filaments in this detailed image of supernova remnant Simeis 147. Also
cataloged as Sharpless 2-240 it goes by the popular nickname, the
Spaghetti Nebula. Seen toward the boundary of the constellations Taurus
and Auriga, it covers nearly 3 degrees or 6 full moons on the sky.
That's about 150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud's estimated
distance of 3,000 light-years. This composite includes image data taken
through narrow-band filters where reddish emission from ionized
hydrogen atoms and doubly ionized oxygen atoms in faint blue-green hues
trace the shocked, glowing gas. The supernova remnant has an estimated
age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from the massive stellar
explosion first reached Earth 40,000 years ago. But the expanding
remnant is not the only aftermath. The cosmic catastrophe also left
behind a spinning neutron star or pulsar, all that remains of the
original star's core.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sat Dec 12 00:19:50 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 12
Saturn and Jupiter in Summer 2020
Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN), Onur Durma
Explanation: During this northern summer Saturn and Jupiter were both
near opposition, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. Their paired
retrograde motion, seen about every 20 years, is followed from 19 June
through 28 August in this panoramic composite as they wander together
between the stars in western Capricornus and eastern Sagittarius. But
this December's skies find them drawing even closer together. Jupiter
and Saturn are now close, bright celestial beacons in the west after
sunset. On solstice day December 21 they will reach their magnificent
20 year Great Conjunction. Then the two largest worlds in the Solar
System will appear in Earth's sky separated by only about 1/5 the
apparent diameter of a Full Moon.
Tomorrow's picture: Phaethon's brood
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sun Dec 20 00:29:50 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 20
A Volcanic Great Conjunction
Image Credit & Copyright: Francisco Sojuel
Explanation: Where can I see the Great Conjunction? Near where the Sun
just set. Directionally, this close passing of Jupiter and Saturn will
be toward the southwest. Since the planetary pair, the Sun, and the
Earth are nearly in a geometric straight line, the planets will be seen
to set just where the Sun had set -- from every location on Earth. When
can I see the Great Conjunction? Just after sunset. Since the two
planets are so near the Sun directionally, they always appear in the
sky near the Sun, but can best be seen when the Earth blocks the Sun
but not the planets: sunset. Soon thereafter, Jupiter and Saturn will
also set, so don't be late! Is tomorrow night the only night that I can
see the Great Conjunction? Tomorrow night the jovian giants will appear
the closest, but on any night over the next few days they will appear
unusually close. Technically, the closest pass happens on 21 December
at 18:20 UTC. Will there be an erupting volcano on the horizon near the
Great Conjunction? Yes, for example if you live in Guatemala where the
featured image was taken. Otherwise, generally, no. In the featured
image captured last week, Jupiter and Saturn are visible toward the
right, just above a tree, and bathed in the diffuse glow of zodiacal
light.
Growing Gallery: Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to
APOD
Tomorrow's picture: one day short
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Dec 21 00:36:10 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 21
Solstice: Sunrises Around the Year
Image Credit & Copyright: Zaid M. Al-Abbadi
Explanation: Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the
months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too. The
featured image shows the direction of sunrise every month during 2019
as seen from near the city of Amman, Jordan. The camera in the image is
always facing due east, with north toward the left and south toward the
right. Although the Sun always rises in the east in general, it rises
furthest to the south of east on the December solstice, and furthest
north of east on the June solstice. Today is the December solstice, the
day of least sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere and of most sunlight
in the Southern Hemisphere. In many countries, the December Solstice is
considered an official change in season: for example the first day of
winter in the North. Solar heating and stored energy in the Earth's
surface and atmosphere are near their lowest during winter, making the
winter months usually the coldest of the year. On the brighter side, in
the north, daylight hours will now increase every day from until June.
Sunset: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn
Tomorrow's picture: three jets
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Dec 22 00:28:26 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 22
Trifid Pillars and Jets
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Space Telescope, HLA; Processing:
Advait Mehla
Explanation: Dust pillars are like interstellar mountains. They survive
because they are more dense than their surroundings, but they are being
slowly eroded away by a hostile environment. Visible in the featured
picture is the end of a huge gas and dust pillar in the Trifid Nebula
(M20), punctuated by a smaller pillar pointing up and an unusual jet
pointing to the left. Many of the dots are newly formed low-mass stars.
A star near the small pillar's end is slowly being stripped of its
accreting gas by radiation from a tremendously brighter star situated
off the top of the image. The jet extends nearly a light-year and would
not be visible without external illumination. As gas and dust evaporate
from the pillars, the hidden stellar source of this jet will likely be
uncovered, possibly over the next 20,000 years.
Growing Gallery: Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to
APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 23 00:52:40 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 23
Jupiter Meets Saturn: A Red Spotted Great Conjunction
Image Credit & Copyright: Damian Peach
Explanation: It was time for their close-up. Two days ago Jupiter and
Saturn passed a tenth of a degree from each other in what is known a
Great Conjunction. Although the two planets pass each other on the sky
every 20 years, this was the closest pass in nearly four centuries.
Taken early in day of the Great Conjunction, the featured
multiple-exposure combination captures not only both giant planets in a
single frame, but also Jupiter's four largest moons (left to right)
Callisto, Ganymede, Io, and Europa -- and Saturn's largest moon Titan.
If you look very closely, the clear Chilescope image even captures
Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The now-separating planets can still be seen
remarkably close -- within about a degree -- as they set just after the
Sun, toward the west, each night for the remainder of the year.
Gallery: Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Dec 24 00:05:16 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 24
Portrait of NGC 1055
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member
of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the
aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island
universe spans over 100,000 light-years, a little larger than our own
Milky Way galaxy. The colorful, spiky stars decorating this cosmic
portrait of NGC 1055 are in the foreground, well within the Milky Way.
But the telltale pinkish star forming regions are scattered through
winding dust lanes along the distant galaxy's thin disk. With a
smattering of even more distant background galaxies, the deep image
also reveals a boxy halo that extends far above and below the central
bluge and disk of NGC 1055. The halo itself is laced with faint, narrow
structures, and could represent the mixed and spread out debris from a
satellite galaxy disrupted by the larger spiral some 10 billion years
ago.
Tomorrow's picture: Postcard from the North
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Dec 26 00:06:42 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 26
Fox Fur, Unicorn, and Christmas Tree
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva)
Explanation: Clouds of glowing hydrogen gas fill this colorful skyscape
in the faint but fanciful constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. A star
forming region cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of cosmic gas
and dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish emission
nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars with dark
interstellar dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie
close to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue
reflection nebulae. The telescopic image spans about 1.5 degrees or 3
full moons, covering nearly 80 light-years at the distance of NGC 2264.
Its cast of cosmic characters includes the the Fox Fur Nebula, whose
dusty, convoluted pelt lies left of center, bright variable star S
Monocerotis immersed in the blue-tinted haze near center, and the Cone
Nebula pointing in from the right side of the frame. Of course, the
stars of NGC 2264 are also known as the Christmas Tree star cluster.
The triangular tree shape is seen on its side here. Traced by brighter
stars it has its apex at the Cone Nebula. The tree's broader base is
centered near S Monocerotis.
Tomorrow's picture: pixel in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 30 02:28:00 2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2020 December 30
Jupiter and Saturn Great Conjunction: The Movie
Video Credit: Thanakrit Santikunaporn (National Astronomical Research
Institute of Thailand); Text: Matipon Tangmatitham
Explanation: Yes, but have you seen a movie of Jupiter and Saturn's
Great Conjunction? The featured time-lapse video was composed from a
series of images taken from Thailand and shows the two giant planets as
they angularly passed about a tenth of a degree from each other. The
first Great Conjunction sequence shows a relative close up over five
days with moons and cloud bands easily visible, followed by a second
video sequence, zoomed out, over 9 days. Even though Jupiter and Saturn
appeared to pass unusually close together on the sky on December 21,
2020, in actuality they were still nearly a billion kilometers apart.
The two gas giants are destined for similar meet ups every 19.86 years.
However, they had not come this close, angularly, for the past 397
years, and will not again for another 60 years. If you're willing to
wait until the year 7541, though, you can see Jupiter pass directly in
front of Saturn.
Gallery: Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Jan 4 01:07:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 4
Sprite Lightning at 100,000 Frames Per Second
Video Credit & Copyright: Matthew G McHarg, Jacob L Harley, Thomas
Ashcraft, Hans Nielsen
Explanation: What causes sprite lightning? Mysterious bursts of light
in the sky that momentarily resemble gigantic jellyfish have been
recorded for over 30 years, but apart from a general association with
positive cloud-to-ground lightning, their root cause remains unknown.
Some thunderstorms have them -- most don't. Recently, however, high
speed videos are better detailing how sprites actually develop. The
featured video, captured in mid-2019, is fast enough -- at about
100,000 frames per second -- to time-resolve several sprite "bombs"
dropping and developing into the multi-pronged streamers that appear on
still images. Unfortunately, the visual clues provided by videos like
these do not fully resolve the sprite origins mystery. High speed
vidoes do indicate to some researchers, though, that sprites are more
likely to occur when plasma irregularities exist in the upper
atmosphere.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,300+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: it's a galaxy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Jan 5 00:04:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 5
The Small Cloud of Magellan
Image Credit & Copyright: José Mtanous
Explanation: What is the Small Magellanic Cloud? It has turned out to
be a galaxy. People who have wondered about this little fuzzy patch in
the southern sky included Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and
his crew, who had plenty of time to study the unfamiliar night sky of
the south during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth in the
early 1500s. As a result, two celestial wonders easily visible for
southern hemisphere skygazers are now known in Western culture as the
Clouds of Magellan. Within the past 100 years, research has shown that
these cosmic clouds are dwarf irregular galaxies, satellites of our
larger spiral Milky Way Galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud actually
spans 15,000 light-years or so and contains several hundred million
stars. About 210,000 light-years away in the constellation of the Tucan
(Tucana), it is more distant than other known Milky Way satellite
galaxies, including the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy and the Large
Magellanic Cloud. This sharp image also includes the foreground
globular star cluster 47 Tucanae on the right.
Tomorrow's picture: streaking dunes
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From
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All on Wed Jan 6 00:01:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 6
Striped Sand Dunes on Mars
Image Credit: HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA; Processing: Wl/odek
Gl/azewski;
Text: Alex R. Howe (NASA/USRA, Reader's History of SciFi Podcast)
Explanation: Why are these sand dunes on Mars striped? No one is sure.
The featured image shows striped dunes in Kunowsky Crater on Mars,
photographed recently with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE
Camera. Many Martian dunes are known to be covered unevenly with carbon
dioxide (dry ice) frost, creating patterns of light and dark areas.
Carbon dioxide doesn't melt, but sublimates, turning directly into a
gas. Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse material even as a solid, so
it can trap heat under the ice and sublimate from the bottom up,
causing geyser-like eruptions. During Martian spring, these eruptions
can cause a pattern of dark defrosting spots, where the darker sand is
exposed. The featured image, though, was taken during Martian autumn,
when the weather is getting colder - making these stripes particularly
puzzling. One hypothesis is that they are caused by cracks in the ice
that form from weaker eruptions or thermal stress as part of the
day-night cycle, but research continues. Watching these dunes and
others through more Martian seasons may give us more clues to solve
this mystery.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Jan 7 00:24:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 7
Total Solar Eclipse 2020
Image Credit & Copyright: Miloslav Druckmuller, Andreas Moller, (Brno
University of Technology),
Explanation: Along a narrow path crossing southern South America
through Chile and Argentina, the final New Moon of 2020 moved in front
of the Sun on December 14 in the year's only total solar eclipse.
Within about 2 days of perigee, the closest point in its elliptical
orbit, the New Moon's surface is faintly lit by earthshine in this
dramatic composite view. The image is a processed composite of 55
calibrated exposures ranging from 1/640 to 3 seconds. Covering a large
range in brightness during totality, it reveals the dim lunar surface
and faint background stars, along with planet-sized prominences at the
Sun's edge, an enormous coronal mass ejection, and sweeping coronal
structures normally hidden in the Sun's glare. Look closely for an
ill-fated sungrazing Kreutz family comet (C/2020 X3 SOHO) approaching
from the lower left, at about the 7 o'clock position. In 2021 eclipse
chasers will see an annular solar eclipse coming up on June 10. They'll
have to wait until December 4 for the only total solar eclipse in 2021
though. That eclipse will be total along a narrow path crossing the
southernmost continent of Antarctica.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Sat Jan 9 00:19:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 9
Titan: Moon over Saturn
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute
Explanation: Like Earth's moon, Saturn's largest moon Titan is locked
in synchronous rotation. This mosaic of images recorded by the Cassini
spacecraft in May of 2012 shows its anti-Saturn side, the side always
facing away from the ringed gas giant. The only moon in the solar
system with a dense atmosphere, Titan is the only solar system world
besides Earth known to have standing bodies of liquid on its surface
and an earthlike cycle of liquid rain and evaporation. Its high
altitude layer of atmospheric haze is evident in the Cassini view of
the 5,000 kilometer diameter moon over Saturn's rings and cloud tops.
Near center is the dark dune-filled region known as Shangri-La. The
Cassini-delivered Huygens probe rests below and left of center, after
the most distant landing for a spacecraft from Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: star cluster breakout
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From
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All on Mon Jan 11 06:07:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 11
Moon Phases in 2021
Video Credit: Data: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ; Animation: NASA's
Scientific Visualization Studio;
Music: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 (Johann Sebastian Bach), by
Kevin MacLeod via Incompetech
Explanation: What will the Moon phase be on your birthday this year? It
is hard to predict because the Moon's appearance changes nightly. As
the Moon orbits the Earth, the half illuminated by the Sun first
becomes increasingly visible, then decreasingly visible. The featured
video animates images taken by NASA's Moon-orbiting Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter to show all 12 lunations that appear this year,
2021. A single lunation describes one full cycle of our Moon, including
all of its phases. A full lunation takes about 29.5 days, just under a
month (moon-th). As each lunation progresses, sunlight reflects from
the Moon at different angles, and so illuminates different features
differently. During all of this, of course, the Moon always keeps the
same face toward the Earth. What is less apparent night-to-night is
that the Moon's apparent size changes slightly, and that a slight
wobble called a libration occurs as the Moon progresses along its
elliptical orbit.
APOD online webinar January 12: Free registration, hosted by Amateur
Astronomers Association of New York.
Tomorrow's picture: folklore sky
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All on Wed Jan 13 06:25:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 13
Arches Across an Arctic Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi
Explanation: What are these two giant arches across the sky? Perhaps
the more familiar one, on the left, is the central band of our Milky
Way Galaxy. This grand disk of stars and nebulas here appears to
encircle much of the southern sky. Visible below the stellar arch is
the rusty-orange planet Mars and the extended Andromeda galaxy. For a
few minutes during this cold artic night, a second giant arch appeared
to the right, encircling part of the northern sky: an aurora. Auroras
are much closer than stars as they are composed of glowing air high in
Earth's atmosphere. Visible outside the green auroral arch is the group
of stars popularly known as the Big Dipper. The featured digital
composite of 18 images was captured in mid-December over the in Norway.
APOD Year in Review (2020): RJN's Night Sky Network Lecture
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Fri Jan 15 09:20:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 15
A Plutonian Landscape
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research
Institute
Explanation: This shadowy landscape of majestic mountains and icy
plains stretches toward the horizon on a small, distant world. It was
captured from a range of about 18,000 kilometers when New Horizons
looked back toward Pluto, 15 minutes after the spacecraft's closest
approach on July 14. The dramatic, low-angle, near-twilight scene
follows rugged mountains formally known as Norgay Montes from
foreground left, and Hillary Montes along the horizon, giving way to
smooth Sputnik Planum at right. Layers of Pluto's tenuous atmosphere
are also revealed in the backlit view. With a strangely familiar
appearance, the frigid terrain likely includes ices of nitrogen and
carbon monoxide with water-ice mountains rising up to 3,500 meters
(11,000 feet). That's comparable in height to the majestic mountains of
planet Earth. The Plutonian landscape is 380 kilometers (230 miles)
across.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jan 17 02:26:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 17
Jets from Unusual Galaxy Centaurus A
Image Credit: ESO/WFI (visible); MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A. Weiss et al.
(microwave); NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al. (X-ray)
Explanation: The jets emanating from Centaurus A are over a million
light years long. These jets of streaming plasma, expelled by a giant
black hole in the center of this spiral galaxy, light up this composite
image of Cen A. Exactly how the central black hole expels infalling
matter remains unknown. After clearing the galaxy, however, the jets
inflate large radio bubbles that likely glow for millions of years. If
energized by a passing gas cloud, the radio bubbles can even light up
again after billions of years. X-ray light is depicted in the featured
composite image in blue, while microwave light is colored orange. The
base of the jet in radio light shows details of the innermost light
year of the central jet.
Tomorrow's picture: brain star
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All on Mon Jan 18 03:27:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 18
The Medulla Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Russell Croman
Explanation: What powers this unusual nebula? CTB-1 is the expanding
gas shell that was left when a massive star toward the constellation of
Cassiopeia exploded about 10,000 years ago. The star likely detonated
when it ran out of elements, near its core, that could create
stabilizing pressure with nuclear fusion. The resulting supernova
remnant, nicknamed the Medulla Nebula for its brain-like shape, still
glows in visible light by the heat generated by its collision with
confining interstellar gas. Why the nebula also glows in X-ray light,
though, remains a mystery. One hypothesis holds that an energetic
pulsar was co-created that powers the nebula with a fast outwardly
moving wind. Following this lead, a pulsar has recently been found in
radio waves that appears to have been expelled by the supernova
explosion at over 1000 kilometers per second. Although the Medulla
Nebula appears as large as a full moon, it is so faint that it took
130-hours of exposure with two small telescopes in New Mexico, USA, to
create the featured image.
Tomorrow's picture: moon and planets
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Jan 19 00:28:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 19
A Lunar Corona with Jupiter and Saturn
Image Credit & Copyright: Alessandra Masi
Explanation: Why does a cloudy moon sometimes appear colorful? The
effect, called a lunar corona, is created by the quantum mechanical
diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets
in an intervening but mostly-transparent cloud. Since light of
different colors has different wavelengths, each color diffracts
differently. Lunar Coronae are one of the few quantum mechanical color
effects that can be easily seen with the unaided eye. Solar coronae are
also sometimes evident. The featured composite image was captured a few
days before the close Great Conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter last
month. In the foreground, the Italian village of Pieve di Cadore is
visible in front of the Sfornioi Mountains.
New: APOD is now available in Taiwanese from National Central
University
Tomorrow's picture: magnetic spiral
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From
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All on Wed Jan 20 00:03:22 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 20
The Magnetic Field of the Whirlpool Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, SOFIA, HAWC+, Alejandro S. Borlaff; JPL-Caltech,
ESA, Hubble; Text: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba)
Explanation: Do magnetic fields always flow along spiral arms? Our
face-on view of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) allows a spectacularly clear
view of the spiral wave pattern in a disk-shaped galaxy. When observed
with a radio telescope, the magnetic field appears to trace the arms'
curvature. However, with NASA's flying Stratospheric Observatory for
Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) observatory, the magnetic field at the outer
edge of M51's disk appears to weave across the arms instead. Magnetic
fields are inferred by grains of dust aligning in one direction and
acting like polaroid glasses on infrared light. In the featured image,
the field orientations determined from this polarized light are
algorithmically connected, creating streamlines. Possibly the
gravitational tug of the companion galaxy, at the top of the frame, on
the dusty gas of the reddish star-forming regions, visible in the
Hubble Space Telescope image, enhances turbulence -- stirring the dust
and lines to produce the unexpected field pattern of the outer arms.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Jan 22 00:20:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 22
The Milky Ring
Image Credit & Copyright: Alvin Wu
Explanation: An expanse of cosmic dust, stars and nebulae along the
plane of our Milky Way galaxy form a beautiful ring in this projected
all-sky view. The creative panorama covers the entire galaxy visible
from planet Earth, an ambitious 360 degree mosaic that took two years
to complete. Northern hemisphere sites in western China and southern
hemisphere sites in New Zealand were used to collect the image data.
Like a glowing jewel set in the milky ring, the bulge of the galactic
center, is at the very top. Bright planet Jupiter is the beacon just
above the central bulge and left of red giant star Antares. Along the
plane and almost 180 degrees from the galactic center, at the bottom of
the ring is the area around Orion, denizen of the northern hemisphere's
evening winter skies. In this projection the ring of the Milky Way
encompasses two notable galaxies in southern skies, the large and small
Magellanic clouds.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 23 00:43:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 23
Recycling Cassiopeia A
Image Credit: X-ray - NASA, CXC, SAO; Optical - NASA,STScI
Explanation: Massive stars in our Milky Way Galaxy live spectacular
lives. Collapsing from vast cosmic clouds, their nuclear furnaces
ignite and create heavy elements in their cores. After a few million
years, the enriched material is blasted back into interstellar space
where star formation can begin anew. The expanding debris cloud known
as Cassiopeia A is an example of this final phase of the stellar life
cycle. Light from the explosion which created this supernova remnant
would have been first seen in planet Earth's sky about 350 years ago,
although it took that light about 11,000 years to reach us. This
false-color image, composed of X-ray and optical image data from the
Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, shows the still
hot filaments and knots in the remnant. It spans about 30 light-years
at the estimated distance of Cassiopeia A. High-energy X-ray emission
from specific elements has been color coded, silicon in red, sulfur in
yellow, calcium in green and iron in purple, to help astronomers
explore the recycling of our galaxy's star stuff. Still expanding, the
outer blast wave is seen in blue hues. The bright speck near the center
is a neutron star, the incredibly dense, collapsed remains of the
massive stellar core.
Tomorrow's picture: massive galaxy
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From
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All on Tue Jan 26 01:47:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 26
Central NGC 1316: After Galaxies Collide
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Daniel Nobre
Explanation: How did this strange-looking galaxy form? Astronomers turn
detectives when trying to figure out the cause of unusual jumbles of
stars, gas, and dust like NGC 1316. Inspection indicates that NGC 1316
is an enormous elliptical galaxy that somehow includes dark dust lanes
usually found in a spiral galaxy. Detailed images taken by the Hubble
Space Telescope shows details, however, that help in reconstructing the
history of this gigantic tangle. Deep and wide images show huge
collisional shells, while deep central images reveal fewer globular
clusters of stars toward NGC 1316's interior. Such effects are expected
in galaxies that have undergone collisions or merging with other
galaxies in the past few billion years. The dark knots and lanes of
dust, prominent in the featured image, indicate that one or more of the
devoured galaxies were spiral galaxies. NGC 1316 spans about 50,000
light years and lies about 60 million light years away toward the
constellation of the Furnace (Fornax).
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy magnet
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jan 27 00:02:38 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 27
The Vertical Magnetic Field of NGC 5775
Image Credit: NRAO, NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Text: Jayanne
English (U. Manitoba)
Explanation: How far do magnetic fields extend up and out of spiral
galaxies? For decades astronomers knew only that some spiral galaxies
had magnetic fields. However, after NRAO's Very Large Array (VLA) radio
telescope (popularized in the movie Contact) was upgraded in 2011, it
was unexpectedly discovered that these fields could extend vertically
away from the disk by several thousand light-years. The featured image
of edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 5775, observed in the CHANG-ES (Continuum
Halos in Nearby Galaxies) survey, also reveals spurs of magnetic field
lines that may be common in spirals. Analogous to iron filings around a
bar magnet, radiation from electrons trace galactic magnetic field
lines by spiraling around these lines at almost the speed of light. The
filaments in this image are constructed from those tracks in VLA data.
The visible light image, constructed from Hubble Space Telescope data,
shows pink gaseous regions where stars are born. It seems that winds
from these regions help form the magnificently extended galactic
magnetic fields.
Tomorrow's picture: Messier 66 Close Up
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Thu Jan 28 00:18:18 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 28
Messier 66 Close Up
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Leo Shatz
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy Messier 66 lies a mere 35
million light-years away. The gorgeous island universe is about 100
thousand light-years across, similar in size to the Milky Way. This
reprocessed Hubble Space Telescope close-up view spans a region about
30,000 light-years wide around the galactic core. It shows the galaxy's
disk dramatically inclined to our line-of-sight. Surrounding its bright
core, the likely home of a supermassive black hole, obscuring dust
lanes and young, blue star clusters sweep along spiral arms dotted with
the tell-tale glow of pinksh star forming regions. Messier 66, also
known as NGC 3627, is the brightest of the three galaxies in the
gravitationaly interacting Leo Triplet.
Tomorrow's picture: North America from North America
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 30 00:35:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 30
Southern Sky from 38,000 Feet
Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner
Explanation: Celestial sights of the southern sky shine above a cloudy
planet Earth in this gorgeous night sky view. The scene was captured
from an airliner's flight deck at 38,000 feet on a steady westbound
ride to Lima, Peru. To produce the sharp airborne astrophotograph, the
best of a series of short exposures were selected and digitally
stacked. The broad band of the southern Milky Way begins at top left
with the dark Coalsack Nebula and Southern Cross. Its expanse of
diffuse starlight encompasses the the Carina Nebula and large Gum
Nebula toward the right. Canopus, alpha star of Carina and second
brightest star in Earth's night is easy to spot below the Milky Way, as
is the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Small
Magellanic cloud just peeks above the cloudy horizon. Of course, the
South Celestial Pole also lies within the starry southern frame.
Tomorrow's picture: rocks from space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sun Jan 31 00:51:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 January 31
Asteroids in the Distance
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; R. Evans & K. Stapelfeldt (JPL)
Explanation: Rocks from space hit Earth every day. The larger the rock,
though, the less often Earth is struck. Many kilograms of space dust
pitter to Earth daily. Larger bits appear initially as a bright meteor.
Baseball-sized rocks and ice-balls streak through our atmosphere daily,
most evaporating quickly to nothing. Significant threats do exist for
rocks near 100 meters in diameter, which strike the Earth roughly every
1000 years. An object this size could cause significant tsunamis were
it to strike an ocean, potentially devastating even distant shores. A
collision with a massive asteroid, over 1 km across, is more rare,
occurring typically millions of years apart, but could have truly
global consequences. Many asteroids remain undiscovered. In the
featured image, one such asteroid -- shown by the long blue streak --
was found by chance in 1998 by the Hubble Space Telescope. A collision
with a large asteroid would not affect Earth's orbit so much as raise
dust that would affect Earth's climate. One likely result is a global
extinction of many species of life, possibly dwarfing the ongoing
extinction occurring now.
Tomorrow's picture: bunny-moon
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All on Mon Feb 1 01:38:22 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 1
Lunar Halo over Snowy Trees
Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand
Explanation: Have you ever seen a halo around the Moon? This fairly
common sight occurs when high thin clouds containing millions of tiny
ice crystals cover much of the sky. Each ice crystal acts like a
miniature lens. Because most of the crystals have a similar elongated
hexagonal shape, light entering one crystal face and exiting through
the opposing face refracts 22 degrees, which corresponds to the radius
of the Moon Halo. A similar Sun Halo may be visible during the day.
Exactly how ice-crystals form in clouds remains a topic of research. In
the featured image taken last week from Östersund, Sweden, a complete
lunar halo was captured over snowy trees and rabbit tracks.
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Tomorrow's picture: meteor streak and drift
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All on Tue Feb 2 00:05:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 2
A Colorful Quadrantid Meteor
Image Credit & Copyright: Frank Kuszaj
Explanation: Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually
cannot discern many colors, cameras often can. Pictured is a
Quadrantids meteor captured by camera over Missouri, USA, early this
month that was not only impressively bright, but colorful. The radiant
grit, likely cast off by asteroid 2003 EH1, blazed a path across
Earth's atmosphere. Colors in meteors usually originate from ionized
elements released as the meteor disintegrates, with blue-green
typically originating from magnesium, calcium radiating violet, and
nickel glowing green. Red, however, typically originates from energized
nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteoric
fireball was gone in a flash -- less than a second -- but it left a
wind-blown ionization trail that remained visible for several minutes.
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Tomorrow's picture: moon rock roll
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 3
Found on the Moon: Candidate for Oldest Known Earth Rock
Video Credit: NASA, Astromaterials 3D, Erika Blumenfeld et al.
Explanation: Was the oldest known rock on Earth found on the Moon?
Quite possibly. The story opens with the Apollo 14 lunar mission. Lunar
sample 14321, a large rock found in Cone crater by astronaut Alan
Shepard, when analyzed back on Earth, was found to have a fragment that
was a much better match to Earth rocks than other Moon rocks. Even more
surprising, that rock section has recently been dated back 4 billion
years, making it older, to within measurement uncertainty, than any
rock ever found on Earth. A leading hypothesis now holds that an
ancient comet or asteroid impact launched Earth rocks into the Solar
System, some of which fell back to the Moon, became mixed with heated
lunar soil and other rocks, cooled, and re-fragmented. The video
features an internal X-ray scan of 14321 showing multiple sections with
markedly different chemistries. Moon rocks will continue to be studied
to learn a more complete history of the Moon, the Earth, and the early
Solar System. Friday marks the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 14
landing on the Moon.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Feb 4 00:14:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 4
Apollo 14: A View from Antares
Image Credit: Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14, NASA; Mosaic - Eric M. Jones
Explanation: Fifty years ago this Friday, Apollo 14's Lunar Module
Antares landed on the Moon. Toward the end of the stay astronaut Ed
Mitchell snapped a series of photos of the lunar surface while looking
out a window, assembled into this detailed mosaic by Apollo Lunar
Surface Journal editor Eric Jones. The view looks across the Fra Mauro
highlands to the northwest of the landing site after the Apollo 14
astronauts had completed their second and final walk on the Moon.
Prominent in the foreground is their Modular Equipment Transporter, a
two-wheeled, rickshaw-like device used to carry tools and samples. Near
the horizon at top center is a 1.5 meter wide boulder dubbed Turtle
rock. In the shallow crater below Turtle rock is the long white handle
of a sampling instrument, thrown there javelin-style by Mitchell.
Mitchell's fellow moonwalker and first American in space, Alan Shepard,
also used a makeshift six iron to hit two golf balls. One of Shepard's
golf balls is just visible as a white spot below Mitchell's javelin.
Tomorrow's picture: and back again
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All on Fri Feb 5 02:41:36 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 5
Apollo 14 Heads for Home
Image Credit: Apollo 14, NASA, JSC, ASU (Image Reprocessing: Andy
Saunders)
Explanation: Fifty years ago this Sunday (February 7, 1971), the crew
of Apollo 14 left lunar orbit and headed for home. They watched this
Earthrise from their command module Kittyhawk. With Earth's sunlit
crescent just peeking over the lunar horizon, the cratered terrain in
the foreground is along the lunar farside. Of course, while orbiting
the Moon, the crew could watch Earth rise and set, but from the lunar
surface the Earth hung stationary in the sky over their landing site at
Fra Mauro Base. Rock samples returned from Fra Mauro included a 20
pound rock nicknamed Big Bertha, determined to contain a likely
fragment of a meteorite from planet Earth. Kept on board the Kittyhawk
during the Apollo 14 mission was a cannister of 400-500 seeds that were
later grown into Moon Trees.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 6
A Northern Winter Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Lukasz Zak
Explanation: Snow blankets the ground in this serene forest and sky
view. Assembled in a 360 degree panoramic projection, the mosaicked
frames were captured at January's end along a quiet country road near
Siemiony, northeastern Poland, planet Earth. The night was cold and
between trees reaching toward the sky shine the stars and nebulae of
the northern winter Milky Way. Near zenith is bright star Capella, a
mere 43 light-years above the tree tops. Alpha star of the
constellation Auriga the Charioteer and part of the winter hexagon
asterism, Capella is a well-studied double star system. Follow the
Milky Way above and right of Capella and you might spot the familiar
stars of Orion in the northern winter night.
Tomorrow's picture: straggler stars
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All on Sun Feb 7 00:17:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 7
Blue Straggler Stars in Globular Cluster M53
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA
Explanation: If our Sun were part of this star cluster, the night sky
would glow like a jewel box of bright stars. This cluster, known as M53
and cataloged as NGC 5024, is one of about 250 globular clusters that
survive in our Galaxy. Most of the stars in M53 are older and redder
than our Sun, but some enigmatic stars appear to be bluer and younger.
These young stars might contradict the hypothesis that all the stars in
M53 formed at nearly the same time. These unusual stars are known as
blue stragglers and are unusually common in M53. After much debate,
blue stragglers are now thought to be stars rejuvenated by fresh matter
falling in from a binary star companion. By analyzing pictures of
globular clusters like the featured image taken by the Hubble Space
Telescope, astronomers use the abundance of stars like blue stragglers
to help determine the age of the globular cluster and hence a limit on
the age of the universe. M53, visible with a binoculars towards the
constellation of Bernice's Hair (Coma Berenices), contains over 250,000
stars and is one of the furthest globulars from the center of our
Galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: ripple stars
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All on Mon Feb 8 00:43:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 8
WR32 and Interstellar Clouds in Carina
Image Credit & Copyright: Ariel Cappelletti
Explanation: Stars can be like artists. With interstellar gas as a
canvas, a massive and tumultuous Wolf-Rayet star has created the
picturesque ruffled half-circular filaments called WR32, on the image
left. Additionally, the winds and radiation from a small cluster of
stars, NGC 3324, have sculpted a 35 light year cavity on the upper
right, with its right side appearing as a recognizable face in profile.
This region's popular name is the Gabriela Mistral Nebula for the
famous Chilean poet. Together, these interstellar clouds lie about
8,000 light-years away in the Great Carina Nebula, a complex stellar
neighborhood harboring numerous clouds of gas and dust rich with
imagination inspiring shapes. The featured telescopic view captures
these nebulae's characteristic emission from ionized sulfur, hydrogen,
and oxygen atoms mapped to the red, green, and blue hues of the popular
Hubble Palette.
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Tomorrow's picture: flashes of pulsar
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All on Tue Feb 9 00:52:22 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 9
Flashes of the Crab Pulsar
Video Credit & Copyright: Martin Fiedler
Explanation: It somehow survived an explosion that would surely have
destroyed our Sun. Now it is spins 30 times a second and is famous for
the its rapid flashes. It is the Crab Pulsar, the rotating neutron star
remnant of the supernova that created the Crab Nebula. A careful eye
can spot the pulsar flashes in the featured time-lapse video, just
above the image center. The video was created by adding together images
taken only when the pulsar was flashing, as well as co-added images
from other relative times. The Crab Pulsar flashes may have been first
noted by an unknown woman attending a public observing night at the
University of Chicago in 1957 -- but who was not believed. The
progenitor supernova explosion was seen by many in the year 1054 AD.
The expanding Crab Nebula remains a picturesque expanding gas cloud
that glows across the electromagnetic spectrum. The pulsar is now
thought to have survived the supernova explosion because it is composed
of extremely-dense quantum-degenerate matter.
Tomorrow's picture: lasing space
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All on Wed Feb 10 00:41:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 10
Firing Lasers to Tame the Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Muñoz / ESO; Text: Juan Carlos
Muñoz
Explanation: Why do stars twinkle? Our atmosphere is to blame as
pockets of slightly off-temperature air, in constant motion, distort
the light paths from distant astronomical objects. Atmospheric
turbulence is a problem for astronomers because it blurs the images of
the sources they want to study. The telescope featured in this image,
located at ESO's Paranal Observatory, is equipped with four lasers to
combat this turbulence. The lasers are tuned to a color that excites
atoms floating high in Earth's atmosphere -- sodium left by passing
meteors. These glowing sodium spots act as artificial stars whose
twinkling is immediately recorded and passed to a flexible mirror that
deforms hundreds of times per second, counteracting atmospheric
turbulence and resulting in crisper images. The de-twinkling of stars
is a developing field of technology and allows, in some cases,
Hubble-class images to be taken from the ground. This technique has
also led to spin-off applications in human vision science, where it is
used to obtain very sharp images of the retina.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 11
Cygnus Mosaic 2010 - 2020
Image Credit & Copyright: J-P Metsavainio (Astro Anarchy)
Explanation: In brush strokes of interstellar dust and glowing gas,
this beautiful skyscape is painted across the plane of our Milky Way
Galaxy near the northern end of the Great Rift and the constellation
Cygnus the Swan. Composed over a decade with 400 hours of image data,
the broad mosaic spans an impressive 28x18 degrees across the sky.
Alpha star of Cygnus, bright, hot, supergiant Deneb lies at the left.
Crowded with stars and luminous gas clouds Cygnus is also home to the
dark, obscuring Northern Coal Sack Nebula and the star forming emission
regions NGC 7000, the North America Nebula and IC 5070, the Pelican
Nebula, just left and a little below Deneb. Many other nebulae and star
clusters are identifiable throughout the cosmic scene. Of course, Deneb
itself is also known to northern hemisphere skygazers for its place in
two asterisms, marking a vertex of the Summer Triangle, the top of the
Northern Cross.
Tomorrow's picture: eye spiral
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All on Fri Feb 12 00:58:10 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 12
Spiral Galaxy NGC 1350
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby, Warren Keller
Explanation: This gorgeous island universe lies about 85 million
light-years distant in the southern constellation Fornax. Inhabited by
young blue star clusters, the tightly wound spiral arms of NGC 1350
seem to join in a circle around the galaxy's large, bright nucleus,
giving it the appearance of a cosmic eye. In fact, NGC 1350 is about
130,000 light-years across. That makes it as large or slightly larger
than the Milky Way. For earth-based astronomers, NGC 1350 is seen on
the outskirts of the Fornax cluster of galaxies, but its estimated
distance suggests that it is not itself a cluster member. Of course,
the bright spiky stars in the foreground of this telescopic field of
view are members of our own spiral Milky Way galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Feb 13 01:42:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 13
Stereo Eros
Image Credit: NEAR Project, JHU APL, NASA
Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and float next to asteroid
433 Eros. Orbiting the Sun once every 1.8 years, the near-Earth
asteroid is named for the Greek god of love. Still, its shape more
closely resembles a lumpy potato than a heart. Eros is a diminutive 40
x 14 x 14 kilometer world of undulating horizons, craters, boulders and
valleys. Its unsettling scale and unromantic shape are emphasized in
this mosaic of images from the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft processed to
yield a stereo anaglyphic view. Along with dramatic chiaroscuro, NEAR
Shoemaker's 3-D imaging provided important measurements of the
asteroid's landforms and structures, and clues to the origin of this
city-sized chunk of Solar System. The smallest features visible here
are about 30 meters across. Beginning on February 14, 2000, historic
NEAR Shoemaker spent a year in orbit around Eros, the first spacecraft
to orbit an asteroid. Twenty years ago, on February 12 2001, it landed
on Eros, the first ever landing on an asteroid's surface. NEAR
Shoemaker's final transmission from the surface of Eros was on February
28, 2001.
Tomorrow's picture: a name for NGC 2237
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All on Sun Feb 14 01:35:56 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 14
Long Stem Rosette Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block & Tim Puckett
Explanation: Would the Rosette Nebula by any other name look as sweet?
The bland New General Catalog designation of NGC 2237 doesn't appear to
diminish the appearance of this flowery emission nebula, at the top of
the image, atop a long stem of glowing hydrogen gas. Inside the nebula
lies an open cluster of bright young stars designated NGC 2244. These
stars formed about four million years ago from the nebular material and
their stellar winds are clearing a hole in the nebula's center,
insulated by a layer of dust and hot gas. Ultraviolet light from the
hot cluster stars causes the surrounding nebula to glow. The Rosette
Nebula spans about 100 light-years across, lies about 5000 light-years
away, and can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation
of the Unicorn (Monoceros).
Jump around the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: seven minutes of terror
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All on Mon Feb 15 00:28:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 15
Landing on Mars: Seven Minutes of Terror
Video Credit: NASA, JPL
Explanation: Starting Thursday, there may be an amazing new robotic
explorer on Mars. Or there may be a new pile of junk. It all likely
depends on things going correctly in the minutes after the Mars 2020
mission arrives at its new home planet and attempts to deploy the
Perseverance rover. Arguably the most sophisticated landing yet
attempted on the red planet, consecutive precision events will involve
a heat shield, a parachute, several rocket maneuvers, and the automatic
operation of an unusual device called a Sky Crane. Thursday's Seven
Minutes of Terror echo the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars in
2012, as depicted in the featured video. If successful, the car-sized
Perseverance rover will rest on the surface of Mars, soon to begin
exploring Jezero Crater to better determine the habitability of this
seemingly barren world to life -- past, present, and future. Although
multiple media outlets may cover this event, one way to watch these
landing events unfold is on the NASA channel live on the web.
News: NASA Perseverance Coverage
Tomorrow's picture: seven more minutes
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All on Tue Feb 16 01:18:36 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 16
Perseverance: Seven Minutes to Mars
Video Credit: NASA, JPL
Explanation: How hard is it to land safely on Mars? So hard that many
more attempts have failed than succeeded. The next attempt will be on
Thursday. The main problem is that the Martian atmosphere is too thick
to ignore -- or it will melt your spacecraft. On the other hand, the
atmosphere is too thin to rely on parachutes -- or your spacecraft will
crash land. Therefore, as outlined in the featured video, the
Perseverance lander will lose much of its high speed by deploying a
huge parachute, but then switch to rockets, and finally, assuming
everything goes right, culminate with a hovering Sky Crane that will
slowly lower the car-sized Perseverance rover to the surface with
ropes. It may sound crazy, but the Curiosity rover was placed on Mars
using a similar method in 2012. From atmospheric entry to surface
touch-down takes about seven minutes, all coordinated by an onboard
computer because Mars is too far away for rapid interactive
communication. During this time, humans on Earth will simply wait to
hear if the landing was successful. Last week, UAE's Hope spacecraft
successfully began orbiting Mars, followed a day later by the Chinese
Tianwen-1 mission, which will likely schedule a landing of its own
rover sometime in the next few months.
News: NASA Perseverance Coverage
Tomorrow's picture: light pillar with flare
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From
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All on Wed Feb 17 00:17:18 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 17
Sun Pillar with Upper Tangent Arc
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Cohea
Explanation: This was not a typical sun pillar. Just after sunrise two
weeks ago in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, a photographer, looking out
his window, was suddenly awestruck. The astonishment was caused by a
sun pillar that fanned out at the top. Sun pillars, singular columns of
light going up from the Sun, are themselves rare to see, and are known
to be caused by sunlight reflecting from wobbling, hexagon-shaped
ice-disks falling through Earth's atmosphere. Separately, upper tangent
arcs are known to be caused by sunlight refracting through falling
hexagon-shaped ice-tubes. Finding a sun pillar connected to an upper
tangent arc is extraordinary, and, initially, took some analysis to
figure out what was going on. A leading theory is that this sun pillar
was also created, in a complex and unusual way, by falling ice tubes.
Few might believe that such a rare phenomenon was seen again if it
wasn't for the quick thinking of the photographer -- and the camera on
his nearby smartphone.
News from Mars: NASA Perseverance Coverage
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Thu Feb 18 00:20:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 18
Swiss Alps, Martian Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Jens Bydal
Explanation: Taken on February 6, this snowy mountain and skyscape was
captured near Melchsee-Frutt, central Switzerland, planet Earth. The
reddish daylight and blue tinted glow around the afternoon Sun are
colors of the Martian sky, though. Of course both worlds have the same
Sun. From Mars, the Sun looks only about half as bright and 2/3 the
size compared to its appearance from Earth. Lofted from the surface of
Mars, fine dust particles suspended in the thin Martian atmosphere are
rich in the iron oxides that make the Red Planet red. They tend to
absorb blue sunlight giving a red tinge to the Martian sky, while
forward scattering still makes the light appear relatively bluish near
the smaller, fainter Martian Sun. Normally Earth's denser atmosphere
strongly scatters blue light, making the terrestrial sky blue. But on
February 6 a huge cloud of dust blown across the Mediterranean from the
Sahara desert reached the Swiss Alps, dimming the Sun and lending that
Alpine afternoon the colors of the Martian sky. By the next day, only
the snow was left covered with reddish dust.
News from Mars: NASA Perseverance Coverage
Tomorrow's picture: pixels from space
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From
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All on Fri Feb 19 00:15:22 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 19
Mars Perseverance Sol 0
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Mars 2020
Explanation: After a 203 day interplanetary voyage, and seven minutes
of terror, Perseverance has landed on Mars. Confirmation of the
successful landing at Jezero crater was announced from mission control
at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California at 12:55 pm
PST on February 18. The car-sized Mars rover's Front Left Hazard
Avoidance Camera acquired this initial low resolution image shortly
after touchdown on mission Sol 0. A protective cover is still on the
camera, but the shadow of Perseverance, now the most ambitious rover
sent to the Red Planet, is visible cast across the martian surface.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sat Feb 20 02:06:10 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 20
Perseverance: How to Land on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Mars 2020
Explanation: Slung beneath its rocket powered descent stage
Perseverance hangs only a few meters above the martian surface,
captured here moments before its February 18 touchdown on the Red
Planet. The breath-taking view followed an intense seven minute trip
from the top of the martian atmosphere. Part of a high resolution
video, the picture was taken from the descent stage itself during the
final skycrane landing maneuver. Three taut mechanical cables about 7
meters long are visible lowering Perseverance, along with an electrical
umbilical connection feeding signals (like this image), to a computer
on board the car-sized rover. Below Perseverance streamers of martian
dust are kicked-up from the surface by the descent rocket engines.
Immediately after touchdown, the cables were released allowing the
descent stage to fly to a safe distance before exhausting its fuel as
planned.
Tomorrow's picture: the stars in a rose
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From
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All on Sun Feb 21 07:31:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 21
NGC 2244: A Star Cluster in the Rosette Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Don Goldman
Explanation: In the heart of the Rosette Nebula lies a bright open
cluster of stars that lights up the nebula. The stars of NGC 2244
formed from the surrounding gas only a few million years ago. The
featured image taken in January using multiple exposures and very
specific colors of Sulfur (shaded red), Hydrogen (green), and Oxygen
(blue), captures the central region in tremendous detail. A hot wind of
particles streams away from the cluster stars and contributes to an
already complex menagerie of gas and dust filaments while slowly
evacuating the cluster center. The Rosette Nebula's center measures
about 50 light-years across, lies about 5,200 light-years away, and is
visible with binoculars towards the constellation of the Unicorn
(Monoceros).
Tomorrow's picture: report from mars
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From
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All on Mon Feb 22 01:07:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 22
Moon Rising Between Starships
Image Credit & Copyright: John Kraus
Explanation: What's that on either side of the Moon? Starships.
Specifically, they are launch-and-return reusable rockets being
developed by SpaceX to lift cargo and eventually humans from the
Earth's surface into space. The two rockets pictured are SN9 (Serial
Number 9) and SN10 which were captured near their Boca Chica, Texas
launchpad last month posing below January's full Wolf Moon. The
Starships house liquid-methane engines inside rugged stainless-steel
shells. SN9 was test-launched earlier this month and did well with the
exception of one internal rocket that failed to relight during powered
descent. SN10 continues to undergo ground tests and may be
test-launched later this month.
Tomorrow's picture: space fowl
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Feb 23 05:59:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 23
Video: Perseverance Landing on Mars
Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech, Mars 2020 Mission Team
Explanation: What would it look like to land on Mars? To better monitor
the instruments involved in the Entry, Decent, and Landing of the
Perseverance Rover on Mars last week, cameras with video capability
were included that have now returned their images. The featured
3.5-minute composite video begins with the opening of a huge parachute
that dramatically slows the speeding spacecraft as it enters the
Martian atmosphere. Next the heat shield is seen separating and falls
ahead. As Perseverance descends, Mars looms large and its surface
becomes increasingly detailed. At just past 2-minutes into the video,
the parachute is released and Perseverance begins to land with
dust-scattering rockets. Soon the Sky Crane takes over and puts
Perseverance down softly, then quickly jetting away. The robotic
Perseverance rover will now begin exploring ancient Jezero Crater,
including a search for signs that life once existed on Earth's
neighboring planet.
Tomorrow's picture: old galaxy friend
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From
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All on Wed Feb 24 00:29:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 24
Spiral Galaxy M66 from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, Janice Lee; Processing & Copyright:
Leo Shatz; Text: Karen Masters
Explanation: It's always nice to get a new view of an old friend. This
stunning Hubble Space Telescope image of nearby spiral galaxy M66 is
just that. A spiral galaxy with a small central bar, M66 is a member of
the Leo Galaxy Triplet, a group of three galaxies about 30 million
light years from us. The Leo Triplet is a popular target for relatively
small telescopes, in part because M66 and its galactic companions M65
and NGC 3628 all appear separated by about the angular width of a full
moon. The featured image of M66 was taken by Hubble to help investigate
the connection between star formation and molecular gas clouds. Clearly
visible are bright blue stars, pink ionized hydrogen clouds --
sprinkled all along the outer spiral arms, and dark dust lanes in which
more star formation could be hiding.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Feb 25 01:08:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 25
A Venus Flyby
Image Credit: NASA, JHUAPL, Naval Research Lab, Guillermo Stenborg and
Brendan Gallagher
Explanation: On a mission to explore the inner heliosphere and solar
corona, on July 11, 2020 the Wide-field Imager on board NASA's Parker
Solar Probe captured this stunning view of the nightside of Venus at
distance of about 12,400 kilometers (7,693 miles). The spacecraft was
making the third of seven gravity-assist flybys of the inner planet.
The gravity-asssist flybys are designed to use the approach to Venus to
help the probe alter its orbit to ultimately come within 6 million
kilometers (4 million miles) of the solar surface in late 2025. A
surprising image, the side-looking camera seems to peer through the
clouds to show a dark feature near the center known as Aphrodite Terra,
the largest highland region on the Venusian surface. The bright rim at
the edge of the planet is nightglow likely emitted by excited oxygen
atoms recombining into molecules in the upper reaches of the
atmosphere. Bright streaks and blemishes throughout the image are
likely due to energetic charged particles, and dust near the camera
reflecting sunlight. Skygazers from planet Earth probably recognize the
familiar stars of Orion's belt and sword at lower right.
Tomorrow's picture: fly over
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Fri Feb 26 00:13:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 26
Mars Perseverance Sol 3
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, ASU
Explanation: Stitched together on planet Earth, 142 separate images
make up this 360 degree panorama from the floor of Jezero Crater on
Mars. The high-resolution color images were taken by the Perseverance
rover's zoomable Mastcam-Z during mission sol 3, also known as February
21, 2021. In the foreground of Mastcam-Z's view is the car-sized
rover's deck. Broad light-colored patches in the martian soil just
beyond it were scoured by descent stage rocket engines during the
rover's dramatic arrival on February 18. The rim of 45 kilometer-wide
Jezero Crater rises in the distance. In the coming sols, Perseverance
will explore the ancient lake-delta system in the crater, hunting for
signs of past microscopic life and collecting samples for potential
future return to planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
August Abolins@2:460/256 to
Alan Ianson on Fri Feb 26 16:56:18 2021
Hi Alan,
...Greets from my Telegram app!
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 26
Mars Perseverance Sol 3
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, ASU
Explanation: Stitched together on planet Earth, 142 separate images
make up this 360 degree panorama from the floor of Jezero Crater on
Mars. The high-resolution color images were taken by the Perseverance
rover's zoomable Mastcam-Z during mission sol 3, also known as February
21, 2021. In the foreground of Mastcam-Z's view is the car-sized
rover's deck. Broad light-colored patches in the martian soil just
beyond it were scoured by descent stage rocket engines during the
rover's dramatic arrival on February 18. The rim of 45 kilometer-wide
Jezero Crater rises in the distance. In the coming sols, Perseverance
will explore the ancient lake-delta system in the crater, hunting for
signs of past microscopic life and collecting samples for potential
future return to planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
At the website, they deliver a large picture that you can zoom in. But there is quite a but of distortion of the rover elements. Man.. they went to town on cable ties!
According to this they've already done a tonne of geology tests over the years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rocks_on_Mars
CIAO!
... [##### ###] has been cracked! Kudos & Thank$ to JH. :-)
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
August Abolins on Fri Feb 26 09:13:32 2021
Re: Daily APOD Report
By: August Abolins to Alan Ianson on Fri Feb 26 2021 04:56 pm
At the website, they deliver a large picture that you can zoom in. But there is quite a but of distortion of the rover elements. Man.. they went to town on cable ties!
Yes, that image is made by putting 142 images together so there might appear to be more cable than there really is.
According to this they've already done a tonne of geology tests over the years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rocks_on_Mars
Yes, I've been looking at some of the findings on youtube, and listening to the martian wind.
Ttyl :-),
Al
... Unable to locate Coffee -- Operator Halted!
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Sat Feb 27 00:36:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 27
Perseverance Landing Site from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Explanation: Seen from orbit a day after a dramatic arrival on the
martian surface, the Perseverance landing site is identified in this
high-resolution view from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The
orbiter's camera image also reveals the location of the Mars 2020
mission descent stage, heat shield, and parachute and back shell that
delivered Perseverance to the surface of Mars. Each annotated inset box
spans 200 meters (650 feet) across the floor of Jezero Crater.
Perseverance is located at the center of the pattern created by rocket
exhaust as the descent stage hovered and lowered the rover to the
surface. Following the sky crane maneuver, the descent stage itself
flew away to crash at a safe distance from the rover, its final resting
place indicated by a dark V-shaped debris pattern. Falling to the
surface nearby after their separation in the landing sequence, heat
shield, parachute and back shell locations are marked in the
high-resolution image from Mars orbit.
Tomorrow's picture: northern lights
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sun Feb 28 00:26:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 February 28
The Aurora Tree
Image Credit & Copyright: Alyn Wallace
Explanation: Yes, but can your tree do this? Pictured is a visual
coincidence between the dark branches of a nearby tree and bright glow
of a distant aurora. The beauty of the aurora -- combined with how it
seemed to mimic a tree right nearby -- mesmerized the photographer to
such a degree that he momentarily forgot to take pictures. When viewed
at the right angle, it seemed that this tree had aurora for leaves.
Fortunately, before the aurora morphed into a different overall shape,
he came to his senses and capture the awe-inspiring momentary
coincidence. Typically triggered by solar explosions, aurora are caused
by high energy electrons impacting the Earth's atmosphere around 150
kilometers up. The unusual Earth-sky collaboration was witnessed in
March of 2017 in Iceland.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: interstellar fowl
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Mon Mar 1 00:13:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 1
The Pelican Nebula in Red and Blue
Image Credit & Copyright: M. Petrasko, M. Evenden, U. Mishra (Insight
Obs.)
Explanation: The Pelican Nebula is changing. The entire nebula,
officially designated IC 5070, is divided from the larger North America
Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The Pelican,
however, is particularly interesting because it is an unusually active
mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. The featured picture was
processed to bring out two main colors, red and blue, with the red
dominated by light emitted by interstellar hydrogen. Ultraviolet light
emitted by young energetic stars is slowly transforming cold gas in the
nebula to hot gas, with the advancing boundary between the two, known
as an ionization front, visible in bright red across the image center.
Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain. Millions of years from
now this nebula might no longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance
and placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears
completely different.
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Tomorrow's picture: more from mars
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From
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All on Tue Mar 2 11:12:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 2
Ingenuity: A Mini-Helicopter Now on Mars
Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Mars 2020 - Perseverance
Explanation: What if you could fly around Mars? NASA may have achieved
that capability last month with the landing of Perseverance, a rover
which included a small flight-worthy companion called Ingenuity,
nicknamed Ginny. Even though Ginny is small -- a toaster-sized
helicopter with four long legs and two even-longer (1.2-meter) rotors,
she is the first of her kind -- there has never been anything like her
before. After being deployed, possibly in April, the car-sized
Perseverance ("Percy") will back away to give Ginny ample room to
attempt her unprecedented first flight. In the featured artistic
illustration, Ginny's long rotors are depicted giving her the lift she
needs to fly into the thin Martian atmosphere and explore the area near
Perseverance. Although Ingenuity herself will not fly very far, she is
a prototype for all future airborne Solar-System robots that may fly
far across not only Mars, but Titan.
Tomorrow's picture: erupting earth
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Wed Mar 3 00:29:10 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 3
Stars over an Erupting Volcano
Image Credit & Copyright: Giuseppe Vella
Explanation: Mt. Etna has been erupting for hundreds of thousands of
years. Located in Sicily, Italy, the volcano produces lava fountains
over one kilometer high. Mt. Etna is not only one of the most active
volcanoes on Earth, it is one of the largest, measuring over 50
kilometers at its base and rising nearly 3 kilometers high. Pictured
erupting last month, a lava plume shoots upwards, while hot lava flows
down the volcano's exterior. Likely satellite trails appear above,
while ancient stars dot the sky far in the distance. This volcanic
eruption was so strong that nearby airports were closed to keep planes
from flying through the dangerous plume. The image foreground and
background were captured consecutively by the same camera and from the
same location.
Please take a short survey in aesthetics & astronomy: Sonification
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Mar 4 00:28:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 4
Mars in Taurus
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation: You can spot Mars in the evening sky tonight. Now home to
the Perseverance rover, the Red Planet is presently wandering through
the constellation Taurus, close on the sky to the Seven Sisters or
Pleiades star cluster. In fact this deep, widefield view of the region
captures Mars near its closest conjunction to the Pleiades on March 3.
Below center, Mars is the bright yellowish celestial beacon only about
3 degrees from the pretty blue star cluster. Competing with Mars in
color and brightness, Aldebaran is the alpha star of Taurus. The red
giant star is toward the lower left edge of the frame, a foreground
star along the line-of-sight to the more distant Hyades star cluster.
Otherwise too faint for your eye to see, the dark, dusty nebulae lie
along the edge of the massive Perseus molecular cloud, with the
striking reddish glow of NGC 1499, the California Nebula, at the upper
right.
Please take a short survey in aesthetics & astronomy: Sonification
Tomorrow's picture: a little like Mars
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Fri Mar 5 00:14:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 5
A Little Like Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Barsa
Explanation: The surface of this planet looks a little like Mars. It's
really planet Earth though. In a digitally stitched little planet
projection, the 360 degree mosaic was captured near San Pedro in the
Chilean Atacama desert. Telescopes in domes on the horizon are taking
advantage of the region's famously dark, clear nights. Taken in early
December, a magnificent Milky Way arcs above the horizon for almost 180
degrees around the little planet with Orion prominent in the southern
sky. A familiar constellation upside down for northern hemisphere
skygazers, Orion shares that southern December night almost opposite
the Large and Small Magellanic clouds. But the Red Planet itself is the
brightest yellowish celestial beacon in this little planet sky.
Please take a short survey in aesthetics & astronomy: Sonification
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Mar 6 00:13:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 6
Perseverance Takes a Spin
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Mars 2020
Explanation: After arriving at Jezero Crater on Mars, Perseverance went
for a spin on March 4. This sharp image from the car-sized rover's
Navcam shows tracks left by its wheels in the martian soil. In
preparation for operations on the surface of the Red Planet, its first
drive lasted about 33 minutes. On a short and successful test drive
Perseverance moved forward 4 meters, made a 150 degree turn, backed up
for 2.5 meters, and now occupies a different parking space at its newly
christened Octavia E. Butler Landing location. Though the total travel
distance of the rover's first outing was about 6.5 meters (21 feet),
regular commutes of 200 meters or more can be expected in the future.
Please take a short survey in aesthetics & astronomy: Sonification
Tomorrow's picture: stellar nursery in infrared
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All on Sun Mar 7 00:18:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 7
Pillars of the Eagle Nebula in Infrared
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Luis Romero
Explanation: Newborn stars are forming in the Eagle Nebula.
Gravitationally contracting in pillars of dense gas and dust, the
intense radiation of these newly-formed bright stars is causing
surrounding material to boil away. This image, taken with the Hubble
Space Telescope in near infrared light, allows the viewer to see
through much of the thick dust that makes the pillars opaque in visible
light. The giant structures are light years in length and dubbed
informally the Pillars of Creation. Associated with the open star
cluster M16, the Eagle Nebula lies about 6,500 light years away. The
Eagle Nebula is an easy target for small telescopes in a nebula-rich
part of the sky toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail
of the snake).
Tomorrow's picture: a comet's red tail
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All on Mon Mar 8 00:06:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 8
Three Tails of Comet NEOWISE
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Lefaudeux
Explanation: What created the unusual red tail in Comet NEOWISE?
Sodium. A spectacular sight back in the summer of 2020, Comet NEOWISE,
at times, displayed something more than just a surprisingly striated
white dust tail and a pleasingly patchy blue ion tail. Some color
sensitive images showed an unusual red tail, and analysis showed much
of this third tail's color was emitted by sodium. Gas rich in sodium
atoms might have been liberated from Comet NEOWISE's warming nucleus in
early July by bright sunlight, electrically charged by ultraviolet
sunlight, and then pushed out by the solar wind. The featured image was
captured in mid-July from Brittany, France and shows the real colors.
Sodium comet tails have been seen before but are rare -- this one
disappeared by late July. Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) has since faded,
lost all of its bright tails, and now approaches the orbit of Jupiter
as it heads back to the outer Solar System, to return only in about
7,000 years.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,400+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: mars 360
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All on Tue Mar 9 00:17:10 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 9
Perseverance 360: Unusual Rocks and the Search for Life on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, ASU, MSSS
Explanation: Is that a fossil? Looking through recent images of Mars
taken by the new Perseverance rover may seem a bit like treasure
hunting, with the possibility of fame coming to the first person to
correctly identify a petrified bone, a rock imprinted by an ancient
plant, or any clear indication that life once existed on Mars.
Unfortunately, even though it is possible that something as spectacular
as a skeleton could be identified, most exobiologists think it much
more likely that biochemical remnants of ancient single-celled microbes
could be found with Perseverance's chemical analyzers. A key reason is
that multicellular organisms may take a greater amount of oxygen to
evolve than has ever been present on Mars. That said, nobody's sure, so
please feel free to digitally magnify any Perseverance image that
interests you -- including the featured 360-degree zoomable image of
the rocks and ridges surrounding Perseverance's landing location in
Jezero Crater. And even though NASA-affiliated scientists are
themselves studying Perseverance's images, if you see anything really
unusual, please post it to popular social media. If your sighting turns
out to be particularly intriguing, scientifically, it is likely that
NASA will hear about it.
Tomorrow's picture: california spaced up
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All on Wed Mar 10 00:14:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 10
NGC 1499: The California Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar
Explanation: Could Queen Calafia's mythical island exist in space?
Perhaps not, but by chance the outline of this molecular space cloud
echoes the outline of the state of California, USA. Our Sun has its
home within the Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,000 light-years
from the California Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic
emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. On the featured image,
the most prominent glow of the California Nebula is the red light
characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons,
stripped away (ionized) by energetic starlight. The star most likely
providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas
is the bright, hot, bluish Xi Persei just to the right of the nebula. A
regular target for astrophotographers, the California Nebula can be
spotted with a wide-field telescope under a dark sky toward the
constellation of Perseus, not far from the Pleiades.
New: APOD now available in Arabic from Syria
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Mar 11 00:31:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 11
Zodiacal Light and Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Joshua Rhoades
Explanation: Just after sunset on March 7, a faint band of light still
reaches above the western horizon in this serene, rural Illinois, night
skyscape. Taken from an old farmstead, the luminous glow is zodiacal
light, prominent in the west after sunset during planet Earth's
northern hemisphere spring. On that clear evening the band of zodiacal
light seems to engulf bright yellowish Mars and the Pleiades star
cluster. Their close conjunction is in the starry sky above the old
barn's roof. Zodiacal light is sunlight scattered by interplanetary
dust particles that lie near the Solar System's ecliptic plane. Of
course all the Solar System's planets orbit near the plane of the
ecliptic, within the band of zodiacal light. But zodiacal light and
Mars may have a deeper connection. A recent analysis of serendipitous
detections of interplanetary dust by the Juno spacecraft during its
Earth to Jupiter voyage suggest Mars is the likely source of the dust
that produces zodiacal light.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Mar 12 00:02:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 12
Messier 81
Image Credit & Copyright: Wissam Ayoub
Explanation: One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky is
similar in size to our Milky Way Galaxy: big, beautiful Messier 81.
Also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's galaxy for its 18th century
discoverer, this grand spiral can be found toward the northern
constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The sharp, detailed
telescopic view reveals M81's bright yellow nucleus, blue spiral arms,
pinkish starforming regions, and sweeping cosmic dust lanes. Some dust
lanes actually run through the galactic disk (left of center), contrary
to other prominent spiral features though. The errant dust lanes may be
the lingering result of a close encounter between M81 and the nearby
galaxy M82 lurking outside of this frame. M81's faint, dwarf irregular
satellite galaxy, Holmberg IX, can be seen just below the large spiral.
Scrutiny of variable stars in M81 has yielded a well-determined
distance for an external galaxy -- 11.8 million light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: one hand clapping
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All on Sat Mar 13 00:08:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2021 March 13
SuperCam Target on Ma'az
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS
Explanation: What's the sound of one laser zapping? There's no need to
consult a Zen master to find out, just listen to the first acoustic
recording of laser shots on Mars. On Perseverance mission sol 12 (March
2) the SuperCam instrument atop the rover's mast zapped a rock dubbed
Ma'az 30 times from a range of about 3.1 meters. Its microphone
recorded the soft staccato popping sounds of the rapid series of
SuperCam laser zaps. Shockwaves created in the thin martian atmosphere
as bits of rock are vaporized by the laser shots make the popping
sounds, sounds that offer clues to the physical structure of the
target. This SuperCam close-up of the Ma'az target region is 6
centimeters (2.3 inches) across. Ma'az means Mars in the Navajo
language.
Tomorrow's picture: flag day
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All on Sun Mar 14 00:49:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 14
A Flag Shaped Aurora over Sweden
Image Credit & Copyright: Mia Stålnacke
Explanation: It appeared, momentarily, like a 50-km tall banded flag.
In mid-March of 2015, an energetic Coronal Mass Ejection directed
toward a clear magnetic channel to Earth led to one of the more intense
geomagnetic storms of recent years. A visual result was wide spread
auroras being seen over many countries near Earth's magnetic poles.
Captured over Kiruna, Sweden, the image features an unusually straight
auroral curtain with the green color emitted low in the Earth's
atmosphere, and red many kilometers higher up. It is unclear where the
rare purple aurora originates, but it might involve an unusual blue
aurora at an even lower altitude than the green, seen superposed with a
much higher red. Now past Solar Minimum, colorful nights of auroras
over Earth are likely to increase.
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Tomorrow's picture: meteor heard
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All on Mon Mar 15 00:23:46 2021
¿
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 15
IFRAME:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/WJua8eXLX9o?rel=0
Meteor Fireballs in Light and Sound
Image Credit & Copyright: Thomas Ashcraft (Radio Fireball Observatory)
Explanation: Yes, but have you ever heard a meteor? Usually, meteors
are too far away to make any audible sound. However, a meteor will
briefly create an ionization trail that can reflect a distant radio
signal. If the geometry is right, you may momentarily hear -- through
your radio -- a distant radio station even over static. In the featured
video, the sounds of distant radio transmitters were caught reflecting
from large meteor trails by a sensitive radio receiver -- at the same
time the bright streaks were captured by an all-sky video camera. In
the video, the bright paths taken by four fireballs across the sky near
Lamy, New Mexico, USA, are shown first. Next, after each static frame,
a real-time video captures each meteor streaking across the sky, now
paired with the sound recorded from its radio reflection. Projecting a
meteor trail down to the Earth may lead to finding its impact site (if
any), while projecting its trail back into the sky may lead to
identifying its parent comet or asteroid.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: astro dust
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All on Tue Mar 16 00:56:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 16
IC 1318: The Butterfly Nebula in Gas and Dust
Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Pham
Explanation: In the constellation of the swan near the nebula of the
pelican lies the gas cloud of the butterfly next to a star known as the
hen. That star, given the proper name Sadr, is just to the right of the
featured frame, but the central Butterfly Nebula, designated IC 1318,
is shown in high resolution. The intricate patterns in the bright gas
and dark dust are caused by complex interactions between interstellar
winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity. The featured
telescopic view captures IC 1318's characteristic emission from ionized
sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms mapped to the red, green, and blue
hues of the popular Hubble Palette. The portion of the Butterfly Nebula
pictured spans about 100 light years and lies about 4000 light years
away.
Tomorrow's picture: aurora jupiter
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All on Wed Mar 17 00:13:16 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 17
The Surface of Venus from Venera 13
Image Credit: Soviet Planetary Exploration Program, Venera 13;
Processing & Copyright: Donald Mitchell & Michael Carroll (used with
permission)
Explanation: If you could stand on Venus -- what would you see?
Pictured is the view from Venera 13, a robotic Soviet lander which
parachuted and air-braked down through the thick Venusian atmosphere in
March of 1982. The desolate landscape it saw included flat rocks, vast
empty terrain, and a featureless sky above Phoebe Regio near Venus'
equator. On the lower left is the spacecraft's penetrometer used to
make scientific measurements, while the light piece on the right is
part of an ejected lens-cap. Enduring temperatures near 450 degrees
Celsius and pressures 75 times that on Earth, the hardened Venera
spacecraft lasted only about two hours. Although data from Venera 13
was beamed across the inner Solar System almost 40 years ago, digital
processing and merging of Venera's unusual images continues even today.
Recent analyses of infrared measurements taken by ESA's orbiting Venus
Express spacecraft indicate that active volcanoes may currently exist
on Venus.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Fri Mar 19 00:14:14 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 19
Central Lagoon in Infrared
Image Credit & License: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Data Archive: MAST,
Processing: Alexandra Nachman
Explanation: Stars fill this infrared view, spanning 4 light-years
across the center of the Lagoon Nebula. Visible light images show the
glowing gas and obscuring dust clouds that dominate the scene. But this
infrared image, constructed from Hubble Space Telescope data, peers
closer to the heart of the active star-forming region revealing newborn
stars scattered within, against a crowded field of background stars
toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This tumultuous stellar
nursery's central regions are sculpted and energized by the massive,
young Herschel 36, seen as the bright star near center in the field of
view. Herschel 36 is actually a multiple system of massive stars. At
over 30 times the mass of the Sun and less than 1 million years old,
the most massive star in the system should live to a stellar old age of
5 million years. Compare that to the almost 5 billion year old Sun
which will evolve into a red giant in only another 5 billion years or
so. The Lagoon Nebula, also known as M8, lies about 4,000 light-years
away within the boundaries of the constellation Sagittarius.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sun Mar 21 01:37:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 21
The ancient Antikythera mechanism is shown, the oldest known orrery.
The Antikythera Mechanism
Image Credit & License: Marsyas, Wikipedia
Explanation: No one knew that 2,000 years ago, the technology existed
to build such a device. The Antikythera mechanism, pictured, is now
widely regarded as the first computer. Found at the bottom of the sea
aboard a decaying Greek ship, its complexity prompted decades of study,
and even today some of its functions likely remain unknown. X-ray
images of the device, however, have confirmed that a main function of
its numerous clock-like wheels and gears is to create a portable,
hand-cranked, Earth-centered, orrery of the sky, predicting future star
and planet locations as well as lunar and solar eclipses. The corroded
core of the Antikythera mechanism's largest gear is featured, spanning
about 13 centimeters, while the entire mechanism was 33 centimeters
high, making it similar in size to a large book. Recently, modern
computer modeling of missing components is allowing for the creation of
a more complete replica of this surprising ancient machine.
Tomorrow's picture: surround orion
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All on Fri Mar 26 00:17:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 26
The Medusa Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis
Explanation: Braided and serpentine filaments of glowing gas suggest
this nebula's popular name, The Medusa Nebula. Also known as Abell 21,
this Medusa is an old planetary nebula some 1,500 light-years away in
the constellation Gemini. Like its mythological namesake, the nebula is
associated with a dramatic transformation. The planetary nebula phase
represents a final stage in the evolution of low mass stars like the
sun as they transform themselves from red giants to hot white dwarf
stars and in the process shrug off their outer layers. Ultraviolet
radiation from the hot star powers the nebular glow. The Medusa's
transforming star is the faint one near the center of the overall
bright crescent shape. In this deep telescopic view, fainter filaments
clearly extend above and right of the bright crescent region. The
Medusa Nebula is estimated to be over 4 light-years across.
Tomorrow's picture: light weekend
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All on Sat Mar 27 02:13:34 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 27
Exploring the Antennae
Image Credit & Copyright: Bernard Miller
Explanation: Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly
constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. Stars in the
two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely collide
in the course of the ponderous cataclysm that lasts for hundreds of
millions of years. But the galaxies' large clouds of molecular gas and
dust often do, triggering furious episodes of star formationi near the
center of the cosmic wreckage. Spanning over 500 thousand light-years,
this stunning view also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far
from the scene of the accident by gravitational tidal forces. The
remarkably sharp ground-based image includes narrowband data that
highlights the characteristic red glow of atomic hydrogen gas in
star-forming regions. The suggestive overall visual appearance of the
extended arcing structures gives the galaxy pair its popular name - The
Antennae.
Tomorrow's picture: floating away
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All on Sun Mar 28 04:47:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 28
SuitSat-1: A Spacesuit Floats Free
Image Credit: ISS Expedition 12 Crew, NASA
Explanation: A spacesuit floated away from the International Space
Station 15 years ago, but no investigation was conducted. Everyone knew
that it was pushed by the space station crew. Dubbed Suitsat-1, the
unneeded Russian Orlan spacesuit filled mostly with old clothes was
fitted with a faint radio transmitter and released to orbit the Earth.
The suit circled the Earth twice before its radio signal became
unexpectedly weak. Suitsat-1 continued to orbit every 90 minutes until
it burned up in the Earth's atmosphere after a few weeks. Pictured, the
lifeless spacesuit was photographed in 2006 just as it drifted away
from space station.
Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: years of sky
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From
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All on Mon Mar 29 01:47:40 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 29
M64: The Evil Eye Galaxy
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA & the PHANGS-HST Team; Acknowledgement:
Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Who knows what evil lurks in the eyes of galaxies? The
Hubble knows -- or in the case of spiral galaxy M64 -- is helping to
find out. Messier 64, also known as the Evil Eye or Sleeping Beauty
Galaxy, may seem to have evil in its eye because all of its stars
rotate in the same direction as the interstellar gas in the galaxy's
central region, but in the opposite direction in the outer regions.
Captured here in great detail by the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space
Telescope, enormous dust clouds obscure the near-side of M64's central
region, which are laced with the telltale reddish glow of hydrogen
associated with star formation. M64 lies about 17 million light years
away, meaning that the light we see from it today left when the last
common ancestor between humans and chimpanzees roamed the Earth. The
dusty eye and bizarre rotation are likely the result of a
billion-year-old merger of two different galaxies.
Tomorrow's picture: sprite mountain
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From
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All on Tue Mar 30 00:24:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 30
Red Sprite Lightning over the Andes
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas
Observatory, TWAN)
Explanation: What are those red filaments in the sky? They are a rarely
seen form of lightning confirmed only about 30 years ago: red sprites.
Recent research has shown that following a powerful positive
cloud-to-ground lightning strike, red sprites may start as 100-meter
balls of ionized air that shoot down from about 80-km high at 10
percent the speed of light. They are quickly followed by a group of
upward streaking ionized balls. The featured image was taken earlier
this year from Las Campanas observatory in Chile over the Andes
Mountains in Argentina. Red sprites take only a fraction of a second to
occur and are best seen when powerful thunderstorms are visible from
the side.
APOD via Instagram in: English, Indonesian, Persian, and Portuguese
Tomorrow's picture: black hole polarized
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From
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All on Wed Mar 31 00:26:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 March 31
M87's Central Black Hole in Polarized Light
Image Credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration; Text: Jayanne
English (U. Manitoba)
Explanation: To play on Carl Sagan's famous words "If you wish to make
black hole jets, you must first create magnetic fields." The featured
image represents the detected intrinsic spin direction (polarization)
of radio waves. The polarizationi is produced by the powerful magnetic
field surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of
elliptical galaxy M87. The radio waves were detected by the Event
Horizon Telescope (EHT), which combines data from radio telescopes
distributed worldwide. The polarization structure, mapped using
computer generated flow lines, is overlaid on EHT's famous black hole
image, first published in 2019. The full 3-D magnetic field is complex.
Preliminary analyses indicate that parts of the field circle around the
black hole along with the accreting matter, as expected. However,
another component seemingly veers vertically away from the black hole.
This component could explain how matter resists falling in and is
instead launched into M87's jet.
Tomorrow's picture: cleaning mars
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From
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All on Sat Apr 3 05:23:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 3
Ingenuity on Sol 39
Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
Explanation: The Mars Ingenuity Helicopter, all four landing legs down,
was captured here on sol 39 (March 30) slung beneath the belly of the
Perseverance rover. The near ground level view is a mosaic of images
from the WATSON camera on the rover's SHERLOC robotic arm. Near the
center of the frame the experimental helicopter is suspended just a few
centimeters above the martian surface. Tracks from Perseverance extend
beyond the rover's wheels with the rim of Jezero crater visible about 2
kilometers in the distance. Ingenuity has a weight of 1.8 kilograms or
4 pounds on Earth. That corresponds to a weight of 0.68 kilograms or
1.5 pounds on Mars. With rotor blades spanning 1.2 meters it will
attempt to make the first powered flight of an aircraft on another
planet in the thin martian atmosphere, 1 percent as dense as Earth's,
no earlier than sol 48 (April 8).
Tomorrow's picture: In, Through, and Beyond
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From
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All on Sun Apr 4 00:09:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 4
In, Through, and Beyond Saturn's Rings
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, ISS, JPL, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Four moons are visible on the featured image -- can you
find them all? First -- and farthest in the background -- is Titan, the
largest moon of Saturn and one of the larger moons in the Solar System.
The dark feature across the top of this perpetually cloudy world is the
north polar hood. The next most obvious moon is bright Dione, visible
in the foreground, complete with craters and long ice cliffs. Jutting
in from the left are several of Saturn's expansive rings, including
Saturn's A ring featuring the dark Encke Gap. On the far right, just
outside the rings, is Pandora, a moon only 80-kilometers across that
helps shepherd Saturn's F ring. The fourth moon? If you look closely
inside Saturn's rings, in the Encke Gap, you will find a speck that is
actually Pan. Although one of Saturn's smallest moons at 35-kilometers
across, Pan is massive enough to help keep the Encke gap relatively
free of ring particles. After more than a decade of exploration and
discovery, the Cassini spacecraft ran low on fuel in 2017 and was
directed to enter Saturn's atmosphere, where it surely melted.
Tomorrow's picture: remaining wisps
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From
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All on Mon Apr 5 00:47:38 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 5
A closeup image of the Veil Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Veil Nebula: Wisps of an Exploded Star
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Z. Levay
Explanation: Wisps like this are all that remain visible of a Milky Way
star. About 7,000 years ago that star exploded in a supernova leaving
the Veil Nebula. At the time, the expanding cloud was likely as bright
as a crescent Moon, remaining visible for weeks to people living at the
dawn of recorded history. Today, the resulting supernova remnant, also
known as the Cygnus Loop, has faded and is now visible only through a
small telescope directed toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus).
The remaining Veil Nebula is physically huge, however, and even though
it lies about 1,400 light-years distant, it covers over five times the
size of the full Moon. The featured picture is a Hubble Space Telescope
mosaic of six images together covering a span of only about two light
years, a small part of the expansive supernova remnant. In images of
the complete Veil Nebula, even studious readers might not be able to
identify the featured filaments.
Tomorrow's picture: sisters of mars
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From
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All on Tue Apr 6 03:53:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 6
Mars and the Pleiades star cluster set behind one-tree hill.
Mars and the Pleiades Beyond Vinegar Hill
Image Credit & Copyright: Kristine Richer
Explanation: Is this just a lonely tree on an empty hill? To start,
perhaps, but look beyond. There, a busy universe may wait to be
discovered. First, physically, to the left of the tree, is the planet
Mars. The red planet, which is the new home to NASA's Perseverance
rover, remains visible this month at sunset above the western horizon.
To the tree's right is the Pleiades, a bright cluster of stars
dominated by several bright blue stars. The featured picture is a
composite of several separate foreground and background images taken
within a few hours of each other, early last month, from the same
location on Vinegar Hill in Milford, Nova Scotia, Canada. At that time,
Mars was passing slowly, night after night, nearly in front of the
distant Seven Sisters star cluster. The next time Mars will pass
angularly as close to the Pleiades as it did in March will be in 2038.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Apr 8 00:47:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 8
3D Ingenuity
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, ASU
Explanation: The multicolor, stereo imaging Mastcam-Z on the
Perseverance rover zoomed in to captured this 3D close-up (get out your
red/blue glasses) of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter on mission sol 45,
April 5. That's only a few sols before the technology demonstrating
Ingenuity will attempt to fly in the thin martian atmosphere, making
the first powered flight on another planet. The historic test flight is
planned for no earlier than Sunday, April 11. Casting its shadow on the
martian surface, Ingenuity is standing alone on four landing legs next
to the rover's wheel tracks. The experimental helicopter's solar panel,
charging batteries that keep it warm through the cold martian nights
and power its flight, sits above its two 1.2 meter (4 foot) long
counter-rotating blades.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Fri Apr 9 00:59:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 9
Messier 106
Image Credit: NASA, Hubble Legacy Archive, Kitt Peak National
Observatory;
Amateur Data & Processing Copyright: Robert Gendler
Explanation: Close to the Great Bear (Ursa Major) and surrounded by the
stars of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici), this celestial wonder was
discovered in 1781 by the metric French astronomer Pierre Mechain.
Later, it was added to the catalog of his friend and colleague Charles
Messier as M106. Modern deep telescopic views reveal it to be an island
universe - a spiral galaxy around 30 thousand light-years across
located only about 21 million light-years beyond the stars of the Milky
Way. Along with a bright central core, this stunning galaxy portrait, a
composite of image data from amateur and professional telescopes,
highlights youthful blue star clusters and reddish stellar nurseries
tracing the galaxy's spiral arms. It also shows off remarkable reddish
jets of glowing hydrogen gas. In addition to small companion galaxy NGC
4248 at bottom right, background galaxies can be found scattered
throughout the frame. M106, also known as NGC 4258, is a nearby example
of the Seyfert class of active galaxies, seen across the spectrum from
radio to X-rays. Active galaxies are powered by matter falling into a
massive central black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Mon Apr 12 01:01:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 12
Alnitak and the Flame Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Team ARO
Explanation: What lights up the Flame Nebula? Fifteen hundred light
years away towards the constellation of Orion lies a nebula which, from
its glow and dark dust lanes, appears, on the left, like a billowing
fire. But fire, the rapid acquisition of oxygen, is not what makes this
Flame glow. Rather the bright star Alnitak, the easternmost star in the
Belt of Orion visible on the far left, shines energetic light into the
Flame that knocks electrons away from the great clouds of hydrogen gas
that reside there. Much of the glow results when the electrons and
ionized hydrogen recombine. The featured picture of the Flame Nebula
(NGC 2024) was taken across three visible color bands with detail added
by a long duration exposure taken in light emitted only by hydrogen.
The Flame Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a
star-forming region that includes the famous Horsehead Nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: a suprising wobble
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From
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All on Sat Apr 17 00:18:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 17
Inside the Flame Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, IPAC Infrared Science Archive -
Processing: Amal Biju
Explanation: The Flame Nebula is a stand out in optical images of the
dusty, crowded star forming regions toward Orion's belt and the
easternmost belt star Alnitak, a mere 1,400 light-years away. Alnitak
is the bright star at the right edge of this infrared image from the
Spitzer Space Telescope. About 15 light-years across, the infrared view
takes you inside the nebula's glowing gas and obscuring dust clouds
though. It reveals many stars of the recently formed, embedded cluster
NGC 2024 concentrated near the center. The stars of NGC 2024 range in
age from 200,000 years to 1.5 million years young. In fact, data
indicate that the youngest stars are concentrated near the middle of
the Flame Nebula cluster. That's the opposite of the simplest models of
star formation for a stellar nursery that predict star formation begins
in the denser center of a molecular cloud core. The result requires a
more complex model for star formation inside the Flame Nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: airglow rainbow
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From
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All on Sun Apr 18 01:09:18 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 18
Rainbow Airglow over the Azores
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN); Rollover Annotation:
Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Why would the sky glow like a giant repeating rainbow?
Airglow. Now air glows all of the time, but it is usually hard to see.
A disturbance however -- like an approaching storm -- may cause
noticeable rippling in the Earth's atmosphere. These gravity waves are
oscillations in air analogous to those created when a rock is thrown in
calm water. The long-duration exposure nearly along the vertical walls
of airglow likely made the undulating structure particularly visible.
OK, but where do the colors originate? The deep red glow likely
originates from OH molecules about 87-kilometers high, excited by
ultraviolet light from the Sun. The orange and green airglow is likely
caused by sodium and oxygen atoms slightly higher up. The featured
image was captured during a climb up Mount Pico in the Azores of
Portugal. Ground lights originate from the island of Faial in the
Atlantic Ocean. A spectacular sky is visible through this banded
airglow, with the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy running up the
image center, and M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, visible near the top left.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: infrared galactic center
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All on Mon Apr 19 01:22:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 19
The Galactic Center in Infrared
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope, Susan Stolovy
(SSC/Caltech) et al.; Reprocessing: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: What does the center of our galaxy look like? In visible
light, the Milky Way's center is hidden by clouds of obscuring dust and
gas. But in this stunning vista, the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared
cameras, penetrate much of the dust revealing the stars of the crowded
galactic center region. A mosaic of many smaller snapshots, the
detailed, false-color image shows older, cool stars in bluish hues. Red
and brown glowing dust clouds are associated with young, hot stars in
stellar nurseries. The very center of the Milky Way has recently been
found capable of forming newborn stars. The galactic center lies some
26,700 light-years away, toward the constellation Sagittarius. At that
distance, this picture spans about 900 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: destroyed by a black hole
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All on Tue Apr 20 00:26:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 20
Ingenuity: First Flight over Mars
Video Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, ASU, MSSS
Explanation: What's the best way to explore Mars? Perhaps there is no
single best way, but a newly demonstrated method shows tremendous
promise: flight. Powered flight has the promise to search vast regions
and scout out particularly interesting areas for more detailed
investigation. Yesterday, for the first time, powered flight was
demonstrated on Mars by a small helicopter named Ingenuity. In the
featured video, Ingenuity is first imaged by the Perseverance rover
sitting quietly on the Martian surface. After a few seconds,
Ingenuity's long rotors begin to spin, and a few seconds after that --
history is made as Ingenuity actually takes off, hovers for a few
seconds, and then lands safely. More tests of Ingenuity's unprecedented
ability are planned over the next few months. Flight may help humanity
better explore not only Mars, but Saturn's moon Titan over the next few
decades.
Tomorrow's picture: big magnetic collision
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All on Wed Apr 21 00:05:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 21
Centaurus A's Warped Magnetic Fields
Image Credit: Optical: European Southern Observatory (ESO) Wide Field
Imager; Submillimeter: Max Planck Institute for Radio
Astronomy/ESO/Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX)/A.Weiss et al; X-ray
and Infrared: NASA/Chandra/R. Kraft; JPL-Caltech/J. Keene; Text: Joan
Schmelz (USRA)
Explanation: When galaxies collide -- what happens to their magnetic
fields? To help find out, NASA pointed SOFIA, its flying 747, at
galactic neighbor Centaurus A to observe the emission of polarized dust
-- which traces magnetic fields. Cen A's unusual shape results from the
clash of two galaxies with jets powered by gas accreting onto a central
supermassive black hole. In the resulting featured image, SOFIA-derived
magnetic streamlines are superposed on ESO (visible: white), APEX
(submillimeter: orange), Chandra (X-rays: blue), and Spitzer (infrared:
red) images. The magnetic fields were found to be parallel to the dust
lanes on the outskirts of the galaxy but distorted near the center.
Gravitational forces near the black hole accelerate ions and enhance
the magnetic field. In sum, the collision not only combined the
galaxies' masses -- but amplified their magnetic fields. These results
provide new insights into how magnetic fields evolved in the early
universe when mergers were more common.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Apr 22 00:31:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 22
Planet Earth at Twilight
Image Credit: ISS Expedition 2 Crew, Gateway to Astronaut Photography
of Earth, NASA
Explanation: No sudden, sharp boundary marks the passage of day into
night in this gorgeous view of ocean and clouds over our fair planet
Earth. Instead, the shadow line or terminator is diffuse and shows the
gradual transition to darkness we experience as twilight. With the Sun
illuminating the scene from the right, the cloud tops reflect gently
reddened sunlight filtered through the dusty troposphere, the lowest
layer of the planet's nurturing atmosphere. A clear high altitude
layer, visible along the dayside's upper edge, scatters blue sunlight
and fades into the blackness of space. This picture was taken in June
of 2001 from the International Space Station orbiting at an altitude of
211 nautical miles. But you can check out the vital signs of Planet
Earth Now.
Celebrate: Earth Day
Tomorrow's picture: Planet Earth at Night
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All on Fri Apr 23 00:03:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 23
Flying Over the Earth at Night II
Video Credit: NASA, Gateway to Astronaut Photography, ISS Expedition
53; Music: The Low Seas (The 126ers)
Explanation: Recorded during 2017, timelapse sequences from the
International Space Station are compiled in this serene video of planet
Earth at Night. Fans of low Earth orbit can start by enjoying the view
as green and red aurora borealis slather up the sky. The night scene
tracks from northwest to southeast across North America, toward the
Gulf of Mexico and the Florida coast. A second sequence follows
European city lights, crosses the Mediterranean Sea, and passes over a
bright Nile river in northern Africa. Seen from the orbital outpost,
erratic flashes of lightning appear in thunder storms below and stars
rise above the planet's curved horizon through a faint atmospheric
airglow. Of course, from home you can always check out the vital signs
of Planet Earth Now.
Celebrate: Earth Day
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Sat Apr 24 00:02:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 24
Streak and Plume from SpaceX Crew-2 Launch
Video Credit & Copyright: Eric Holland
Explanation: What's happening in the sky? The pre-dawn sky first seemed
relatively serene yesterday morning over Indian Harbor Beach in
Florida, USA. But then it lit up with a rocket launch. Just to the
north, NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 Mission blasted into space aboard a
powerful Falcon 9 rocket. The featured time-lapse video -- compressing
12-minutes into 8-seconds -- shows the bright launch plume starting on
the far left. The rocket rises into an increasingly thin atmosphere,
causing its plume to spread out just as it is lit by the rising Sun. As
the Crew-2 capsule disappears over the horizon, the landing plume of
the returning first stage of the Falcon 9 descending toward the SpaceX
barge in the Atlantic Ocean can be seen. Up in space, the Endeavour
crew capsule is expected to dock with the International Space Station
(ISS) this morning, delivering four astronauts. The Crew-2 astronauts
join Expedition 65 to help conduct, among other tasks, drug tests using
tissue chips -- small microfluidic chips that simulate human organs --
that run rapidly in ISS's microgravity.
Tomorrow's picture: ant star
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Sun Apr 25 02:44:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 25
Planetary Nebula Mz3: The Ant Nebula
Image Credit: R. Sahai (JPL) et al., Hubble Heritage Team, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Why isn't this ant a big sphere? Planetary nebula Mz3 is
being cast off by a star similar to our Sun that is, surely, round. Why
then would the gas that is streaming away create an ant-shaped nebula
that is distinctly not round? Clues might include the high
1000-kilometer per second speed of the expelled gas, the light-year
long length of the structure, and the magnetism of the star featured
here at the nebula's center. One possible answer is that Mz3 is hiding
a second, dimmer star that orbits close in to the bright star. A
competing hypothesis holds that the central star's own spin and
magnetic field are channeling the gas. Since the central star appears
to be so similar to our own Sun, astronomers hope that increased
understanding of the history of this giant space ant can provide useful
insight into the likely future of our own Sun and Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: black hole destroys star
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Mon Apr 26 00:08:40 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 26
A Sagittarius Triplet
Image Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Rodrigues Santos
Explanation: These three bright nebulae are often featured on
telescopic tours of the constellation Sagittarius and the crowded
starfields of the central Milky Way. In fact, 18th century cosmic
tourist Charles Messier cataloged two of them; M8, the large nebula
below and right of center, and colorful M20 near the top of the frame.
The third emission region includes NGC 6559, left of M8 and separated
from the larger nebula by a dark dust lane. All three are stellar
nurseries about five thousand light-years or so distant. Over a hundred
light-years across the expansive M8 is also known as the Lagoon Nebula.
M20's popular moniker is the Trifid. Glowing hydrogen gas creates the
dominant red color of the emission nebulae. But for striking contrast,
blue hues in the Trifid are due to dust reflected starlight. The broad
interstellarscape spans almost 4 degrees or 8 full moons on the sky.
Tomorrow's picture: star shredder
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Tue Apr 27 00:20:30 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 27
Animation: Black Hole Destroys Star
Video Illustration Credit: DESY, Science Communication Lab
Explanation: What happens if a star gets too close to a black hole? The
black hole can rip it apart -- but how? It's not the high gravitational
attraction itself that's the problem -- it's the difference in
gravitational pull across the star that creates the destruction. In the
featured animated video illustrating this disintegration, you first see
a star approaching the black hole. Increasing in orbital speed, the
star's outer atmosphere is ripped away during closest approach. Much of
the star's atmosphere disperses into deep space, but some continues to
orbit the black hole and forms an accretion disk. The animation then
takes you into the accretion disk while looking toward the black hole.
Including the strange visual effects of gravitational lensing, you can
even see the far side of the disk. Finally, you look along one of the
jets being expelled along the spin axis. Theoretical models indicate
that these jets not only expel energetic gas, but create energetic
neutrinos -- one of which may have been seen recently on Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: polaris deep field
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Wed Apr 28 01:13:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 28
North Star: Polaris and Surrounding Dust
Image Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls
Explanation: Why is Polaris called the North Star? First, Polaris is
the nearest bright star toward the north spin axis of the Earth.
Therefore, as the Earth turns, stars appear to revolve around Polaris,
but Polaris itself always stays in the same northerly direction --
making it the North Star. Since no bright star is near the south spin
axis of the Earth, there is currently no South Star. Thousands of years
ago, Earth's spin axis pointed in a slightly different direction so
that Vega was the North Star. Although Polaris is not the brightest
star on the sky, it is easily located because it is nearly aligned with
two stars in the cup of the Big Dipper. Polaris is near the center of
the eight-degree wide featured image, an image that has been digitally
manipulated to suppress surrounding dim stars but accentuate the faint
gas and dust of the Intergalactic Flux Nebula (IFN). The surface of
Cepheid Polaris slowly pulsates, causing the star to change its
brightness by a few percent over the course of a few days.
Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Thu Apr 29 00:53:22 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 29
Apollo 17: The Crescent Earth
Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA; Restoration - Toby Ord
Explanation: Our fair planet sports a curved, sunlit crescent against
the black backdrop of space in this stunning photograph. From the
unfamiliar perspective, the Earth is small and, like a telescopic image
of a distant planet, the entire horizon is completely within the field
of view. Enjoyed by crews on board the International Space Station,
only much closer views of the planet are possible from low Earth orbit.
Orbiting the planet once every 90 minutes, a spectacle of clouds,
oceans, and continents scrolls beneath them with the partial arc of the
planet's edge in the distance. But this digitally restored image
presents a view so far only achieved by 24 humans, Apollo astronauts
who traveled to the Moon and back again between 1968 and 1972. The
original photograph, AS17-152-23420, was taken by the homeward bound
crew of Apollo 17, on December 17, 1972. For now it's the last picture
of Earth from this planetary perspective taken by human hands.
- NASA Remembers Michael Collins -
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Fri Apr 30 00:56:30 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 April 30
Pink and the Perigee Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Alice Ross
Explanation: On April 25 a nearly full moon rose just before sunset.
Welcomed in a clear blue sky and framed by cherry blossoms, its
familiar face was captured in this snapshot from Leith, Edinburgh,
Scotland. Known to some as a Pink Moon, April's full lunar phase
occurred with the moon near perigee. That's the closest point in its
not-quite-circular orbit around planet Earth, making this Pink Moon one
of the closest and brightest full moons of the year. If you missed it,
don't worry. Your next chance to see a full perigee moon will be on May
26. Known to some as a Flower Moon, May's full moon will actually be
closer to you than April's by about 98 miles (158 kilometers), or about
0.04% the distance from the Earth to the Moon at perigee.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat May 1 00:12:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 1
Perseverance from Ingenuity
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Ingenuity
Explanation: Flying at an altitude of 5 meters (just over 16 feet), on
April 25 the Ingenuity helicopter snapped this sharp image. On its
second flight above the surface of Mars, its color camera was looking
back toward Ingenuity's current base at Wright Brothers Field and
Octavia E. Butler Landing marked by the tracks of the Perseverance
rover at the top of the frame. Perseverance itself looks on from the
upper left corner about 85 meters away. Tips of Ingenuity's landing
legs just peek over the left and right edges of the camera's field of
view. Its record setting fourth flight completed on April 30, Ingenuity
collected images of a potential new landing zone before returning to
Wright Brothers Field. Ingenuity's fifth flight would be one-way though
as the Mars aircraft moves on to the new airfield, anticipating a new
phase of operational demonstration flights.
Tomorrow's picture: clouds of the keel
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.2 to
All on Sun May 2 00:22:30 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 2
Clouds of the Carina Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: John Ebersole
Explanation: What forms lurk in the mists of the Carina Nebula? The
dark ominous figures are actually molecular clouds, knots of molecular
gas and dust so thick they have become opaque. In comparison, however,
these clouds are typically much less dense than Earth's atmosphere.
Featured here is a detailed image of the core of the Carina Nebula, a
part where both dark and colorful clouds of gas and dust are
particularly prominent. The image was captured in mid-2016 from Siding
Spring Observatory in Australia. Although the nebula is predominantly
composed of hydrogen gas -- here colored green, the image was assigned
colors so that light emitted by trace amounts of sulfur and oxygen
appear red and blue, respectively. The entire Carina Nebula, cataloged
as NGC 3372, spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500
light-years away in the constellation of Carina. Eta Carinae, the most
energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky
in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically.
Tomorrow's picture: all humans but one
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Mon May 3 00:11:40 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 3
Apollo 11: Earth, Moon, Spaceship
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 11; Restoration - Toby Ord
Explanation: After the most famous voyage of modern times, it was time
to go home. After proving that humanity has the ability to go beyond
the confines of planet Earth, the first humans to walk on another world
-- Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin -- flew the ascent stage of their
Lunar Module back to meet Michael Collins in the moon-orbiting Command
and Service Module. Pictured here on 1969 July 21 and recently
digitally restored, the ascending spaceship was captured by Collins
making its approach, with the Moon below, and Earth far in the
distance. The smooth, dark area on the lunar surface is Mare Smythii
located just below the equator on the extreme eastern edge of the
Moon's near side. It is said of this iconic image that every person but
one was in front of the camera.
- NASA Remembers Michael Collins -
Tomorrow's picture: another triple alignment
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue May 4 00:08:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 4
A picture of the International Space Station crossing the Sun. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
Space Station, Solar Prominences, Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Mehmet Ergu¨n
Explanation: That's no sunspot. It's the International Space Station
(ISS) caught passing in front of the Sun. Sunspots, individually, have
a dark central umbra, a lighter surrounding penumbra, and no Dragon
capsules attached. By contrast, the ISS is a complex and multi-spired
mechanism, one of the largest and most complicated spacecraft ever
created by humanity. Also, sunspots circle the Sun, whereas the ISS
orbits the Earth. Transiting the Sun is not very unusual for the ISS,
which orbits the Earth about every 90 minutes, but getting one's
location, timing and equipment just right for a great image is rare.
The featured picture combined three images all taken from the same
location and at nearly the same time. One image -- overexposed --
captured the faint prominences seen across the top of the Sun, a second
image -- underexposed -- captured the complex texture of the Sun's
chromosphere, while the third image -- the hardest to get -- captured
the space station as it shot across the Sun in a fraction of a second.
Close inspection of the space station's silhouette even reveals a
docked Dragon Crew capsule.
Tomorrow's picture: all sky STEVE
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed May 5 06:28:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 5
STEVE over Copper Harbor
Image Credit & Copyright: MaryBeth Kiczenski
Explanation: What creates STEVEs? Strong Thermal Emission Velocity
Enhancements (STEVEs) have likely been seen since antiquity, but only
in the past five years has it been realized that their colors and
shapes make them different from auroras. Seen as single bright streaks
of pink and purple, the origin of STEVEs remain an active topic of
research. STEVEs may be related to subauroral ion drifts (SAIDs), a
supersonic river of hot atmospheric ions. For reasons currently
unknown, STEVEs are frequently accompanied by green "picket-fence"
auroras. The featured STEVE image is a combination of foreground and
background exposures taken consecutively in mid-March from Copper
Harbor, Michigan, USA. This bright STEVE lasted several minutes,
spanned from horizon to horizon, and appeared in between times of
normal auroras.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu May 6 01:47:36 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 6
Windblown NGC 3199
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby and Roberto Colombari
Explanation: NGC 3199 lies about 12,000 light-years away, a glowing
cosmic cloud in the nautical southern constellation of Carina. The
nebula is about 75 light-years across in this narrowband, false-color
view. Though the deep image reveals a more or less complete bubble
shape, it does look very lopsided with a much brighter edge along the
top. Near the center is a Wolf-Rayet star, a massive, hot, short-lived
star that generates an intense stellar wind. In fact, Wolf-Rayet stars
are known to create nebulae with interesting shapes as their powerful
winds sweep up surrounding interstellar material. In this case, the
bright edge was thought to indicate a bow shock produced as the star
plowed through a uniform medium, like a boat through water. But
measurements have shown the star is not really moving directly toward
the bright edge. So a more likely explanation is that the material
surrounding the star is not uniform, but clumped and denser near the
bright edge of windblown NGC 3199.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri May 7 02:19:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 7
Mercury-Redstone 3 Launch
Image Credit: NASA
Explanation: Sixty years ago, near the dawn of the space age, NASA
controllers "lit the candle" and sent Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard
arcing into space atop a Redstone rocket. His cramped space capsule was
dubbed Freedom 7. Broadcast live to a global television audience, the
historic Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) spacecraft was launched from Cape
Canaveral Florida at 9:34 a.m. Eastern Time on May 5, 1961. The flight
of Freedom 7, the first space flight by an American, followed less than
a month after the first human venture into space by Soviet Cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin. The 15 minute sub-orbital flight achieved an altitude of
116 miles and a maximum speed of 5,134 miles per hour. As Shepard
looked back near the peak of Freedom 7's trajectory, he could see the
outlines of the west coast of Florida, Lake Okeechobe in central
Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Bahamas. Shepard would later view
planet Earth from a more distant perspective and walk on the Moon as
commander of the Apollo 14 mission.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat May 8 01:08:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 8
Deepscape at Yacoraite
Image Credit & Copyright: Franco Meconi
Explanation: In this evocative night scene a dusty central Milky Way
rises over the ancient Andean archaeological site of Yacoraite in
northwestern Argentina. The denizens of planet Earth reaching skyward
are the large Argentine saguaro cactus currently native to the arid
region. The unusual yellow-hued reflection nebula above is created by
dust scattering starlight around red giant star Antares. Alpha star of
the constellation Scorpius, Antares is over 500 light-years distant.
Next to it bright blue Rho Ophiuchi is embedded in more typical dusty
bluish reflection nebulae though. The deep night skyscape was created
from a series of background exposures of the rising stars made while
tracking the sky, and a foreground exposure of the landscape made with
the camera and lens fixed on the tripod. In combination they produce
the single stunning image and reveal a range of brightness and color
that your eye can't quite perceive on its own.
Tomorrow's picture: around Orion
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun May 9 00:41:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 9
Horsehead and Orion Nebulas
Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari & Federico Pelliccia
Explanation: The dark Horsehead Nebula and the glowing Orion Nebula are
contrasting cosmic vistas. Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the
night sky's most recognizable constellations, they appear in opposite
corners of the above stunning mosaic. The familiar Horsehead nebula
appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette notched against the long
red glow at the lower left. Alnitak is the easternmost star in Orion's
belt and is seen as the brightest star to the left of the Horsehead.
Below Alnitak is the Flame Nebula, with clouds of bright emission and
dramatic dark dust lanes. The magnificent emission region, the Orion
Nebula (aka M42), lies at the upper right. Immediately to its left is a
prominent reflection nebula sometimes called the Running Man. Pervasive
tendrils of glowing hydrogen gas are easily traced throughout the
region.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,500+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: star clusters near and far
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon May 10 00:23:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 10
Star Clusters M35 and NGC 2158
Image Credit & Copyright: CFHT, Coelum, MegaCam, J.-C. Cuillandre
(CFHT) & G. A. Anselmi (Coelum)
Explanation: Clusters of stars can be near or far, young or old,
diffuse or compact. The featured image shows two quite contrasting open
star clusters in the same field. M35, on the lower left, is relatively
nearby at 2800 light years distant, relatively young at 150 million
years old, and relatively diffuse, with about 2500 stars spread out
over a volume 30 light years across. Bright blue stars frequently
distinguish younger open clusters like M35. Contrastingly, NGC 2158, on
the upper right, is four times more distant than M35, over 10 times
older, and much more compact. NGC 2158's bright blue stars have
self-destructed, leaving cluster light to be dominated by older and
yellower stars. In general, open star clusters are found in the plane
of our Milky Way Galaxy, and contain anywhere from 100 to 10,000 stars
-- all of which formed at nearly the same time. Both open clusters M35
and NGC 2158 can be found together with a small telescope toward the
constellation of the Twins (Gemini).
Tomorrow's picture: beyond uluru
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue May 11 00:40:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 11
Lightning and Orion Beyond Uluru
Image Credit & Copyright: Park Liu
Explanation: What's happening behind Uluru? A United Nations World
Heritage Site, Uluru is an extraordinary 350-meter high mountain in
central Australia that rises sharply from nearly flat surroundings.
Composed of sandstone, Uluru has slowly formed over the past 300
million years as softer rock eroded away. In the background of the
featured image taken in mid-May, a raging thunderstorm is visible. Far
behind both Uluru and the thunderstorm is a star-filled sky highlighted
by the constellation of Orion. The Uluru region has been a home to
humans for over 22,000 years. Local indigenous people have long noted
that when the stars that compose the modern constellation of Orion
first appear in the night sky, a hot season involving lightning storms
will soon be arriving.
Tomorrow's picture: star spasms
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All on Wed May 12 02:37:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 12
A Meteor and the Gegenschein
Image Credit: J.C. Casado, StarryEarth, EELabs, TWAN
Explanation: Is the night sky darkest in the direction opposite the
Sun? No. In fact, a rarely discernable faint glow known as the
gegenschein (German for "counter glow") can be seen 180 degrees around
from the Sun in an extremely dark sky. The gegenschein is sunlight
back-scattered off small interplanetary dust particles. These dust
particles are millimeter sized splinters from asteroids and orbit in
the ecliptic plane of the planets. Pictured here from last March is one
of the more spectacular pictures of the gegenschein yet taken. The deep
exposure of an extremely dark sky over Teide Observatory in Spain's
Canary Islands shows the gegenschein as part of extended zodiacal
light. Notable background objects include a bright meteor (on the
left), the Big Dipper (top right), and Polaris (far right). The meteor
nearly points toward Mount Teide, Spain's highest mountain, while the
Pyramid solar laboratory is visible on the right. During the day, a
phenomenon like the gegenschein called the glory can be seen in
reflecting air or clouds opposite the Sun from an airplane.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu May 13 00:52:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 13
The Comet, the Whale, and the Hockey Stick
Image Credit & Copyright: Grand Mesa Observatory, Terry Hancock / Tom
Masterson
Explanation: Closest to the Sun on March 1, and closest to planet Earth
on April 23, this Comet ATLAS (C/2020 R4) shows a faint greenish coma
and short tail in this pretty, telescopic field of view. Captured at
its position on May 5, the comet was within the boundaries of northern
constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs), and near the
line-of-sight to intriguing background galaxies popularly known as the
Whale and the Hockey Stick. Cetacean in appearance but Milky Way sized,
NGC 4631 is a spiral galaxy seen edge-on at the top right, some 25
million light-years away. NGC 4656/7 sports the bent-stick shape of
interacting galaxies below and left of NGC 4631. In fact, the
distortions and mingling trails of gas detected at other wavelengths
suggest the cosmic Whale and Hockey Stick have had close encounters
with each other in their distant past. Outbound and only about 7
light-minutes from Earth this Comet ATLAS should revisit the inner
solar system in just under 1,000 years.
Tomorrow's picture: and the Hat
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All on Fri May 14 00:14:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 14
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls
Explanation: A gorgeous spiral galaxy, M104 is famous for its nearly
edge-on profile featuring a broad ring of obscuring dust lanes. Seen in
silhouette against an extensive central bulge of stars, the swath of
cosmic dust lends a broad brimmed hat-like appearance to the galaxy
suggesting a more popular moniker, the Sombrero Galaxy. This sharp
optical view of the well-known galaxy made from ground-based image data
was processed to preserve details often lost in overwhelming glare of
M104's bright central bulge. Also known as NGC 4594, the Sombrero
galaxy can be seen across the spectrum, and is host to a central
supermassive black hole. About 50,000 light-years across and 28 million
light-years away, M104 is one of the largest galaxies at the southern
edge of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Still the colorful spiky foreground
stars in this field of view lie well within our own Milky Way galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: over the cliff
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All on Sat May 15 00:24:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 15
The Southern Cliff in the Lagoon
Image Credit: Julia I. Arias and Rodolfo H. Barba' (Dept. Fisica, Univ.
de La Serena), ICATE-CONICET, Gemini Observatory/AURA
Explanation: Undulating bright ridges and dusty clouds cross this
close-up of the nearby star forming region M8, also known as the Lagoon
Nebula. A sharp, false-color composite of narrow band visible and broad
band near-infrared data from the 8-meter Gemini South Telescope, the
entire view spans about 20 light-years through a region of the nebula
sometimes called the Southern Cliff. The highly detailed image explores
the association of many newborn stars imbedded in the tips of the
bright-rimmed clouds and Herbig-Haro objects. Abundant in star-forming
regions, Herbig-Haro objects are produced as powerful jets emitted by
young stars in the process of formation heat the surrounding clouds of
gas and dust. The cosmic Lagoon is found some 5,000 light-years away
toward the constellation Sagittarius and the center of our Milky Way
Galaxy. (For location and scale, check out this image superimposing the
close-up of the Southern Cliff within the larger Lagoon Nebula. The
scale image is courtesy R. Barba'.)
Tomorrow's picture: and beyond
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All on Sun May 16 00:24:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 16
NGC 602 and Beyond
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) -
ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Explanation: The clouds may look like an oyster, and the stars like
pearls, but look beyond. Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic
Cloud, a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5
million year young star cluster NGC 602. Surrounded by natal gas and
dust, NGC 602 is featured in this stunning Hubble image of the region.
Fantastic ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic
radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive young stars have
eroded the dusty material and triggered a progression of star formation
moving away from the cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the
Small Magellanic Cloud, the featured picture spans about 200
light-years, but a tantalizing assortment of background galaxies are
also visible in this sharp multi-colored view. The background galaxies
are hundreds of millions of light-years or more beyond NGC 602.
Tomorrow's picture: edgy galaxy
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All on Mon May 17 00:18:30 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 17
NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge
Image Credit & Copyright: CFHT, Coelum, MegaCam, J.-C. Cuillandre
(CFHT) & G. A. Anselmi (Coelum)
Explanation: Is our Milky Way Galaxy this thin? Magnificent spiral
galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the
Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many
telescopic tours of the northern sky, in the faint but well-groomed
constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the
spiral galaxy's boxy, bulging central core cut by obscuring dust lanes
that lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. An assortment of other
background galaxies is included in the pretty field of view. Thought
similar in shape to our own Milky Way Galaxy, NGC 4565 lies about 40
million light-years distant and spans some 100,000 light-years. Easily
spotted with small telescopes, sky enthusiasts consider NGC 4565 to be
a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.
Tomorrow's picture: stellar necklace
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All on Tue May 18 00:23:18 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 18
Jets from the Necklace Nebula
Image Credit: ESA, Hubble, NASA; Processing: K. Noll
Explanation: What celestial body wears the Necklace Nebula? First,
analyses indicate that the Necklace is a planetary nebula, a gas cloud
emitted by a star toward the end of its life. Also, what appears to be
diamonds in the Necklace are actually bright knots of glowing gas. In
the center of the Necklace Nebula are likely two stars orbiting so
close together that they share a common atmosphere and appear as one in
the featured image by the Hubble Space Telescope. The red-glowing gas
clouds on the upper left and lower right are the results of jets from
the center. Exactly when and how the bright jets formed remains a topic
of research. The Necklace Nebula is only about 5,000 years old, spans
about 5 light years, and can best be found with a large telescope
toward the direction of the constellation of the Arrow (Sagitta).
Tomorrow's picture: jellyfish in space
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All on Wed May 19 05:40:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 19
The Jellyfish and Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Guenzel
Explanation: Normally faint and elusive, the Jellyfish Nebula is caught
in this alluring scene. In the telescopic field of view two bright
yellowish stars, Mu and Eta Geminorum, stand just below and above the
Jellyfish Nebula at the left. Cool red giants, they lie at the foot of
the celestial twin. The Jellyfish Nebula itself floats below and left
of center, a bright arcing ridge of emission with dangling tentacles.
In fact, the cosmic jellyfish is part of bubble-shaped supernova
remnant IC 443, the expanding debris cloud from a massive star that
exploded. Light from that explosion first reached planet Earth over
30,000 years ago. Like its cousin in astrophysical waters the Crab
Nebula supernova remnant, the Jellyfish Nebula is known to harbor a
neutron star, the remnant of the collapsed stellar core. Composed on
April 30, this telescopic snapshot also captures Mars. Now wandering
through early evening skies, the Red Planet also shines with a
yellowish glow on the right hand side of the field of view. Of course,
the Jellyfish Nebula is about 5,000 light-years away, while Mars is
currently almost 18 light-minutes from Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Thu May 20 03:32:16 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 20
M13: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Dufour
Explanation: In 1716, English astronomer Edmond Halley noted, "This is
but a little Patch, but it shews itself to the naked Eye, when the Sky
is serene and the Moon absent." Of course, M13 is now less modestly
recognized as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, one of the
brightest globular star clusters in the northern sky. Sharp telescopic
views like this one reveal the spectacular cluster's hundreds of
thousands of stars. At a distance of 25,000 light-years, the cluster
stars crowd into a region 150 light-years in diameter. Approaching the
cluster core upwards of 100 stars could be contained in a cube just 3
light-years on a side. For comparison, the closest star to the Sun is
over 4 light-years away. The remarkable range of brightness recorded in
this image follows stars into the dense cluster core. Distant
background galaxies in the medium-wide field of view include NGC 6207
at the lower right.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri May 21 03:31:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 21
Utopia on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, The Viking Project, M. Dale-Bannister (Washington
University)
Explanation: Expansive Utopia Planitia on Mars is strewn with rocks and
boulders in this 1976 image. Constructed from the Viking 2 lander's
color and black and white image data, the scene approximates the
appearance of the high northern martian plain to the human eye. For
scale, the prominent rounded rock near center is about 20 centimeters
(just under 8 inches) across. Farther back on the right side of the
frame the a dark angular boulder spans about 1.5 meters (5 feet). Also
in view are two trenches dug by the lander's sampler arm, the ejected
protective shroud that covered the soil collector head, and one of the
lander's dust covered footpads at the lower right. On May 14, China's
Zhurong Mars rover successfully touchdown on Mars and has returned the
first images of` its landing site in Utopia Planitia.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat May 22 00:34:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 22
Markarian's Chain
Image Credit & Copyright: Ginge Anvik
Explanation: Near the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster the string of
galaxies known as Markarian's Chain stretches across this deep
telescopic field of view. Anchored in the frame at bottom center by
prominent lenticular galaxies, M84 (bottom) and M86, you can follow the
chain up and to the right. Near center you'll spot the pair of
interacting galaxies NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, known to some as
Markarian's Eyes. Its center an estimated 50 million light-years
distant, the Virgo Cluster itself is the nearest galaxy cluster. With
up to about 2,000 member galaxies, it has a noticeable gravitational
influence on our own Local Group of Galaxies. Within the Virgo Cluster
at least seven galaxies in Markarian's Chain appear to move coherently,
although others may appear to be part of the chain by chance.
Tomorrow's picture: the galaxy tree
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All on Sun May 23 00:17:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 23
The Galaxy Tree
Image Credit & Copyright: César Vega Toledano ; Rollover Annotation:
Judy Schmidt
Explanation: First came the trees. In the town of Salamanca, Spain, the
photographer noticed how distinctive a grove of oak trees looked after
being pruned. Next came the galaxy. The photographer stayed up until 2
am, waiting until the Milky Way Galaxy rose above the level of a
majestic looking oak. From this carefully chosen perspective, dust
lanes in the galaxy appear to be natural continuations to branches of
the tree. Last came the light. A flashlight was used on the far side of
the tree to project a silhouette. By coincidence, other trees also
appeared as similar silhouettes across the relatively bright horizon.
The featured image was captured as a single 30-second frame in 2015 and
processed to digitally enhance the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: moon of the goats
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All on Mon May 24 00:17:14 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 24
Lightning Eclipse from the Planet of the Goats
Image Credit & Copyright: Chris Kotsiopoulos (GreekSky)
Explanation: Thunderstorms almost spoiled this view of the spectacular
2011 June 15 total lunar eclipse. Instead, storm clouds parted for 10
minutes during the total eclipse phase and lightning bolts contributed
to the dramatic sky. Captured with a 30-second exposure the scene also
inspired one of the more memorable titles (thanks to the
astrophotographer) in APOD's now 25-year history. Of course, the
lightning reference clearly makes sense, and the shadow play of the
dark lunar eclipse was widely viewed across planet Earth in Europe,
Africa, Asia, and Australia. The picture itself, however, was shot from
the Greek island of Ikaria at Pezi. That area is known as "the planet
of the goats" because of the rough terrain and strange looking rocks.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur on Wednesday.
Details: Total Lunar Eclipse on 2021 May 26
Tomorrow's picture: disappearing moon
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All on Tue May 25 00:20:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 25
The Moon During a Total Lunar Eclipse
Video Credit: Wang Letian & Zhang Jiajie
Explanation: How does the Moon's appearance change during a total lunar
eclipse? The featured time-lapse video was digitally processed to keep
the Moon bright and centered during the 5-hour eclipse of 2018 January
31. At first the full moon is visible because only a full moon can
undergo a lunar eclipse. Stars move by in the background because the
Moon orbits the Earth during the eclipse. The circular shadow of the
Earth is then seen moving across the Moon. The light blue hue of the
shadow's edge is related to why Earth's sky is blue, while the deep red
hue of the shadow's center is related to why the Sun appears red when
near the horizon. Tomorrow, people living from southeast Asia, across
the Pacific, to the southwest Americas may get to see a Blood Supermoon
Total Lunar Eclipse. Here the term blood refers to the (likely) red
color of the fully eclipsed Moon, while the term supermoon indicates
the Moon's slightly high angular size -- due to being relatively close
to the Earth in its slightly elliptical orbit.
Details: Total Lunar Eclipse on 2021 May 26
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Wed May 26 00:13:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 26
The Outburst Clouds of Star AG Car
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI; Processing: Judy Schmidt; Text: Anders
Nyholm
Explanation: What created these unusual clouds? At the center of this
2021 Hubble image sits AG Carinae, a supergiant star located about
20,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. The
star's emitted power is over a million times that of the Sun, making AG
Carinae one of the most luminous stars in our Milky Way galaxy. AG
Carinae and its neighbor Eta Carinae belong to the scarce Luminous Blue
Variable (LBV) class of stars, known for their rare but violent
eruptions. The nebula that surrounds AG Car is interpreted as a remnant
of one or more such outbursts. This nebula measures 5 light-years
across, is estimated to contain about 10 solar masses of gas, and to be
at least 10,000 years old. This Hubble image, taken to commemorate
Hubble's 31st launch anniversary, is the first to capture the whole
nebula, offering a new perspective on its structure and dust content.
The LBVs represent a late and short stage in the lives of some
supergiant stars, but explaining their restlessness remains a challenge
to humanity's understanding of how massive stars work.
Your questions answered: Tonight's Blood Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu May 27 00:14:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 27
Mid-Eclipse and Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: John Kraus
Explanation: May's perigee Full Moon slid through Earth's shadow
yesterday entertaining night skygazers in regions around the Pacific.
Seen from western North America, it sinks toward the rugged Sierra
Nevada mountain range in this time-lapse series of the total lunar
eclipse. Low on the western horizon the Moon was captured at
mid-eclipse with two separate exposures. Combined they reveal the
eclipsed Moon's reddened color against the dark night sky and the
diffuse starlight band of the Milky Way. Frames taken every five
minutes from the fixed camera follow the surrounding progression of the
eclipse partial phases. In the foreground a radio telescope dish at
California's Owen's Valley Radio Observatory points skyward.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri May 28 00:30:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 28
Total Lunar Eclipse from Sydney
Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Ward (Barden Ridge Observatory)
Explanation: The reddened shadow of planet Earth plays across the lunar
disk in this telescopic image taken on May 26 near Sydney, New South
Wales, Australia. On that crisp, clear autumn night a Perigee Full Moon
slid through the northern edge of the shadow's dark central umbra.
Short for a lunar eclipse, its total phase lasted only about 14
minutes. The Earth's shadow was not completely dark though. Instead it
was suffused with a faint red light from all the planet's sunsets and
sunrises seen from the perspective of an eclipsed Moon, the reddened
sunlight scattered by Earth's atmosphere. The HDR composite of 6
exposures also shows the wide range of brightness variations within
Earth's umbral shadow against a faint background of stars.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat May 29 00:19:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 29
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA
Explanation: Why is the Moon so dusty? On Earth, rocks are weathered by
wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, the history of
constant micrometeorite bombardment has blasted away at the rocky
surface creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith. For the
Apollo astronauts and their equipment, the pervasive, fine, gritty dust
was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface in December 1972, Apollo
17 astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one
of their rover's fenders in an effort to keep the rooster tails of dust
away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals the wheel and
fender of their dust covered rover along with the ingenious application
of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape".
Tomorrow's picture: cloudy day on Earth
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun May 30 00:27:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 30
Aurora over Clouds
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniele Boffelli
Explanation: Auroras usually occur high above the clouds. The auroral
glow is created when fast-moving particles ejected from the Sun impact
the Earth's magnetosphere, from which charged particles spiral along
the Earth's magnetic field to strike atoms and molecules high in the
Earth's atmosphere. An oxygen atom, for example, will glow in the green
light commonly emitted by an aurora after being energized by such a
collision. The lowest part of an aurora will typically occur about 100
kilometers up, while most clouds exist only below about 10 kilometers.
The relative heights of clouds and auroras are shown clearly in the
featured picture in 2015 from Dyrholaey, Iceland. There, a determined
astrophotographer withstood high winds and initially overcast skies in
an attempt to capture aurora over a picturesque lighthouse, only to
take, by chance, the featured picture including elongated lenticular
clouds, along the way.
Follow APOD on Instagram in: English, Farsi, Indonesian, Persian, or
Portuguese
Tomorrow's picture: thatCÇÖs a moon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon May 31 01:15:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 May 31
Mimas: Small Moon with a Big Crater
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute,
Cassini
Explanation: Whatever hit Mimas nearly destroyed it. What remains is
one of the largest impact craters on one of Saturn's smallest round
moons. Analysis indicates that a slightly larger impact would have
destroyed Mimas entirely. The huge crater, named Herschel after the
1789 discoverer of Mimas, Sir William Herschel, spans about 130
kilometers and is featured here. Mimas' low mass produces a surface
gravity just strong enough to create a spherical body but weak enough
to allow such relatively large surface features. Mimas is made of
mostly water ice with a smattering of rock - so it is accurately
described as a big dirty snowball. The featured image was taken during
the closest-ever flyby of the robot spacecraft Cassini past Mimas in
2010 while in orbit around Saturn.
Interactive: Take a trek across Mimas
Tomorrow's picture: streaks of Orion
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jun 1 00:54:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 1
Starlink over Orion
Image Credit: Amir H. Abolfath
Explanation: What are those streaks across Orion? Most are reflections
of sunlight from numerous Earth-orbiting Starlink satellites. Appearing
by eye as a series of successive points floating across a twilight sky,
the increasing number of SpaceX Starlink communication satellites are
causing concern among many astronomers. On the positive side, Starlink
and similar constellations make the post-sunset sky more dynamic,
satellite-based global communications faster, and help provide digital
services to currently underserved rural areas. On the negative side,
though, these low Earth-orbit satellites make some deep astronomical
imaging programs more difficult, in particular observing programs that
need images taken just after sunset and just before dawn. Planned
future satellite arrays that function in higher orbits may impact
investigations of the deep universe planned for large ground-based
telescopes at any time during the night. The featured picture, taken in
2019 December, is a digital combination of over 65 3-minutes exposures,
with some images taken to highlight the background Orion Nebula, while
others to feature the passing satellites.
SatCon2 Wokshop 12-16 July 2021: Mitigating Satellite Constellations
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Wed Jun 2 07:01:34 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 2
The Galactic Center in Stars, Gas, and Magnetism
Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/Q.D. Wang; Radio: NRF/SARAO/MeerKAT
Explanation: What's going on near the center of our galaxy? To help
find out, a newly detailed panorama has been composed that explores
regions just above and below the galactic plane in radio and X-ray
light. X-ray light taken by the orbiting Chandra Observatory is shown
in orange (hot), green (hotter), and purple (hottest) and superposed
with a highly detailed image in radio waves, shown in gray, acquired by
the MeerKAT array. Interactions are numerous and complex. Galactic
beasts such as expanding supernova remnants, hot winds from newly
formed stars, unusually strong and colliding magnetic fields, and a
central supermassive black hole are all battling in a space only 1000
light years across. Thin bright stripes appear to result from twisting
and newly connecting magnetic fields in colliding regions, creating an
energetic type of inner galactic space weather with similarities to
that created by our Sun. Continued observations and study hold promise
to not only shed more light on the history and evolution of our own
galaxy -- but all galaxies.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jun 4 00:22:18 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 4
Blood Monster Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Chirag Upreti
Explanation: On May 26, the Full Flower Moon was caught in this single
exposure as it emerged from Earth's shadow and morning twilight began
to wash over the western sky. Posing close to the horizon near the end
of totality, an eclipsed lunar disk is framed against bare oak trees at
Pinnacles National Park in central California. The Earth's shadow isn't
completely dark though. Faintly suffused with sunlight scattered by the
atmosphere, the inner shadow gives the totally eclipsed moon a reddened
appearance and the very dramatic popular moniker of a Blood Moon.
Still, the monstrous visage of a gnarled tree in silhouette made this
view of a total lunar eclipse even scarier.
Tomorrow's picture: The Shining
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sat Jun 5 00:04:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 5
The Shining Clouds of Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
Explanation: The weathered and layered face of Mount Mercou looms in
the foreground of this mosaic from the Curiosity Mars rover's Mast
Camera. Made up of 21 individual images the scene was recorded just
after sunset on March 19, the 3,063rd martian day of Curiosity's on
going exploration of the Red Planet. In the martian twilight high
altitude clouds still shine above, reflecting the light from the Sun
below the local horizon like the noctilucent clouds of planet Earth.
Though water ice clouds drift through the thin martian atmosphere,
these wispy clouds are also at extreme altitudes and could be composed
of frozen carbon dioxide, crystals of dry ice. Curiosity's Mast Cam has
also imaged iridescent or mother of pearl clouds adding subtle colors
to the martian sky.
Tomorrow's picture: sunrise on Earth
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jun 6 00:04:36 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 6
A Distorted Sunrise Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Elias Chasiotis
Explanation: Yes, but have you ever seen a sunrise like this? Here,
after initial cloudiness, the Sun appeared to rise in two pieces and
during partial eclipse, causing the photographer to describe it as the
most stunning sunrise of his life. The dark circle near the top of the
atmospherically-reddened Sun is the Moon -- but so is the dark peak
just below it. This is because along the way, the Earth's atmosphere
had an inversion layer of unusually warm air which acted like a
gigantic lens and created a second image. For a normal sunrise or
sunset, this rare phenomenon of atmospheric optics is known as the
Etruscan vase effect. The featured picture was captured in December
2019 from Al Wakrah, Qatar. Some observers in a narrow band of Earth to
the east were able to see a full annular solar eclipse -- where the
Moon appears completely surrounded by the background Sun in a ring of
fire. The next solar eclipse, also an annular eclipse for well-placed
observers, will occur later this week on June 10.
Tomorrow's picture: star boom
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jun 7 00:07:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 7
A Bright Nova in Cassiopeia
Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Ayoub
Explanation: What's that new spot of light in Cassiopeia? A nova.
Although novas occur frequently throughout the universe, this nova,
known as Nova Cas 2021 or V1405 Cas, became so unusually bright in the
skies of Earth last month that it was visible to the unaided eye. Nova
Cas 2021 first brightened in mid-March but then, unexpectedly, became
even brighter in mid-May and remained quite bright for about a week.
The nova then faded back to early-May levels, but now is slightly
brightening again and remains visible through binoculars. Identified by
the arrow, the nova occurred toward the constellation of Cassiopeia,
not far from the Bubble Nebula. A nova is typically caused by a
thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star that is
accreting matter from a binary-star companion -- although details of
this outburst are currently unknown. Novas don't destroy the underlying
star, and are sometimes seen to recur. The featured image was created
from 14 hours of imaging from Detroit, Michigan, USA. Both professional
and amateur astronomers will likely continue to monitor Nova Cas 2021
and hypothesize about details of its cause.
Tomorrow's picture: Jupiter happy
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jun 8 00:15:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 8
A Face in the Clouds of Jupiter from Juno
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Jason Major
Explanation: What do you see in the clouds of Jupiter? On the largest
scale, circling the planet, Jupiter has alternating light zones and
reddish-brown belts. Rising zone gas, mostly hydrogen and helium,
usually swirls around regions of high pressure. Conversely, falling
belt gas usually whirls around regions of low pressure, like cyclones
and hurricanes on Earth. Belt storms can form into large and
long-lasting white ovals and elongated red spots. NASA's robotic Juno
spacecraft captured most of these cloud features in 2017 during
perijove 6, its sixth pass over the giant planet in its looping 2-month
orbit. But it is surely not these clouds themselves that draws your
attention to the displayed image, but rather their arrangement. The
face that stands out, nicknamed Jovey McJupiterFace, lasted perhaps a
few weeks before the neighboring storm clouds rotated away. Juno has
now completed 33 orbits around Jupiter and just yesterday made a close
pass near Ganymede, our Solar System's largest moon.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jun 9 00:14:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 9
A Total Lunar Eclipse Corona
Image Credit & Copyright: Helmut Eder
Explanation: This moon appears multiply strange. This moon was a full
moon, specifically called a Flower Moon at this time of the year. But
that didn't make it strange -- full moons occur once a month (moon-th).
This moon was a supermoon, meaning that it reached its full phase near
its closest approach to the Earth in its slightly elliptical orbit.
Somewhat strange, a supermoon appears a bit larger and brighter than
the average full moon -- and enables it to be called a Super Flower
Moon. This moon was undergoing a total lunar eclipse. An eclipsed moon
can look quite strange, being dark, unevenly lit, and, frequently, red
-- sometimes called blood red. Therefore, this moon could be called a
Super Flower Blood Moon. This moon was seen through thin clouds. These
clouds created a faint corona around the moon, making it look not only
strange, but colorful. This moon was imaged so deeply that the heart of
the Milky Way galaxy, far in the background, was visible to its lower
right. This moon, this shadow, this galaxy and these colors were all
captured last month near Cassilis, NSW, Australia -- with a single
shot. (Merged later with two lower shots that better capture the Milky
Way.)
Details: Annular Solar Eclipse Tomorrow
Gallery: Total Eclipse of the Super Flower Blood Moon
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Jun 25 00:15:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 25
Andromeda in a Single Shot
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva)
Explanation: How far can you see? The Andromeda Galaxy, 2.5 million
light years away, is the most distant object easily seen by the unaided
eye. Other denizens of the night sky, like stars, clusters, and
nebulae, are typically hundreds to thousands of light-years distant.
That's far beyond the Solar System but well within our own Milky Way
Galaxy. Also known as M31, the external galaxy poses directly above a
chimney in this well-planned deep night skyscape from an old mine in
southern Portugal. The image was captured in a single exposure tracking
the sky, so the foreground is slightly blurred by the camera's motion
while Andromeda itself looms large. The galaxy's brighter central
region, normally all that's visible to the naked-eye, can be seen
extending to spiral arms with fainter outer reaches spanning over 4
full moons across the sky. Of course in only 5 billion years or so, the
stars of Andromeda could span the entire night sky as the Andromeda
Galaxy merges with the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in the Sun
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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All on Mon Jun 28 00:31:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 28
A Paper Moon Solar Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night)
Explanation: It may look like a paper Moon. Sailing past a canvas Sun.
But those are not cardboard clouds. And it's not make believe. The
featured picture of an orange colored sky is real -- a digital
composite of two exposures of the solar eclipse that occurred earlier
this month. The first exposure was taken with a regular telescope that
captured an overexposed Sun and an underexposed Moon, while the second
image was taken with a solar telescope that captured details of the
chromosphere of the background Sun. The Sun's canvas-like texture was
brought up by imaging in a very specific shade of red emitted by
hydrogen. Several prominences can be seen around the Sun's edge. The
image was captured just before sunset from Xilingol, Inner Mongolia,
China. It's also not make-believe to imagine that the Moon is made of
dense rock, the Sun is made of hot gas, and clouds are made of floating
droplets of water and ice.
Tomorrow's picture: hubble's orion
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Jun 29 00:19:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 June 29
Orion Nebula: The Hubble View
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Francisco
Javier Pobes Serrano
Explanation: Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like the Orion
Nebula. Also known as M42, the nebula's glowing gas surrounds hot young
stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500
light-years away. The Orion Nebula offers one of the best opportunities
to study how stars are born partly because it is the nearest large
star-forming region, but also because the nebula's energetic stars have
blown away obscuring gas and dust clouds that would otherwise block our
view - providing an intimate look at a range of ongoing stages of
starbirth and evolution. The featured image of the Orion Nebula is
among the sharpest ever, constructed using data from the Hubble Space
Telescope. The entire Orion Nebula spans about 40 light years and is
located in the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as the Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: first stars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jul 3 00:18:56 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 3
Along the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolf Weisenfeld
Explanation: You can't walk along the Milky Way. Still, under a dark
sky you can explore it. To the eye the pale luminous trail of light
arcing through the sky on a dark, moonless night does appear to be a
path through the heavens. The glowing celestial band is the faint,
collective light of distant stars cut by swaths of obscuring
interstellar dust clouds. It lies along the plane of our home galaxy,
so named because it looks like a milky way. Since Galileo's time, the
Milky Way has been revealed to telescopic skygazers to be filled with
congeries of innumerable stars and cosmic wonders.
Tomorrow's picture: Facing Mars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sun Jul 4 00:22:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 4
The Face on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, Viking 1 Orbiter
Explanation: Wouldn't it be fun if clouds were castles? Wouldn't it be
fun if the laundry on the bedroom chair was a superhero? Wouldn't it be
fun if rock mesas on Mars were interplanetary monuments to the human
face? Clouds, though, are floating droplets of water and ice. Laundry
is cotton, wool, or plastic, woven into garments. Famous Martian rock
mesas known by names like the Face on Mars appear quite natural when
seen more clearly on better images. Is reality boring? Nobody knows why
some clouds make rain. Nobody knows if life ever developed on Mars.
Nobody knows why the laundry on the bedroom chair smells like root
beer. Scientific exploration can not only resolve mysteries, but
uncover new knowledge, greater mysteries, and yet deeper questions. As
humanity explores our universe, perhaps fun -- through discovery -- is
just beginning.
Tomorrow's picture: horse of blue
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jul 5 00:13:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 5
IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Steward Observatory, University
of Arizona
Explanation: Do you see the horse's head? What you are seeing is not
the famous Horsehead nebula toward Orion but rather a fainter nebula
that only takes on a familiar form with deeper imaging. The main part
of the here imaged molecular cloud complex is a reflection nebula
cataloged as IC 4592. Reflection nebulas are actually made up of very
fine dust that normally appears dark but can look quite blue when
reflecting the visible light of energetic nearby stars. In this case,
the source of much of the reflected light is a star at the eye of the
horse. That star is part of Nu Scorpii, one of the brighter star
systems toward the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius). A second
reflection nebula dubbed IC 4601 is visible surrounding two stars to
the right of the image center.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: seeing saturn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Tue Jul 6 00:07:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 6
Saturn and Six Moons
Image Credit & Copyright: Mohammad Ranjbaran; MR Thanks: Amir Ehteshami
Explanation: How many moons does Saturn have? So far 82 have been
confirmed, the smallest being only a fraction of a kilometer across.
Six of its largest satellites can be seen here in a composite image
with 13 short exposure of the bright planet, and 13 long exposures of
the brightest of its faint moons, taken over two weeks last month.
Larger than Earth's Moon and even slightly larger than Mercury,Saturn's
largest moon Titan has a diameter of 5,150 kilometers and was captured
making nearly a complete orbit around its ringed parent planet.
Saturn's first known natural satellite, Titan was discovered in 1655 by
Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, in contrast with several newly
discovered moons announced in 2019. The trail on the far right belongs
to Iapetus, Saturn's third largest moon. The radius of painted Iapetus'
orbit is so large that only a portion of it was captured here. Saturn
leads Jupiter across the night sky this month, rising soon after sunset
toward the southeast, and remaining visible until dawn.
Tomorrow's picture: through orion
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From
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All on Thu Jul 8 00:44:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 8
Perihelion to Aphelion
Image Credit & Copyright: Richard Jaworski
Explanation: Aphelion for 2021 occurred on July 5th. That's the point
in Earth's elliptical orbit when it is farthest from the Sun. Of
course, the distance from the Sun doesn't determine the seasons. Those
are governed by the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation, so July is still
summer in the north and winter in the southern hemisphere. But it does
mean that on July 5 the Sun was at its smallest apparent size when
viewed from planet Earth. This composite neatly compares two pictures
of the Sun, both taken with the same telescope and camera. The left
half was captured close to the date of the 2021 perihelion (January 2),
the closest point in Earth's orbit. The right was recorded just before
the aphelion in 2021. Otherwise difficult to notice, the change in the
Sun's apparent diameter between perihelion and aphelion amounts to a
little over 3 percent.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Fri Jul 9 00:07:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 9
M82: Starburst Galaxy with a Superwind
Image Credit & Copyright: Team ARO, Alentejo Remote Observatory
Explanation: M82 is a starburst galaxy with a superwind. In fact,
through ensuing supernova explosions and powerful winds from massive
stars, the burst of star formation in M82 is driving a prodigious
outflow. Evidence for the superwind from the galaxy's central regions
is clear in sharp telescopic snapshot. The composite image highlights
emission from long outflow filaments of atomic hydrogen gas in reddish
hues. Some of the gas in the superwind, enriched in heavy elements
forged in the massive stars, will eventually escape into intergalactic
space. Triggered by a close encounter with nearby large galaxy M81, the
furious burst of star formation in M82 should last about 100 million
years or so. Also known as the Cigar Galaxy for its elongated visual
appearance, M82 is about 30,000 light-years across. It lies 12 million
light-years away near the northern boundary of Ursa Major.
Tomorrow's picture: Mercury and the Da Vinci Glow
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From
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All on Sat Jul 10 00:19:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 10
Mercury and the Da Vinci Glow
Image Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Funes
Explanation: On July 8th early morning risers saw Mercury near an old
Moon low on the eastern horizon. On that date bright planet, faint glow
of lunar night side, and sunlit crescent were captured in this predawn
skyscape from Tenerife's Teide National Park in the Canary Islands.
Never far from the Sun in planet Earth's sky, the fleeting inner planet
shines near its brightest in the morning twilight scene. Mercury lies
just below the zeta star of the constellation Taurus, Zeta Tauri, near
the tip of the celestial bull's horn. Of course the Moon's ashen glow
is earthshine, earthlight reflected from the Moon's night side. A
description of earthshine, in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's
oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface, was written over 500 years
ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Waiting for the coming dawn in the foreground
are the Teide Observatory's sentinels of the Sun, also known as (large
domes left to right) the THEMIS, VTT, and GREGOR solar telescopes.
Tomorrow's picture: try to see the Moon
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From
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All on Mon Jul 12 00:16:34 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 12
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls & Keith Quattrocchi
Explanation: What will become of our Sun? The first hint of our Sun's
future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles
Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not to be confused with
comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now known as M27 or the
Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, one of the brightest planetary
nebulae on the sky -- and visible toward the constellation of the Fox
(Vulpecula) with binoculars. It takes light about 1000 years to reach
us from M27, featured here in colors emitted by hydrogen and oxygen. We
now know that in about 6 billion years, our Sun will shed its outer
gases into a planetary nebula like M27, while its remaining center will
become an X-ray hot white dwarf star. Understanding the physics and
significance of M27 was well beyond 18th century science, though. Even
today, many things remain mysterious about planetary nebulas, including
how their intricate shapes are created.
Tomorrow's picture: Iapetus 3D
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From
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All on Thu Jul 15 00:29:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 15
The Dark Tower in Scorpius
Image Credit & Copyright: Data - Martin Pugh Processing - Rocco Sung
Explanation: In silhouette against a crowded star field along the tail
of the arachnalogical constellation Scorpius, this dusty cosmic cloud
evokes for some the image of an ominous dark tower. In fact, clumps of
dust and molecular gas collapsing to form stars may well lurk within
the dark nebula, a structure that spans almost 40 light-years across
this gorgeous telescopic portrait. Known as a cometary globule, the
swept-back cloud, is shaped by intense ultraviolet radiation from the
OB association of very hot stars in NGC 6231, off the upper edge of the
scene. That energetic ultraviolet light also powers the globule's
bordering reddish glow of hydrogen gas. Hot stars embedded in the dust
can be seen as bluish reflection nebulae. This dark tower, NGC 6231,
and associated nebulae are about 5,000 light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Fri Jul 16 00:03:56 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 16
Love and War by Moonlight
Image Credit & Copyright: Shi Huan
Explanation: Venus, named for the Roman goddess of love, and Mars, the
war god's namesake, come together by moonlight in this serene skyview,
recorded on July 11 from Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of
Congo, planet Earth. Taken in the western twilight sky shortly after
sunset the exposure also records earthshine illuminating the otherwise
dark surface of the young crescent Moon. Of course the Moon has moved
on. Venus still shines in the west though as the evening star, third
brightest object in Earth's sky, after the Sun and the Moon itself.
Seen here above a brilliant Venus, Mars moved even closer to the
brighter planet and by July 13 could be seen only about a Moon's width
away. Mars has since slowly wandered away from much brighter Venus in
the twilight, but both are sliding toward bright star Regulus. Alpha
star of the constellation Leo, Regulus lies off the top of this frame
and anticipates a visit from Venus and then Mars in twilight skies of
the coming days.
Tomorrow's picture: when the moon watches you
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jul 17 00:18:22 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 17
Alphonsus and Arzachel
Image Credit & Copyright: Noel Donnard
Explanation: Point your telescope at tonight's first quarter Moon.
Along the terminator, the shadow line between night and day, you might
find these two large craters staring back at you with an owlish gaze.
Alphonsus (left) and Arzachel are ancient impact craters on the north
eastern shores of Mare Nubium, the lunar Sea of Clouds. The larger
Alphonsus is over 100 kilometers in diameter. A low sun angle
highlights the crater's sharp 1.5 kilometer high central peak in bright
sunlight and dark shadow. Scouting for potential Apollo moon landing
sites, the Ranger 9 spacecraft returned closeup photographs of
Alphonsus before it crashed in the crater just northeast (left) of its
central mountain in 1965. Alpetragius, between Alphonsus and Arzachel,
is the small crater with the deeply shadowed floor and overly large
central peak.
Tomorrow's picture: 2.5 million light-years away
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From
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All on Tue Jul 20 07:15:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 20
Thor's Helmet
Image Credit & Copyright: Bernard Miller
Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in
the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped
cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages. Heroically sized even for a
Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the
cosmic head-covering is more like an interstellar bubble, blown with a
fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center. Known
as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant
thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. NGC 2359 is
located about 15,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the
Great Overdog. This remarkably sharp image is a mixed cocktail of data
from broadband and narrowband filters, capturing not only natural
looking stars but details of the nebula's filamentary structures. The
star in the center of Thor's Helmet is expected to explode in a
spectacular supernova sometime within the next few thousand years.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: colors of ring
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From
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All on Fri Jul 23 00:04:18 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 23
Elephant, Bat, and Squid
Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick Hsieh
Explanation: Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mix glowing
interstellar gas and dark dust clouds in this 10 degree wide field of
view toward the northern constellation Cepheus the King. Energized by
its bluish central star IC 1396 (left) is hundreds of light-years
across and some 3,000 light-years distant. The nebula's intriguing dark
shapes include a winding dark cloud popularly known as the Elephant's
Trunk below and right of center. Tens of light-years long, it holds the
raw raw material for star formation and is known to hide protostars
within. Located a similar distance from planet Earth, the bright knots
and swept back ridges of emission of Sh2-129 on the right suggest its
popular name, the Flying Bat Nebula. Within the Flying Bat, the most
recently recognized addition to this royal cosmic zoo is the faint
bluish emission from Ou4, the Giant Squid nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: at the edge of space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat Jul 24 09:02:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 24
The Edge of Space
Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner
Explanation: Where does space begin? For purposes of spaceflight some
would say at the Karman line, currently defined as an altitude of 100
kilometers (60 miles). Others might place a line 80 kilometers (50
miles) above Earth's mean sea level. But there is no sharp physical
boundary that marks the end of atmosphere and the beginning of space.
In fact, the Karman line itself is near the transition between the
upper mesophere and lower thermosphere. Night shining or noctilucent
clouds are high-latitude summer apparitions formed at altitudes near
the top of the mesophere, up to 80 kilometers or so, also known as
polar mesopheric clouds. Auroral bands of the northern (and southern)
lights caused by energetic particles exciting atoms in the thermosphere
can extend above 80 kilometers to over 600 kilometers altitude. Taken
from a cockpit while flying at an altitude of 10 kilometers (33,000
feet) in the realm of stratospheric aeronautics, this snapshot captures
both noctilucent clouds and aurora borealis under a starry sky, looking
toward planet Earth's horizon and the edge of space.
Tomorrow's picture: crescent father and son
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From
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All on Mon Jul 26 00:05:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 26
CG4: A Ruptured Cometary Globule
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Rolland & Martin Pugh
Explanation: Can a gas cloud grab a galaxy? It's not even close. The
"claw" of this odd looking "creature" in the featured photo is a gas
cloud known as a cometary globule. This globule, however, has ruptured.
Cometary globules are typically characterized by dusty heads and
elongated tails. These features cause cometary globules to have visual
similarities to comets, but in reality they are very much different.
Globules are frequently the birthplaces of stars, and many show very
young stars in their heads. The reason for the rupture in the head of
this object is not yet known. The galaxy to the left of the globule is
huge, very far in the distance, and only placed near CG4 by chance
superposition.
Tomorrow's picture: wisp of star death
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All on Fri Jul 30 00:25:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 July 30
Mimas in Saturnlight
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Peering from the shadows, the Saturn-facing hemisphere of
Mimas lies in near darkness alongside a dramatic sunlit crescent. The
mosaic was captured near the Cassini spacecraft's final close approach
on January 30, 2017. Cassini's camera was pointed in a nearly sunward
direction only 45,000 kilometers from Mimas. The result is one of the
highest resolution views of the icy, crater-pocked, 400 kilometer
diameter moon. An enhanced version better reveals the Saturn-facing
hemisphere of the synchronously rotating moon lit by sunlight reflected
from Saturn itself. To see it, slide your cursor over the image (or
follow this link). Other Cassini images of Mimas include the small
moon's large and ominous Herschel Crater.
Tomorrow's picture: remember when
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Aug 1 00:05:34 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 1
Pluto in Enhanced Color
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Inst.
Explanation: Pluto is more colorful than we can see. Color data and
high-resolution images of our Solar System's most famous dwarf planet,
taken by the robotic New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby in 2015
July, have been digitally combined to give an enhanced-color view of
this ancient world sporting an unexpectedly young surface. The featured
enhanced color image is not only esthetically pretty but scientifically
useful, making surface regions of differing chemical composition
visually distinct. For example, the light-colored heart-shaped Tombaugh
Regio on the lower right is clearly shown here to be divisible into two
regions that are geologically different, with the leftmost lobe Sputnik
Planitia also appearing unusually smooth. After Pluto, New Horizons
continued on, shooting past asteroid Arrokoth in 2019 and has enough
speed to escape our Solar System completely.
Pluto-Related Images with Brief Explanations: APOD Pluto Search
Tomorrow's picture: deep galaxy sounds
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Aug 5 01:05:40 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 5
Tycho and Clavius
Image Credit & Copyright: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau
Explanation: South is up in this detailed telescopic view across the
Moon's rugged southern highlands. Captured on July 20, the lunar
landscape features the Moon's young and old, the large craters Tycho
and Clavius. About 100 million years young, Tycho is the sharp-walled
85 kilometer diameter crater near center, its 2 kilometer tall central
peak in bright sunlight and dark shadow. Debris ejected during the
impact that created Tycho still make it the stand out lunar crater when
the Moon is near full, producing a highly visible radiating system of
light streaks, bright rays that extend across much of the lunar near
side. In fact, some of the material collected at the Apollo 17 landing
site, about 2,000 kilometers away, likely originated from the Tycho
impact. One of the oldest and largest craters on the Moon's near side,
225 kilometer diameter Clavius is due south (above) of Tycho. Clavius
crater's own ray system resulting from its original impact event would
have faded long ago. The old crater's worn walls and smooth floor are
now overlayed by smaller craters from impacts that occurred after
Clavius was formed. Observations by the Stratospheric Observatory for
Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) published in 2020 found water at Clavius. Of
course both young Tycho and old Clavius craters are lunar locations in
the science fiction epic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Tomorrow's picture: stars and dust
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Aug 6 00:16:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 6
Stars and Dust Across Corona Australis
Image Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander
Explanation: Cosmic dust clouds cross a rich field of stars in this
telescopic vista near the northern boundary of Corona Australis, the
Southern Crown. Less than 500 light-years away the dust clouds
effectively block light from more distant background stars in the Milky
Way. Top to bottom the frame spans about 2 degrees or over 15
light-years at the clouds' estimated distance. At top right is a group
of lovely reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727, 6729, and IC
4812. A characteristic blue color is produced as light from hot stars
is reflected by the cosmic dust. The dust also obscures from view stars
in the region still in the process of formation. Just above the bluish
reflection nebulae a smaller NGC 6729 surrounds young variable star R
Coronae Australis. To its right are telltale reddish arcs and loops
identified as Herbig Haro objects associated with energetic newborn
stars. Magnificent globular star cluster NGC 6723 is at bottom left in
the frame. Though NGC 6723 appears to be part of the group, its ancient
stars actually lie nearly 30,000 light-years away, far beyond the young
stars of the Corona Australis dust clouds.
Tomorrow's picture: Stereo Saturday
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From
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All on Mon Aug 9 00:06:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 9
Perseus and the Lost Meteors
Image Credit & Copyright: Tomas Slovinsky (Slovakia) & Petr Horalek
(Czech Republic; Institute of Physics in Opava)
Explanation: What's the best way to watch a meteor shower? This
question might come up later this week when the annual Perseid Meteor
Shower peaks. One thing that is helpful is a dark sky, as demonstrated
in the featured composite image of last year's Perseids. Many more
faint meteors are visible on the left image, taken through a very dark
sky in Slovakia, than on the right image, taken through a moderately
dark sky in the Czech Republic. The band of the Milky Way Galaxy
bridges the two coordinated images, while the meteor shower radiant in
the constellation of Perseus is clearly visible on the left. In sum,
many faint meteors are lost through a bright sky. Light pollution is
shrinking areas across our Earth with dark skies, although inexpensive
ways to combat this might be implemented.
Notable Perseids Submissions to APOD: 2018, 2019, 2020
Tomorrow's picture: fire in space
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From
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All on Tue Aug 10 01:44:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 10
Fire in Space
Image Credit: NASA
Explanation: What does fire look like in space? In the gravity on
Earth, heated air rises and expands, causing flames to be teardrop
shaped. In the microgravity of the air-filled International Space
Station (ISS), however, flames are spheres. Fire is the rapid
acquisition of oxygen, and space flames meet new oxygen molecules when
they float by randomly from all directions -- creating the enveloping
sphere. In the featured image taken in the ISS's Combustion Integration
Rack, a spherical flame envelopes clusters of hot glowing soot. Without
oxygen, say in the vacuum of empty space, a fire would go out
immediately. The many chemical reactions involved with fire are
complex, and testing them in microgravity is helping humanity not only
to better understand fire -- but how to put out fire, too.
Tomorrow's picture: bubble cloud row
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Wed Aug 11 00:14:56 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 11
Mammatus Clouds over Saskatchewan
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael F Johnston
Explanation: When do cloud bottoms appear like bubbles? Normally, cloud
bottoms are flat. This is because moist warm air that rises and cools
will condense into water droplets at a specific temperature, which
usually corresponds to a very specific height. As water droplets grow,
an opaque cloud forms. Under some conditions, however, cloud pockets
can develop that contain large droplets of water or ice that fall into
clear air as they evaporate. Such pockets may occur in turbulent air
near a thunderstorm. Resulting mammatus clouds can appear especially
dramatic if sunlit from the side. The mammatus clouds pictured here,
lasting only a few minutes, were photographed over Regina,
Saskatchewan, Canada, just after a storm in 2012.
Meteor Shower Tonight: Peak of the Perseids
Tomorrow's picture: a beautiful trifid
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Fri Aug 13 00:41:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 13
A Perfect Spiral
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Mehmet Hakan Ozsarac
Explanation: If not perfect then this spiral galaxy is at least one of
the most photogenic. An island universe of about 100 billion stars, 32
million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces, M74 presents
a gorgeous face-on view. Classified as an Sc galaxy, the grand design
of M74's graceful spiral arms are traced by bright blue star clusters
and dark cosmic dust lanes. This sharp composite was constructed from
image data recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for
Surveys. Spanning about 30,000 light-years across the face of M74, it
includes exposures recording emission from hydrogen atoms, highlighting
the reddish glow of the galaxy's large star-forming regions. With a
lower surface brightness than most galaxies in the Messier catalog, M74
is sometimes known as the Phantom Galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Sat Aug 14 01:02:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 14
Island Universe, Cosmic Sand
Image Credit & Copyright: Marzena Rogozinska
Explanation: Stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy are scattered through
this eye-catching field of view. From the early hours after midnight on
August 13, the 30 second exposure of the night sky over Busko-Zdroj,
Poland records the colorful and bright trail of a Perseid meteor. Seen
near the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower it flashes from lower
left to upper right. The hurtling grain of cosmic sand, a piece of dust
from periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, vaporized as it passed through planet
Earth's atmosphere at almost 60 kilometers per second. Just above and
right of center, well beyond the stars of the Milky Way, lies the
island universe known as M31 or the Andromeda Galaxy. The Andromeda
Galaxy is the most distant object easily visible to the naked-eye,
about 2.5 million light-years away. The visible meteor trail begins
only about 100 kilometers above Earth's surface, though. It points back
to the meteor shower radiant in the constellation Perseus off the lower
left edge of the frame. Follow this bright perseid meteor trail below
and left to the stars of NGC 869and NGC 884, the double star cluster in
Perseus.
Notable APOD Image Submissions: Perseid Meteor Shower 2021
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic ring
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Mon Aug 16 00:30:16 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 16
Perseid Meteor, Red Sprites, and Nova RS Ophiuchus
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Korona
Explanation: This was an unusual sky. It wasn't unusual because of the
central band the Milky Way Galaxy, visible along the image left. Most
dark skies show part of the Milky Way. It wasn't unusual because of the
bright meteor visible on the upper right. Many images taken during last
week's Perseid Meteor Shower show meteors, although this Perseid was
particularly bright. This sky wasn't unusual because of the red
sprites, visible on the lower right. Although this type of lightning
has only been noted in the past few decades, images of sprites are
becoming more common. This sky wasn't unusual because of the nova,
visible just above the image center. Novas bright enough to be seen
with the unaided eye occur every few years, with pictured Nova RS
Ophiuchus discovered about a week ago. What was most unusual, though,
was to capture all these things together, in a single night, on a
single sky. The unusual sky occurred above Zacatecas, Mexico.
Notable APOD Image Submissions: Perseid Meteor Shower 2021
Tomorrow's picture: deep red sky ring
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Wed Aug 18 00:18:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 18
Rings Around the Ring Nebula
Image Credit: Hubble, Large Binocular Telescope, Subaru Telescope;
Composition & Copyright: Robert Gendler
Explanation: The Ring Nebula (M57), is more complicated than it appears
through a small telescope. The easily visible central ring is about one
light-year across, but this remarkably deep exposure - a collaborative
effort combining data from three different large telescopes - explores
the looping filaments of glowing gas extending much farther from the
nebula's central star. This composite image includes red light emitted
by hydrogen as well as visible and infrared light. The Ring Nebula is
an elongated planetary nebula, a type of nebula created when a Sun-like
star evolves to throw off its outer atmosphere to become a white dwarf
star. The Ring Nebula is about 2,500 light-years away toward the
musical constellation Lyra.
Amateur Astronomers: Please take the Night Sky Network's Survey
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space dust
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Fri Aug 20 00:41:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 20
Three Perseid Nights
Image Credit & Copyright: Balint Lengyel
Explanation: Frames from a camera that spent three moonless nights
under the stars create this composite night skyscape. They were
recorded during August 11-13 while planet Earth was sweeping through
the dusty trail of comet Swift-Tuttle. One long exposure, untracked for
the foreground, and the many star tracking captures of Perseid shower
meteors were taken from the village of Magyaregres, Hungary. Each
aligned against the background stars, the meteor trails all point back
to the annual shower's radiant in the constellation Perseus heroically
standing above this rural horizon. Of course the comet dust particles
are traveling along trajectories parallel to each other. The radiant
effect is due only to perspective, as the parallel tracks appear to
converge in the distance against the starry sky.
Notable APOD Image Submissions: Perseid Meteor Shower 2021
Tomorrow's picture: mutual events
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Mon Aug 23 08:18:56 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 23
Abell 3827: Cannibal Cluster Gravitational Lens
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Massey
Explanation: Is that one galaxy or three? Toward the right of the
featured Hubble image of the massive galaxy cluster Abell 3827 is what
appears to be a most unusual galaxy -- curved and with three centers. A
detailed analysis, however, finds that these are three images of the
same background galaxy -- and that there are at least four more images.
Light we see from the single background blue galaxy takes multiple
paths through the complex gravity of the cluster, just like a single
distant light can take multiple paths through the stem of a wine glass.
Studying how clusters like Abell 3827 and their component galaxies
deflect distant light gives information about how mass and dark matter
are distributed. Abell 3827 is so distant, having a redshift of 0.1,
that the light we see from it left about 1.3 billion years ago --
before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Therefore, the cluster's central
galaxies have now surely all coalesced -- in a feast of galactic
cannibalism -- into one huge galaxy near the cluster's center.
Tomorrow's picture: planet-forming space disk
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Tue Aug 24 00:06:56 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 24
PDS 70: Disk, Planets, and Moons
Image Credit: VLT/MUSE (ESO); M. Benisty et al.
Explanation: It's not the big disk that's attracting the most
attention. Although the big planet-forming disk around the star PDS 70
is clearly imaged and itself quite interesting. It's also not the
planet on the right, just inside the big disk, thatCÇÖs being talked
about the most. Although the planet PDS 70c is a newly formed and,
interestingly, similar in size and mass to Jupiter. It's the fuzzy
patch around the planet PDS 70c that's causing the commotion. That
fuzzy patch is thought to be itself a dusty disk that is now forming
into moons -- and that has never been seen before. The featured image
was taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) of 66 radio
telescopes in the high Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Based on ALMA
data, astronomers infer that the moon-forming exoplanetary disk has a
radius similar to our Earth's orbit, and may one day form three or so
Luna-sized moons -- not very different from our Jupiter's four.
Tomorrow's picture: Earth, Jupiter, or Uranus?
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Thu Aug 26 00:16:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 26
A Blue Hour Full Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer
Explanation: Nature photographers and other fans of planet Earth always
look forward to the blue hour. That's the transition in twilight, just
before sunrise or after sunset, when the Sun is below the horizon but
land and sky are still suffused with a beautiful blue light. After
sunset on August 21, this blue hour snapshot captured the nearly full
Moon as it rose opposite the Sun, above the rugged Italian Alps from
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Sharing bluish hues with the sky, the rocky
pyramid of Monte Antelao, also known as the King of the Dolomites, is
the region's prominent alpine peak. The moonlight is yellow, but even
so this full Moon was known to some as a seasonal Blue Moon. That's
because by one definition the third full Moon of a season with four
full moons in it is called a Blue Moon. Recognizing a season as the
time between a solstice and an equinox, this season's fourth full Moon
will be rising in the blue hour of September 20, just before
September's equinox.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sat Aug 28 00:13:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 28
Mars Rock Rochette
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech
Explanation: Taken on mission sol 180 (August 22) this sharp image from
a Hazard Camera on the Perseverance rover looks out across a rock
strewn floor of Jezero crater on Mars. At 52.5 centimeters (21 inches)
in diameter, one of the rover's steerable front wheels is at lower left
in the frame. Near center is a large rock nicknamed Rochette. Mission
planners don't want to avoid Rochette though. Instead Perseverance will
be instructed to reach out with its 2 meter long robotic arm and abrade
the rock's surface, to determine whether it has a consistency suitable
for obtaining a sample, slightly thicker than a pencil, using the
rover's coring bit. Samples collected by Perseverance would be returned
to Earth by a future Mars mission.
Tomorrow's picture: large rocks in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Aug 29 00:36:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 29
Orbits of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech
Explanation: Are asteroids dangerous? Some are, but the likelihood of a
dangerous asteroid striking the Earth during any given year is low.
Because some past mass extinction events have been linked to asteroid
impacts, however, humanity has made it a priority to find and catalog
those asteroids that may one day affect life on Earth. Pictured here
are the orbits of the over 1,000 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids
(PHAs). These documented tumbling boulders of rock and ice are over 140
meters across and will pass within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth --
about 20 times the distance to the Moon. Although none of them will
strike the Earth in the next 100 years -- not all PHAs have been
discovered, and past 100 years, many orbits become hard to predict.
Were an asteroid of this size to impact the Earth, it could raise
dangerous tsunamis, for example. To investigate Earth-saving
strategies, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is planned
for launch later this year. Of course rocks and ice bits of much
smaller size strike the Earth every day, usually pose no danger, and
sometimes creating memorable fireball and meteor displays.
Tomorrow's picture: ice sky fire
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Aug 31 00:03:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 August 31
A Blue Moon in Exaggerated Colors
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Fedez
Explanation: The Moon is normally seen in subtle shades of grey or
gold. But small, measurable color differences have been greatly
exaggerated to make this telescopic, multicolored, moonscape captured
during the Moon's full phase. The different colors are recognized to
correspond to real differences in the chemical makeup of the lunar
surface. Blue hues reveal titanium rich areas while orange and purple
colors show regions relatively poor in titanium and iron. The familiar
Sea of Tranquility, or Mare Tranquillitatis, is the blue area toward
the upper right. White lines radiate across the orange-hued southern
lunar highlands from 85-kilometer wide ray-crater Tycho at bottom
right. The full moon that occurred earlier this month could be counted
as a seasonal blue moon because it was, unusually, the third of four
full moons to occur during northern summer (and hence southern winter).
The featured 272-image composite demonstrates that the full Moon is
always blue, but usually not blue enough in hue to ooh.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: galactic ghosts
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Wed Sep 1 00:14:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 1
Dancing Ghosts: Curved Jets from Active Galaxies
Image Credit: Jayanne English & Ray Norris, EMU-ASKAP, DES; Text:
Jayanne English (U. Manitoba)
Explanation: Why would galaxies emit jets that look like ghosts? And
furthermore, why do they appear to be dancing? The curled and fluffy
jets from the supermassive black holes at the centers of two host
galaxies (top center and lower left) are unlike anything seen before.
They were found by astronomers using the Australian Square Kilometer
Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope when creating maps tracing the
evolution of galaxies. Images preceding this Evolutionary Map of the
Universe survey only showed amorphous blobs. Eventually, comparisons of
relative amounts of energy emitted revealed the glowing elongated
structures were created by electrons streaming around magnetic field
lines
. Overlaying the radio data on an optical view of the sky (Dark Energy
Survey) confirmed that the electron streams originated from the centers
of active galaxies. Usually such Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) produce
straight jets. A leading hypothesis for the geometric origin of these
unusually graceful shapes involves the flow of large-scale
intergalactic winds.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,500+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: Messier's 51st
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Sep 2 00:14:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 2
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis
Explanation: Find the Big Dipper and follow the handle away from the
dipper's bowl until you get to the last bright star. Then, just slide
your telescope a little south and west and you'll come upon this
stunning pair of interacting galaxies, the 51st entry in Charles
Messier's famous catalog. Perhaps the original spiral nebula, the large
galaxy with well defined spiral structure is also cataloged as NGC
5194. Its spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweep in front of its
companion galaxy (top), NGC 5195. The pair are about 31 million
light-years distant and officially lie within the angular boundaries of
the small constellation Canes Venatici. Though M51 looks faint and
fuzzy to the eye, deep images like this one reveal its striking colors
and galactic tidal debris.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Sep 5 00:29:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 5
Earth and Moon
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project; Processing & License: Gordan
Ugarkovic
Explanation: The Earth and Moon are rarely photographed together. One
of most spectacular times this occurred was about 30 years ago when the
Jupiter-bound Galileo spacecraft zoomed past our home planetary system.
Then, robotic Galileo watched from about 15-times the Earth-Moon
separation as our only natural satellite glided past our home world.
The featured video combines 52 historic color-enhanced images. Although
our Moon may appear small next to the Earth, no other planet in our
Solar System has a satellite so comparable in size . The Sun, far off
to the right, illuminated about half of each sphere, and shows the
spinning Earth's white clouds, blue oceans, and tan continents.
Tomorrow's picture: firefly milkyway
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Fri Sep 10 00:03:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 10
Rosetta's Comet in View
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST)
Explanation: Faint comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) sweeps past
background stars in the constellation Taurus and even fainter distant
galaxies in this telescopic frame from September 7. About 5 years ago,
this comet's 4 kilometer spanning, double-lobed nucleus became the
final resting place of robots from planet Earth, following the
completion of the historic Rosetta mission to the comet. After
wandering out beyond the orbit of Jupiter, Churyumov-Gerasimenko is now
returning along its 6.4 year periodic orbit toward its next perihelion
or closest approach to the Sun, on November 2. On November 12, the
comet's perigee, its closest approach to Earth, will bring it within
about 0.42 astronomical units. Telescopes should still be required to
view it even at its brightest, predicted to be in late November and
December. On September 7 Rosetta's comet was about 0.65 astronomical
units away or about 5.4 light-minutes from our fair planet.
Tomorrow's picture: cloudy night
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Sun Sep 12 00:15:34 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 12
A Spiral Aurora over Iceland
Image Credit & Copyright: Davide Necchi
Explanation: What's happened to the sky? Aurora! Captured in 2015, this
aurora was noted by Icelanders for its great brightness and quick
development. The aurora resulted from a solar storm, with high energy
particles bursting out from the Sun and through a crack in Earth's
protective magnetosphere a few days later. Although a spiral pattern
can be discerned, creative humans might imagine the complex glow as an
atmospheric apparition of any number of common icons. In the foreground
of the featured image is the +ûlfus+í River while the lights illuminate a
bridge in Selfoss City. Just beyond the low clouds is a nearly full
Moon. The liveliness of the Sun -- and likely the resulting auroras on
Earth -- is slowly increasing as the Sun emerges from a Solar minimum,
a historically quiet period in its 11-year cycle.
Tomorrow's picture: night sky reflected
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Tue Sep 14 00:06:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 14
Mars Panorama 360 from Curiosity
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS; Processing & License: Elisabetta
Bonora & Marco Faccin (aliveuniverse.today)
Explanation: Which way up Mount Sharp? In early September, the robotic
rover Curiosity continued its ascent up the central peak of Gale
Crater, searching for more clues about ancient water and further
evidence that Mars could once have been capable of supporting life. On
this recent Martian morning, before exploratory drilling, the rolling
rover took this 360-degree panorama, in part to help Curiosity's human
team back on Earth access the landscape and chart possible future
routes. In the horizontally-compressed featured image, an amazing vista
across Mars was captured, complete with layered hills, red rocky
ground, gray drifting sand, and a dusty atmosphere. The hill just left
of center has been dubbed Maria Gordon Notch in honor of a famous
Scottish geologist. The current plan is to direct Curiosity to
approach, study, and pass just to the right of Gordon Notch on its
exploratory trek.
Tomorrow's picture: cyclone earth
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Thu Sep 16 00:12:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 16
North America and the Pelican
Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Klinger
Explanation: Fans of our fair planet might recognize the outlines of
these cosmic clouds. On the left, bright emission outlined by dark,
obscuring dust lanes seems to trace a continental shape, lending the
popular name North America Nebula to the emission region cataloged as
NGC 7000. To the right, just off the North America Nebula's east coast,
is IC 5070, whose avian profile suggests the Pelican Nebula. The two
bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away, part of the same large
and complex star forming region, almost as nearby as the better-known
Orion Nebula. At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would
span 80 light-years. This careful cosmic portrait uses narrow band
images combined to highlight the bright ionization fronts and the
characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen gas. These
nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location. Look
northeast of bright star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus the Swan.
Tomorrow's picture: Lynds Dark Nebula
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.3 to
All on Sat Sep 18 00:16:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 18
Rubin's Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, B. Holwerda (University of Louisville)
Explanation: In this Hubble Space Telescope image the bright, spiky
stars lie in the foreground toward the heroic northern constellation
Perseus and well within our own Milky Way galaxy. In sharp focus beyond
is UGC 2885, a giant spiral galaxy about 232 million light-years
distant. Some 800,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way's
diameter of 100,000 light-years or so, it has around 1 trillion stars.
That's about 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way. Part of an
investigation to understand how galaxies can grow to such enormous
sizes, UGC 2885 was also part of An Interesting Voyage and astronomer
Vera Rubin's pioneering study of the rotation of spiral galaxies. Her
work was the first to convincingly demonstrate the dominating presence
of dark matter in our universe.
Tomorrow's picture: equinox on Saturn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Sep 19 00:19:16 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 19
Rings and Seasons of Saturn
Image Credit & Copyright: Damian Peach/SEN
Explanation: On Saturn, the rings tell you the season. On Earth,
Wednesday marks an equinox, the time when the Earth's equator tilts
directly toward the Sun. Since Saturn's grand rings orbit along the
planet's equator, these rings appear most prominent -- from the
direction of the Sun -- when the spin axis of Saturn points toward the
Sun. Conversely, when Saturn's spin axis points to the side, an equinox
occurs and the edge-on rings are hard to see from not only the Sun --
but Earth. In the featured montage, images of Saturn between the years
of 2004 and 2015 have been superposed to show the giant planet passing
from southern summer toward northern summer. Saturn was as close as it
can get to planet Earth last month, and this month the ringed giant is
still bright and visible throughout much of the night
Tomorrow's picture: dark nebula 1251
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Sep 20 00:20:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 20
Lynds Dark Nebula 1251
Image Credit & Copyright: Cristiano Gualco
Explanation: Stars are forming in Lynds Dark Nebula (LDN) 1251. About
1,000 light-years away and drifting above the plane of our Milky Way
galaxy, the dusty molecular cloud is part of a complex of dark nebulae
mapped toward the Cepheus flare region. Across the spectrum,
astronomical explorations of the obscuring interstellar clouds reveal
energetic shocks and outflows associated with newborn stars, including
the telltale reddish glow from scattered Herbig-Haro objects hiding in
the image. Distant background galaxies also lurk on the scene, almost
buried behind the dusty expanse. This alluring view spans over two full
moons on the sky, or 17 light-years at the estimated distance of LDN
1251.
Tomorrow's picture: sun spot hill
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Sep 27 00:31:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 27
Unwrapped: Five Decade Old Lunar Selfie
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong; Processing: Michael
Ranger
Explanation: Here is one of the most famous pictures from the Moon --
but digitally reversed. Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969 and soon
thereafter many pictures were taken, including an iconic picture of
Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong. The original image captured not
only the magnificent desolation of an unfamiliar world, but Armstrong
himself reflected in Aldrin's curved visor. Enter modern digital
technology. In the featured image, the spherical distortion from
Aldrin's helmet has been reversed. The result is the famous picture --
but now featuring Armstrong himself from Aldrin's perspective. Even so,
since Armstrong took the picture, the image is effectively a
five-decade old lunar selfie. The original visor reflection is shown on
the left, while Earth hangs in the lunar sky on the upper right. A
foil-wrapped leg of the Eagle lander is prominently visible.
Preparations to return humans to the Moon in the next few years include
the Artemis program, an international collaboration led by NASA.
Tomorrow's picture: time-lapse meteor shower
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Sep 28 00:07:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 28
Night of the Perseids
Video Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander & Dorje Angchuk; Music: Tea
Time via PremiumBeat
Explanation: Have you ever experienced a meteor shower? To help capture
the wonder, a video was taken during the peak of the recent Perseid
meteor shower above the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle,
India, high up in the Himalayan mountains. Night descends as the video
begins, with the central plane of our Milky Way Galaxy approaching from
the left and Earth-orbiting satellites zipping by overhead. During the
night, the flash of meteors that usually takes less than a second is
artificially extended. The green glow of most meteors is typically
caused by vaporizing nickel. As the video continues, Orion rises and
meteors flare above the 2-meter Himalayan Chandra Telescope and the
seven barrels of the High Energy Gamma Ray Telescope (Hagar). The 2
minute 30 second movie ends with the Sun rising, preceded by a false
dawn of zodiacal light.
Tomorrow's picture: jet lightning video
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Sep 29 00:07:10 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 29
Gigantic Jet Lightning from Puerto Rico
Video Credit & Copyright: Frankie Lucena
Explanation: Have you ever seen a gigantic jet? They are extremely rare
but tremendously powerful. Gigantic jets are a type of lightning
discharge documented only this century that occur between some
thunderstorms and the Earth's ionosphere high above them. Pictured
above is the middle and top of one such jet caught last week by a
lightning and meteor camera from Puerto Rico, USA. The jet traversed
perhaps 70 kilometers in just under one second. Gigantic jets are much
different from regular cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning.
The bottoms of gigantic jets appear similar in appearance to another
type cloud-to-above strike called blue jets, while the tops appear
similar to upper-atmosphere red sprites. Although the mechanism and
trigger that causes gigantic jets is a topic of research, it is clear
that the jets reduce charge imbalance between different parts of
Earth's atmosphere. A good way to look for gigantic jets is to watch a
powerful but distant thunderstorm from a clear location.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Sep 30 00:31:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 September 30
The Hydrogen Clouds of M33
Image Credit & Copyright: Luca Fornaciari
Explanation: Gorgeous spiral galaxy M33 seems to have more than its
fair share of glowing hydrogen gas. A prominent member of the local
group of galaxies, M33 is also known as the Triangulum Galaxy and lies
a mere 3 million light-years away. Sprawling along loose spiral arms
that wind toward the core, M33's giant HII regions are some of the
largest known stellar nurseries, sites of the formation of short-lived
but very massive stars. Intense ultraviolet radiation from the luminous
massive stars ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas and ultimately
produces the characteristic red glow. To highlight the HII regions in
this telescopic image, broadband data used to produce a color view of
the galaxy were combined with narrowband data recorded through a
hydrogen-alpha filter, transmitting the light of the strongest hydrogen
emission line. Close-ups of cataloged HII regions appear in the sidebar
insets. Use the individual reference number to find their location
within the Triangulum Galaxy. For example, giant HII region NGC604 is
identified in an inset on the right and appears at position number 15.
That's about 4 o'clock from galaxy center in this portrait of M33.
Tomorrow's picture: ceci n'est pas une pipe
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.4 to
All on Wed Oct 13 00:23:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 13
NGC 7822: Cosmic Question Mark
Image Credit & Copyright: Yizhou Zhang
Explanation: It may look like a huge cosmic question mark, but the big
question really is how does the bright gas and dark dust tell this
nebula's history of star formation. At the edge of a giant molecular
cloud toward the northern constellation Cepheus, the glowing star
forming region NGC 7822 lies about 3,000 light-years away. Within the
nebula, bright edges and dark shapes stand out in this colorful and
detailed skyscape. The 9-panel mosaic, taken over 28 nights with a
small telescope in Texas, includes data from narrowband filters,
mapping emission from atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue,
green, and red hues. The emission line and color combination has become
well-known as the Hubble palette. The atomic emission is powered by
energetic radiation from the central hot stars. Their powerful winds
and radiation sculpt and erode the denser pillar shapes and clear out a
characteristic cavity light-years across the center of the natal cloud.
Stars could still be forming inside the pillars by gravitational
collapse but as the pillars are eroded away, any forming stars will
ultimately be cut off from their reservoir of star stuff. This field of
view spans over 40 light-years across at the estimated distance of NGC
7822.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Oct 14 00:18:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 14
NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Ignacio Diaz Bobillo
Explanation: A mere seven hundred light years from Earth, toward the
constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand
years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well studied and
nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of
stellar evolution. A total of 90 hours of exposure time have gone in to
creating this expansive view of the nebula. Combining narrow band image
data from emission lines of hydrogen atoms in red and oxygen atoms in
blue-green hues, it shows remarkable details of the Helix's brighter
inner region about 3 light-years across. The white dot at the Helix's
center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, central star. A simple looking
nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a
surprisingly complex geometry.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Oct 16 00:17:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 16
The Moona Lisa
Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Sarcone and Marcella Giulia Pace
Explanation: Only natural colors of the Moon in planet Earth's sky
appear in this creative visual presentation. Arranged as pixels in a
framed image, the lunar disks were photographed at different times.
Their varying hues are ultimately due to reflected sunlight affected by
changing atmospheric conditions and the alignment geometry of Moon,
Earth, and Sun. Here, the darkest lunar disks are the colors of
earthshine. A description of earthshine, in terms of sunlight reflected
by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface, was written
over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. But stand farther back from
your monitor or just shift your gaze to the smaller versions of the
image. You might also see one of da Vinci's most famous works of art.
Tonight: International Observe the Moon Night
Tomorrow's picture: looking through gravity's lens
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.4 to
All on Mon Oct 18 07:34:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 18
Earthshine Moon over Sicily
Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile
Explanation: Why can we see the entire face of this Moon? When the Moon
is in a crescent phase, only part of it appears directly illuminated by
the Sun. The answer is earthshine, also known as earthlight and the da
Vinci glow. The reason is that the rest of the Earth-facing Moon is
slightly illuminated by sunlight first reflected from the Earth. Since
the Earth appears near full phase from the Moon -- when the Moon
appears as a slight crescent from the Earth -- earthshine is then near
its brightest. Featured here in combined, consecutively-taken, HDR
images taken earlier this month, a rising earthshine Moon was captured
passing slowly near the planet Venus, the brightest spot near the image
center. Just above Venus is the star Dschubba (catalogued as Delta
Scorpii), while the red star on the far left is Antares. The celestial
show is visible through scenic cloud decks. In the foreground are the
lights from Palazzolo Acreide, a city with ancient historical roots in
Sicily, Italy.
Tomorrow's picture: colorful star cluster
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Oct 21 00:32:50 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 21
SH2-308: The Dolphin-Head Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Nik Szymanek
Explanation: Blown by fast winds from a hot, massive star, this cosmic
bubble is huge. Cataloged as Sharpless 2-308 it lies some 5,000
light-years away toward the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major)
and covers slightly more of the sky than a Full Moon. That corresponds
to a diameter of 60 light-years at its estimated distance. The massive
star that created the bubble, a Wolf-Rayet star, is the bright one near
the center of the nebula. Wolf-Rayet stars have over 20 times the mass
of the Sun and are thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova phase of
massive star evolution. Fast winds from this Wolf-Rayet star create the
bubble-shaped nebula as they sweep up slower moving material from an
earlier phase of evolution. The windblown nebula has an age of about
70,000 years. Relatively faint emission captured by narrowband filters
in the deep image is dominated by the glow of ionized oxygen atoms
mapped to a blue hue. Presenting a mostly harmless outline, SH2-308 is
also known as The Dolphin-head Nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: it's a comet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 22 00:29:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 22
A Comet and a Crab
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Mtanous
Explanation: This pretty field of view spans over 2 degrees or 4 full
moons on the sky, filled with stars toward the constellation Taurus,
the Bull. Above and right of center in the frame you can spot the faint
fuzzy reddish appearance of Messier 1 (M1), also known as the Crab
Nebula. M1 is the first object in 18th century comet hunter Charles
Messier's famous catalog of things which are definitely not comets.
Made from image data captured this October 11, there is a comet in the
picture though. Below center and left lies the faint greenish coma and
dusty tail of periodic comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, also known as
Rosetta's comet. In the 21st century, it became the final resting place
of robots from planet Earth. Rosetta's comet is now returning to the
inner solar system, sweeping toward its next perihelion or closest
approach to the Sun, on November 2. Too faint to be seen by eye alone,
the comet's next perigee or closest approach to Earth will be November
12.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.4 to
All on Sat Oct 23 01:04:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 23
3D Bennu
Image Credit: NASA, GSFC, U. Arizona - Stereo Image Copyright: Patrick
Vantuyne
Explanation: Put on your red/blue glasses and float next to asteroid
101955 Bennu. Shaped like a spinning toy top with boulders littering
its rough surface, the tiny Solar System world is about one Empire
State Building (less than 500 meters) across. Frames used to construct
this 3D anaglyph were taken by PolyCam on the OSIRIS_REx spacecraft on
December 3, 2018 from a distance of about 80 kilometers. With a sample
from the asteroid's rocky surface on board, OSIRIS_REx departed Bennu's
vicinity this May and is now enroute to planet Earth. The robotic
spacecraft is scheduled to return the sample to Earth in September
2023.
Tomorrow's picture: a cross-quarter day
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.4 to
All on Sun Oct 24 00:07:36 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 24
Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula
Image Credit: Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris) et al.,
ESA, NASA
Explanation: Halloween's origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the
fifth century BC, Halloween has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day,
a day halfway between an equinox (equal day / equal night) and a
solstice (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With
a modern calendar however, even though Halloween occurs next week, the
real cross-quarter day will occur the week after. Another cross-quarter
day is Groundhog Day. Halloween's modern celebration retains historic
roots in dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. Perhaps a
fitting tribute to this ancient holiday is this view of the Ghost Head
Nebula taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Similar to the icon of a
fictional ghost, NGC 2080 is actually a star forming region in the
Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
The Ghost Head Nebula (NGC 2080) spans about 50 light-years and is
shown in representative colors.
Tomorrow's picture: highway to hole
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.4 to
All on Thu Oct 28 00:08:24 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 28
Mirach's Ghost
Image Credit & Copyright: John Chumack
Explanation: As far as ghosts go, Mirach's Ghost isn't really that
scary. Mirach's Ghost is just a faint, fuzzy galaxy, well known to
astronomers, that happens to be seen nearly along the line-of-sight to
Mirach, a bright star. Centered in this star field, Mirach is also
called Beta Andromedae. About 200 light-years distant, Mirach is a red
giant star, cooler than the Sun but much larger and so intrinsically
much brighter than our parent star. In most telescopic views, glare and
diffraction spikes tend to hide things that lie near Mirach and make
the faint, fuzzy galaxy look like a ghostly internal reflection of the
almost overwhelming starlight. Still, appearing in this sharp image
just above and to the right of Mirach, Mirach's Ghost is cataloged as
galaxy NGC 404 and is estimated to be some 10 million light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: just the dust
__________________________________________________________________
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757.4 to
All on Fri Oct 29 00:17:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 29
Haunting the Cepheus Flare
Image Credit & Copyright: Leo Shatz
Explanation: Spooky shapes seem to haunt this dusty expanse, drifting
through the night in the royal constellation Cepheus. Of course, the
shapes are cosmic dust clouds visible in dimly reflected starlight. Far
from your own neighborhood, they lurk above the plane of the Milky Way
at the edge of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex some 1,200
light-years away. Over 2 light-years across and brighter than most of
the other ghostly apparitions, vdB 141 or Sh2-136 is also known as the
Ghost Nebula, seen at the right of the starry field of view. Inside the
nebula are the telltale signs of dense cores collapsing in the early
stages of star formation. With the eerie hue of dust reflecting bluish
light from hot young stars of NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula stands out
against the dark just left of center. In the broad telescopic frame,
these fertile interstellar dust fields stretch almost seven full moons
across the sky.
Tomorrow's picture: of light and shadow
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat Oct 30 00:06:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 October 30
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
resolution version available.
A Rorschach Aurora
Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand
Explanation: If you see this as a monster's face, don't panic. It's
only pareidolia, often experienced as the tendency to see faces in
patterns of light and shadow. In fact, the startling visual scene is
actually a 180 degree panorama of Northern Lights, digitally mirrored
like inkblots on a folded piece of paper. Frames used to construct it
were captured on a September night from the middle of a
waterfall-crossing suspension bridge in Jamtland, Sweden. With
geomagnetic storms triggered by recent solar activity, auroral displays
could be very active at planet Earth's high latitudes in the coming
days. But if you see a monster's face in your own neighborhood tomorrow
night, it might just be Halloween.
Tomorrow's picture: The Dark Matter of Halloween
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Nov 4 03:08:02 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 4
NGC 147 and NGC 185
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Dwarf galaxies NGC 147 (left) and NGC 185 stand side by
side in this sharp telescopic portrait. The two are not-often-imaged
satellites of M31, the great spiral Andromeda Galaxy, some 2.5 million
light-years away. Their separation on the sky, less than one degree
across a pretty field of view, translates to only about 35 thousand
light-years at Andromeda's distance, but Andromeda itself is found well
outside this frame. Brighter and more famous satellite galaxies of
Andromeda, M32 and M110, are seen closer to the great spiral. NGC 147
and NGC 185 have been identified as binary galaxies, forming a
gravitationally stable binary system. But recently discovered faint
dwarf galaxy Cassiopeia II also seems to be part of their system,
forming a gravitationally bound group within Andromeda's intriguing
population of small satellite galaxies.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Nov 6 00:12:44 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 6
The Galaxy Between Two Friends
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Lefranc
Explanation: On an August night two friends enjoyed this view after a
day's hike on the Plateau d'Emparis in the French Alps. At 2400 meters
altitude the sky was clear. Light from a setting moon illuminates the
foreground captured in the simple vertical panorama of images. Along
the plane of our Milky Way galaxy stars of Cassiopeia and Perseus shine
along the panorama's left edge. But seen as a faint cloud with a
brighter core, the Andromeda galaxy, stands directly above the two
friends in the night. The nearest large spiral galaxy, Andromeda is
about 2.5 million light-years beyond the stars of the Milky Way. Adding
to the evening's shared extragalactic perspective, the fainter fuzzy
spot in the sky right between them is M33, also known as the Triangulum
galaxy. Third largest in the local galaxy group, after Andromeda and
Milky Way, the Triangulum galaxy is about 3 million light-years
distant. On that night, the two friends stood about 3 light-nanoseconds
apart.
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic spirograph
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Nov 7 00:43:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation w
ritten by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 7
The Cat's Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Chandra X-ray Obs.;
Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl
Explanation: To some it looks like a cat's eye. To others, perhaps like
a giant cosmic conch shell. It is actually one of brightest and most
highly detailed planetary nebula known, composed of gas expelled in the
brief yet glorious phase near the end of life of a Sun-like star. This
nebula's dying central star may have produced the outer circular
concentric shells by shrugging off outer layers in a series of regular
convulsions. The formation of the beautiful, complex-yet-symmetric
inner structures, however, is not well understood. The featured image
is a composite of a digitally sharpened Hubble Space Telescope image
with X-ray light captured by the orbiting Chandra Observatory. The
exquisite floating space statue spans over half a light-year across. Of
course, gazing into this Cat's Eye, humanity may well be seeing the
fate of our sun, destined to enter its own planetary nebula phase of
evolution ... in about 5 billion years.
APOD in world languages: Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Beijing),
Chinese (Taiwan), Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French,
French (Canada), German, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean,
Montenegrin, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Taiwanese,
Turkish, Turkish, and Ukrainian
Tomorrow's picture: sun jumper
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Nov 8 00:30:20 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation w
ritten by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 8
A Filament Leaps from the Sun
Video Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Poirier
Explanation: Why, sometimes, does part of the Sun's atmosphere leap
into space? The reason lies in changing magnetic fields that thread
through the Sun's surface. Regions of strong surface magnetism, known
as active regions, are usually marked by dark sunspots. Active regions
can channel charged gas along arching or sweeping magnetic fields --
gas that sometimes falls back, sometimes escapes, and sometimes not
only escapes but impacts our Earth. The featured one-hour time-lapse
video -- taken with a small telescope in France -- captured an eruptive
filament that appeared to leap off the Sun late last month. The
filament is huge: for comparison, the size of the Earth is shown on the
upper left. Just after the filament lifted off, the Sun emitted a
powerful X-class flare while the surface rumbled with a tremendous
solar tsunami. A result was a cloud of charged particles that rushed
into our Solar System but mostly missed our Earth -- this time.
However, enough solar plasma did impact our Earth's magnetosphere to
create a few faint auroras.
Tomorrow's picture: fake apods
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Nov 9 00:32:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation w
ritten by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 9
All of These Space Images are Fake Except One
Image Credit: M. J. Smith et al. (U. Hertfordshire)
Explanation: Why would you want to fake a universe? For one reason --
to better understand our real universe. Many astronomical projects
seeking to learn properties of our universe now start with a robotic
telescope taking sequential images of the night sky. Next,
sophisticated computer algorithms crunch these digital images to find
stars and galaxies and measure their properties. To calibrate these
algorithms, it is useful to test them on fake images from a fake
universe to see if the algorithms can correctly deduce purposely
imprinted properties. The featured mosaic of fake images was created to
specifically mimic the images that have appeared on NASA's Astronomy
Picture of the Day (APOD). Only one image of the 225 images is real --
can you find it? The accomplished deceptors have made available
individual fake APOD images that can be displayed by accessing their
ThisIsNotAnAPOD webpage or Twitter feed. More useful for calibrating
and understanding our distant universe, however, are fake galaxies -- a
sampling of which can be seen at their ThisIsNotAGalaxy webpage.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,600+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: gone in a flash
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Nov 10 00:14:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation w
ritten by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 10
Video of a Green Flash
Video Credit & Copyright: Paolo Lazzarotti
Explanation: Many think it is just a myth. Others think it is true but
its cause isn't known. Adventurers pride themselves on having seen it.
It's a green flash from the Sun. The truth is the green flash does
exist and its cause is well understood. Just as the setting Sun
disappears completely from view, a last glimmer appears startlingly
green. The effect is typically visible only from locations with a low,
distant horizon, and lasts just a few seconds. A green flash is also
visible for a rising Sun, but takes better timing to spot. A dramatic
green flash was caught on video last month as the Sun set beyond the
Ligurian Sea from Tuscany, Italy. The second sequence in the featured
video shows the green flash in real time, while the first is sped up
and the last is in slow motion. The Sun itself does not turn partly
green -- the effect is caused by layers of the Earth's atmosphere
acting like a prism.
Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: 67P
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Nov 11 00:37:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 11
NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Sherick
Explanation: NGC 1333 is seen in visible light as a reflection nebula,
dominated by bluish hues characteristic of starlight reflected by
interstellar dust. A mere 1,000 light-years distant toward the heroic
constellation Perseus, it lies at the edge of a large, star-forming
molecular cloud. This telescopic close-up spans about two full moons on
the sky or just over 15 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC
1333. It shows details of the dusty region along with telltale hints of
contrasty red emission from Herbig-Haro objects, jets and shocked
glowing gas emanating from recently formed stars. In fact, NGC 1333
contains hundreds of stars less than a million years old, most still
hidden from optical telescopes by the pervasive stardust. The chaotic
environment may be similar to one in which our own Sun formed over 4.5
billion years ago.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sun Nov 14 00:33:26 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation w
ritten by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 14
How to Identify that Light in the Sky
Illustration Credit & Copyright: HK (The League of Lost Causes)
Explanation: What is that light in the sky? Perhaps one of humanity's
more common questions, an answer may result from a few quick
observations. For example -- is it moving or blinking? If so, and if
you live near a city, the answer is typically an airplane, since planes
are so numerous and so few stars and satellites are bright enough to be
seen over the din of artificial city lights. If not, and if you live
far from a city, that bright light is likely a planet such as Venus or
Mars -- the former of which is constrained to appear near the horizon
just before dawn or after dusk. Sometimes the low apparent motion of a
distant airplane near the horizon makes it hard to tell from a bright
planet, but even this can usually be discerned by the plane's motion
over a few minutes. Still unsure? The featured chart gives a
sometimes-humorous but mostly-accurate assessment. Dedicated sky
enthusiasts will likely note -- and are encouraged to provide -- polite
corrections.
Chart translations: Spanish, Italian, Polish, Kannada, Latvian,
Norwegian, and Turkish
Tomorrow's picture: volcanic light pillar
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Wed Nov 17 00:27:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 17
NGC 3314: When Galaxies Overlap
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: William
Ostling (The Astronomy Enthusiast)
Explanation: Why doesn't the nearby galaxy create a gravitational
lensing effect on the background galaxy? It does, but since both
galaxies are so nearby, the angular shift is much smaller than the
angular sizes of the galaxies themselves. The featured Hubble image of
NGC 3314 shows two large spiral galaxies which happen to line up
exactly. The foreground spiral NGC 3314a appears nearly face-on with
its pinwheel shape defined by young bright star clusters. Against the
glow of the background galaxy NGC 3314b, though, dark swirling lanes of
interstellar dust can also be seen tracing the nearer spiral's
structure. Both galaxies appear on the edge of the Hydra Cluster of
Galaxies, a cluster that is about 200 million light years away.
Gravitational lens distortions are much easier to see when the lensing
galaxy is smaller and further away. Then, the background galaxy may
even be distorted into a ring around the nearer. Fast gravitational
lens flashes due to stars in the foreground galaxy momentarily
magnifying the light from stars in the background galaxy might one day
be visible in future observing campaigns with high-resolution
telescopes.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Nov 19 00:18:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 19
NGC 281: Starless with Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Wido Oerlemans - X-ray: Chandra, Infrared:
Spitzer
Explanation: In visible light the stars have been removed from this
narrow-band image of NGC 281, a star forming region some 10,000
light-years away toward the constellation Cassiopeia. Stars were
digitally added back to the resulting starless image though. But
instead of using visible light image data, the stars were added with
X-ray data (in purple) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and infrared
data (in red) from the Spitzer Space Telescope. The merged
multiwavelength view reveals a multitude of stars in the region's
embedded star cluster IC 1590. The young stars are normally hidden in
visible light images by the natal cloud's gas and obscuring dust. Also
known to backyard astro-imagers as the Pacman Nebula for its overall
appearance in visible light, NGC 281 is about 80 light-years across.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Nov 21 00:17:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 21
Introducing Comet Leonard
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Here comes Comet Leonard. Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard) was
discovered as a faint smudge in January 2021 when it was out past Mars
-- but its orbit will take the giant shedding ice-ball into the inner
Solar System, passing near both Earth and Venus in December before it
swoops around the Sun in early January 2022. Although comets are
notoriously hard to predict, some estimations have Comet Leonard
brightening to become visible to the unaided eye in December. Comet
Leonard was captured just over a week ago already sporting a
green-tinged coma and an extended dust tail. The featured picture was
composed from 62 images taken through a moderate-sized telescope -- one
set of exposures tracking the comet, while another set tracking the
background stars. The exposures were taken from the dark skies above
the Eastern Sierra Mountains, near June Lake in California, USA. Soon
after passing near the Earth in mid-December, the comet will shift from
northern to southern skies.
APOD Editor (RJN) Online Monday: NASA's Best Space Images (& Videos)
Tomorrow's picture: moon building
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Nov 22 00:46:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 22
Lunar Eclipse over a Skyscraper
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas
Observatory, TWAN)
Explanation: Why is the Moon on top of this building? Planning. It took
the astrophotographer careful planning -- including figuring out
exactly where to place the camera and exactly when to take the shot --
to create this striking superposition. The single image featured was
taken in the early morning hours of November 19, near the peak of the
partial lunar eclipse that was occurring as the Moon passed through the
Earth's shadow. At this time, almost the entire Moon -- 99.1 percent of
its area -- was in the darkest part of the Earth's shadow. The building
is the Gran Torre Santiago building in Chile, the tallest building in
South America. Although the entire eclipse lasted an impressive six
hours, this image had to be taken within just a few seconds to get the
alignment right -- the Earth's rotation soon moved the building out of
alignment. The next Earth-Moon eclipse will be a total eclipse of the
Sun that will occur on December 4 -- but only be visible from the
bottom of our world.
APOD Editor (RJN) Online Monday: NASA's Best Space Images (& Videos)
Notable APOD Submissions: Lunar Eclipse of 2021 November 19
Tomorrow's picture: X-raying the Sun
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Nov 26 00:29:54 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 26
Great Refractor and Lunar Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Laurie Hatch
Explanation: Rain clouds passed and the dome of the Lick Observatory's
36 inch Great Refractor opened on November 19. The historic telescope
was pointed toward a partially eclipsed Moon. Illuminated by dim red
lighting to preserve an astronomer's night vision, telescope controls,
coordinate dials, and the refractor's 57 foot long barrel were captured
in this high dynamic range image. Visible beyond the foreshortened
barrel and dome slit, growing brighter after its almost total eclipse
phase, the lunar disk created a colorful halo through lingering clouds.
From the open dome, the view of the clearing sky above includes the
Pleiades star cluster about 5 degrees from Moon and Earth's shadow.
Notable APOD Submissions: Lunar Eclipse of 2021 November 19
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Nov 28 00:15:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 28
A High Cliff on Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Image Credit & Licence: ESA, Rosetta spacecraft, NAVCAM; Additional
Processing: Stuart Atkinson
Explanation: This high cliff occurs not on a planet, not on a moon, but
on a comet. It was discovered to be part of the dark nucleus of Comet
Churyumov-Gerasimenko (CG) by Rosetta, a robotic spacecraft launched by
ESA that rendezvoused with the Sun-orbiting comet in 2014. The ragged
cliff, as featured here, was imaged by Rosetta in 2014. Although
towering about one kilometer high, the low surface gravity of Comet CG
would likely make it an accessible climb -- and even a jump from the
cliff survivable. At the foot of the cliff is relatively smooth terrain
dotted with boulders as large as 20 meters across. Data from Rosetta
indicates that the ice in Comet CG has a significantly different
deuterium fraction -- and hence likely a different origin -- than the
water in Earth's oceans. Rosetta ended its mission with a controlled
impact onto Comet CG in 2016. Comet CG has just completed another close
approach to Earth and remains visible through a small telescope.
Tomorrow's picture: stellar pinwheel
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Mon Nov 29 00:33:22 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 November 29
The Extraordinary Spiral in LL Pegasi
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing & Copyright: Jonathan
Lodge
Explanation: What created the strange spiral structure on the upper
left? No one is sure, although it is likely related to a star in a
binary star system entering the planetary nebula phase, when its outer
atmosphere is ejected. The huge spiral spans about a third of a light
year across and, winding four or five complete turns, has a regularity
that is without precedent. Given the expansion rate of the spiral gas,
a new layer must appear about every 800 years, a close match to the
time it takes for the two stars to orbit each other. The star system
that created it is most commonly known as LL Pegasi, but also AFGL 3068
and IRAS 23166+1655. The featured image was taken in near-infrared
light by the Hubble Space Telescope. Why the spiral glows is itself a
mystery, with a leading hypothesis being illumination by light
reflected from nearby stars.
Tomorrow's picture: planet with moons
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 1 00:46:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 1
A Blue-Banded Blood Moon
Image Credit: Angel Yu
Explanation: What causes a blue band to cross the Moon during a lunar
eclipse? The blue band is real but usually quite hard to see. The
featured HDR image of last week's lunar eclipse, however -- taken from
Yancheng, China -- has been digitally processed to equalize the Moon's
brightness and exaggerate the colors. The gray color of the bottom
right is the Moon's natural color, directly illuminated by sunlight.
The upper left part of the Moon is not directly lit by the Sun since it
is being eclipsed -- it in the Earth's shadow. It is faintly lit,
though, by sunlight that has passed deep through Earth's atmosphere.
This part of the Moon is red -- and called a blood Moon -- for the same
reason that Earth's sunsets are red: because air scatters away more
blue light than red. The unusual blue band is different -- its color is
created by sunlight that has passed high through Earth's atmosphere,
where red light is better absorbed by ozone than blue. A total eclipse
of the Sun will occur tomorrow but, unfortunately, totality be visible
only near the Earth's South Pole.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: small galaxy, local group
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Dec 3 00:23:48 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 3
Comet Leonard and the Whale Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Gregg Ruppel
Explanation: Sweeping through northern predawn skies, on November 24
Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) was caught between two galaxies in this
composite telescopic image. Sporting a greenish coma the comet's dusty
tail seems to harpoon the heart of NGC 4631 (top) also known as the
Whale Galaxy. Of course NGC 4631 and NGC 4656 (bottom, aka the Hockey
Stick) are background galaxies some 25 million light-years away. On
that date the comet was about 6 light-minutes from our fair planet. Its
closest approach to Earth (and even closer approach to Venus) still to
come, Comet Leonard will grow brighter in December. Already a good
object for binoculars and small telescopes, this comet will likely not
return to the inner Solar System. Its perihelion, or closest approach
to the Sun, will be on January 3, 2022.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Dec 4 02:17:28 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 4
Iridescent by Moonlight
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace
Explanation: In this snapshot from November 18, the Full Moon was not
far from Earth's shadow. In skies over Sicily the brightest lunar phase
was eclipsed by passing clouds though. The full moonlight was dimmed
and momentarily diffracted by small but similar sized water droplets
near the edges of the high thin clouds. The resulting iridescence
shines with colors like a lunar corona. On that night, the Full Moon
was also seen close to the Pleiades star cluster appearing at the lower
left of the iridescent cloud bank. The stars of the Seven Sisters were
soon to share the sky with a darker, reddened lunar disk.
Tomorrow's picture: comet by eye
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Dec 6 00:08:12 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 6
Space Station Silhouette on the Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew McCarthy
Explanation: What's that unusual spot on the Moon? It's the
International Space Station. Using precise timing, the Earth-orbiting
space platform was photographed in front of a partially lit gibbous
Moon last month. The featured composite, taken from Payson, Arizona,
USA last month, was intricately composed by combining, in part, many
1/2000-second images from a video of the ISS crossing the Moon. A close
inspection of this unusually crisp ISS silhouette will reveal the
outlines of numerous solar panels and trusses. The bright crater Tycho
is visible on the upper left, as well as comparatively rough, light
colored terrain known as highlands, and relatively smooth, dark colored
areas known as maria. On-line tools can tell you when the International
Space Station will be visible from your area.
Tomorrow's picture: 90 black holes merging
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Dec 7 00:33:14 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 7
Ninety Gravitational Wave Spectrograms and Counting
Image Credit: NSF, LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt U.;
Graphic : Sudarshan Ghonge & Karan Jani
Explanation: Every time two massive black holes collide, a loud
chirping sound is broadcast out into the universe in gravitational
waves. Humanity has only had the technology to hear these unusual
chirps for the past seven years, but since then we have heard about 90
-- during the first three observing runs. Featured above are the
spectrograms -- plots of gravitational-wave frequency versus time -- of
these 90 as detected by the giant detectors of LIGO (in the USA), VIRGO
(in Europe), and KAGRA (in Japan). The more energy received on Earth
from a collision, the brighter it appears on the graphic. Among many
science firsts, these gravitational-radiation chirps are giving
humanity an unprecedented inventory of black holes and neutron stars,
and a new way to measure the expansion rate of our universe. A fourth
gravitational wave observing run with increased sensitivity is
currently planned to begin in 2022 December.
Tomorrow's picture: comet tails
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 8 00:32:42 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 8
Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Parola Pass
Image Credit & Copyright: A. Dimai, (Col Druscie Obs.), AAC
Explanation: Comet Hale-Bopp, the Great Comet of 1997, became much
brighter than any surrounding stars. It was seen even over bright city
lights. Away from city lights, however, it put on quite a spectacular
show. Here Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed above Val Parola Pass in
the Dolomite mountains surrounding Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Comet
Hale-Bopp's blue ion tail, consisting of ions from the comet's nucleus,
is pushed out by the solar wind. The white dust tail is composed of
larger particles of dust from the nucleus driven by the pressure of
sunlight, that orbit behind the comet. Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)
remained visible to the unaided eye for 18 months -- longer than any
other comet in recorded history. The large comet is next expected to
return around the year 4385. This month, Comet Leonard is brightening
and may soon become visible to the unaided eye.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Dec 9 00:20:58 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 9
A Total Eclipse of the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Theo Boris, Christian A. Lockwood, David
Zimmerman (JM Pasachoff Antarctic Expedition)
Compositing: Zev Hoover and Ronald Dantowitz (MARS Scientific)
Explanation: Few were able to stand in the Moon's shadow and watch the
December 4 total eclipse of the Sun. Determined by celestial mechanics
and not geographical boundaries, the narrow path of totality tracked
across planet Earth's relatively inaccessible southernmost continent.
Still, some enthusiastic and well-insulated eclipse chasers were
rewarded with the dazzling spectacle in Antarctica's cold but clear
skies. Taken just before the brief totality began, this image from a
ground-based telescope inside the edge of the shadow path at Union
Glacier catches a glimmer of sunlight near the top of the silhouetted
lunar disk. Look closely for the pinkish solar prominences arcing above
the Sun's limb. During totality, the magnificent solar corona, the
Sun's outer atmosphere, made its much anticipated appearance, seen in
the composite view streaming far from the Sun's edge.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Dec 11 03:21:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 11
Postcard from the South Pole
Image Credit & Copyright: Aman Chokshi
Explanation: From this vantage point about three quarters of a mile
from planet Earth's geographic South Pole, the December 4 eclipse of
the Sun was seen as a partial eclipse. At maximum eclipse the New Moon
blocked 90 percent of the solar disk. Of course, crews at the South
Pole Telescope (left) and BICEP telescope (right) climbed to the roof
of Amundsen-Scott station's Dark Sector Laboratory to watch. Centered
near the local eclipse maximum, the composite timelapse view features
an image of the Sun in cold antarctic skies taken every four minutes.
Left to right along the roof line it also features the raised arms of
Brandon Amat, Aman Chokshi, Cheng Zhang, James Bevington and Allen
Forster.
Tomorrow's picture: in darker skies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Dec 12 00:20:18 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 12
Comet Leonard Before Star Cluster M3
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Comet Leonard is now visible to the unaided eye -- but
just barely. Passing nearest to the Earth today, the comet is best seen
this week soon after sunset, toward the west, low on the horizon.
Currently best visible in the north, by late December the comet will
best be seen from south of Earth's equator. The featured image of Comet
C/2021 A1 (Leonard) was taken a week ago from California, USA. The deep
exposure shows in great detail the comet's green gas coma and
developing dust tail. The comet -- across our inner Solar System and
only light-minutes away -- was captured passing nearly in front of
globular star cluster M3. In contrast, M3 is about 35,000 light-years
away. In a week, Comet Leonard will pass unusually close to Venus, but
will continue on and be at its closest to the Sun in early January.
Tomorrow's picture: meteor mountain
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Dec 13 00:51:00 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 13
Meteors and Auroras over Iceland
Image Credit & Copyright: James Boardman-Woodend; Annotation: Judy
Schmidt
Explanation: What's going on behind that mountain? Quite a bit. First
of all, the mountain itself, named Kirkjufell, is quite old and located
in western Iceland near the town of Grundarfjörður. In front of the
steeply-sloped structure lies a fjord that had just begun to freeze
when the above image was taken -- in mid-December of 2012. Although
quite faint to the unaided eye, the beautiful colors of background
aurorae became quite apparent on the 25-second exposure. What makes
this image of particular note, though, is that it also captures streaks
from the Geminids meteor shower -- meteors that might not have been
evident were the aurora much brighter. Far in the distance, on the
left, is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy, while stars from our local
part of the Milky Way appear spread across the background. Tonight the
Geminids meteor shower peaks again and may well provide sky enthusiasts
with their own memorable visual experiences.
Tomorrow's picture: hidden jet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Dec 16 14:06:06 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 16
Geminids of the South
Image Credit & Copyright: Fefo Bouvier
Explanation: Fireflies flash along a moonlit countryside in this scene
taken on the night of December 13/14 from southern Uruguay, planet
Earth. On that night meteors fell in the partly cloudy skies above
during the annual Geminid meteor shower. Frames recorded over a period
of 1.5 hours are aligned in the composite image made with the camera
facing south. That direction was opposite the shower's radiant toward
the north and so the Geminid meteor streaks appear to converge at an
antiradiant below the southern horizon. The shower's apparent radiant
(and antiradiant) is just due to perspective though. As Earth sweeps
through the dust trail of mysterious asteroid 3200 Phaethon, the dust
grains that create the Geminid shower meteors are really moving along
parallel tracks. They enter Earth's atmosphere traveling at about 22
kilometers per second.
Tomorrow's picture: Geminids of the North
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Dec 17 01:04:52 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 17
Geminid of the North
Image Credit & Copyright: Alvin Wu
Explanation: An arid expanse of the Tengger Desert in north-central
China, planet Earth fills the foreground of this starry scene. A
widefield panoramic view, it was recorded shortly after moonset in the
local predawn hours of December 14. Pictured in the still dark sky,
stars of the northern winter hexagon surround a luminous Milky Way.
Seen near the peak of the annual meteor shower, the startling flash of
a bright Geminid fireball meteor was also captured on that night. Above
the western horizon and just below bright star Capella, its dagger-like
trail points back to the meteor shower's radiant in Gemini. Of course,
the constellation Gemini is easy to spot. Its twin bright stars, bluish
Castor and yellowish Pollux are near top center in the frame.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Dec 19 00:22:32 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 19
Planetary Alignment over Italy
Image Credit & Copyright: Antonio Finazzi
Explanation: It is not a coincidence that planets line up. That's
because all of the planets orbit the Sun in (nearly) a single sheet
called the plane of the ecliptic. When viewed from inside that plane --
as Earth dwellers are likely to do -- the planets all appear confined
to a single band. It is a coincidence, though, when three of the
brightest planets all appear in nearly the same direction. Such a
coincidence was captured earlier this month. Featured above (right to
left), Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter were all imaged together in a line
just after sunset, from the San Fermo Hills, Bergamo, Italy. Joining
the alignment are Earth's Moon, and the position of the more distant
Uranus. Bands of clouds streak across the sky toward the setting Sun.
As Comet Leonard fades, this planetary alignment -- absent the Moon --
should persist for the rest of the month.
Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: comet fireball
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 22 00:05:04 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 22
Launch of the IXPE Observatory
Image Credit & Copyright: Jordan Sirokie
Explanation: Birds don't fly this high. Airplanes don't go this fast.
The Statue of Liberty weighs less. No species other than human can even
comprehend what is going on, nor could any human just a millennium ago.
The launch of a rocket bound for space is an event that inspires awe
and challenges description. Pictured here, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida earlier this month
carrying the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). IXPE is
scheduled to observe high-energy objects such as neutron stars, black
holes, and the centers of distant galaxies to better determine the
physics and geometries that create and control them. From a standing
start, the 300,000+ kilogram rocket ship lifted IXPE up to circle the
Earth, where the outside air is too thin to breathe. Rockets bound for
space are now launched from somewhere on Earth every few days.
Launch Update: James Webb Space Telescope
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Dec 24 00:19:34 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 24
M1: The Crab Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Sherick
Explanation: The Crab Nebula is cataloged as M1, the first object on
Charles Messier's famous 18th century list of things which are not
comets. In fact, the Crab is now known to be a supernova remnant,
debris from the death explosion of a massive star, witnessed by
astronomers in the year 1054. This sharp, ground-based telescopic view
combines broadband color data with narrowband data that tracks emission
from ionized sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms to explore the tangled
filaments within the still expanding cloud. One of the most exotic
objects known to modern astronomers, the Crab Pulsar, a neutron star
spinning 30 times a second, is visible as a bright spot near the
nebula's center. Like a cosmic dynamo, this collapsed remnant of the
stellar core powers the Crab's emission across the electromagnetic
spectrum. Spanning about 12 light-years, the Crab Nebula is a mere
6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus.
Tomorrow's picture: A Christmas Comet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Dec 25 00:17:08 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 25
The Tail of a Christmas Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA Project, CAST) and
Lukas Demetz
Explanation: The tail of a comet streams across this three degree wide
telescopic field of view captured under dark Namibian skies on December
21. In outburst only a few days ago and just reaching naked eye
visibility Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) is this year's brightest comet.
Binoculars will make the diffuse comet easier to spot though, close to
the western horizon after sunset. Details revealed in the sharp image
show the comet's coma with a greenish tinge, and follow the interaction
of the comet's ion tail with magnetic fields in the solar wind. After
passing closest to Earth on December 12 and Venus on December 18, Comet
Leonard is heading toward perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun
on January 3rd. Appearing in late December's beautiful evening skies
after sunset, Comet Leonard has also become known as 2021's Christmas
Comet.
Launch Update: James Webb Space Telescope
Tomorrow's picture: the icy sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon Dec 27 00:20:56 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 27
Comet Leonard behind JWST Launch Plume
Image Credit & Copyright: Matipon Tangmatitham (NARIT)
Explanation: Which one of these two streaks is a comet? Although they
both have comet-like features, the lower streak is the only real comet.
This lower streak shows the coma and tail of Comet Leonard, a
city-sized block of rocky ice that is passing through the inner Solar
System as it continues its looping orbit around the Sun. Comet Leonard
has recently passed its closest to both the Earth and Venus and will
round the Sun next week. The comet, still visible to the unaided eye,
has developed a long and changing tail in recent weeks. In contrast,
the upper streak is the launch plume of the Ariane V rocket that lifted
the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) off the Earth two days ago. The
featured single-exposure image was taken from Thailand, and the
foreground spire is atop a pagoda in Doi Inthanon National Park. JWST,
NASA's largest and most powerful space telescope so far, will orbit the
Sun near the Earth-Sun L2 point and is scheduled to start science
observations in the summer of 2022.
Gallery: Comet Leonard 2021
Gallery: Webb Space Telescope Launch: 2021 December 25
Tomorrow's picture: sun of ice
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Dec 28 00:43:46 2021
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2021 December 28
Sun Halo over Sweden
Video Credit & Copyright: Hokan Hammar (Vemdalen Ski Resort, SkiStar)
Explanation: What's happened to the Sun? Sometimes it looks like the
Sun is being viewed through a giant lens. In the featured video,
however, there are actually millions of tiny lenses: ice crystals.
Water may freeze in the atmosphere into small, flat, six-sided, ice
crystals. As these crystals flutter to the ground, much time is spent
with their faces flat and parallel to the ground. An observer may find
themselves in the same plane as many of the falling ice crystals near
sunrise or sunset. During this alignment, each crystal can act like a
miniature lens, refracting sunlight into our view and creating
phenomena like parhelia, the technical term for sundogs. The featured
video was taken in late 2017 on the side of a ski hill at the Vemdalen
Ski Resort in central Sweden. Visible in the center is the most direct
image of the Sun, while two bright sundogs glow prominently from both
the left and the right. Also visible is the bright 22 degree halo -- as
well as the rarer and much fainter 46 degree halo -- also created by
sunlight refracting through atmospheric ice crystals.
Tomorrow's picture: giant storms
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 1 00:10:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 1
The Full Moon of 2021
Image Credit & Copyright: Soumyadeep Mukherjee
Explanation: Every Full Moon of 2021 shines in this year-spanning
astrophoto project, a composite portrait of the familiar lunar nearside
at each brightest lunar phase. Arranged by moonth, the year progresses
in stripes beginning at the top. Taken with the same camera and lens
the stripes are from Full Moon images all combined at the same pixel
scale. The stripes still looked mismatched, but they show that the Full
Moon's angular size changes throughout the year depending on its
distance from Kolkata, India, planet Earth. The calendar month, a full
moon name, distance in kilometers, and angular size is indicated for
each stripe. Angular size is given in minutes of arc corresponding to
1/60th of a degree. The largest Full Moon is near a perigee or closest
approach in May. The smallest is near an apogee, the most distant Full
Moon in December. Of course the full moons of May and November also
slid into Earth's shadow during 2021's two lunar eclipses.
Tomorrow's picture: bright moon halos
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jan 2 00:08:34 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 2
Quadruple Lunar Halo Over Winter Road
Image Credit & Copyright: Dani Caxete
Explanation: Sometimes falling ice crystals make the atmosphere into a
giant lens causing arcs and halos to appear around the Sun or Moon. One
Saturday night in 2012 was just such a time near Madrid, Spain, where a
winter sky displayed not only a bright Moon but four rare lunar halos.
The brightest object, near the top of the featured image, is the Moon.
Light from the Moon refracts through tumbling hexagonal ice crystals
into a somewhat rare 22-degree halo seen surrounding the Moon.
Elongating the 22-degree arc horizontally is a more rare circumscribed
halo caused by column ice crystals. Even more rare, some moonlight
refracts through more distant tumbling ice crystals to form a (third)
rainbow-like arc 46 degrees from the Moon and appearing here just above
a picturesque winter landscape. Furthermore, part of a whole 46-degree
circular halo is also visible, so that an extremely rare -- especially
for the Moon -- quadruple halo was captured. Far in the background is a
famous winter skyscape that includes Sirius, the belt of Orion, and
Betelgeuse -- visible between the inner and outer arcs. Halos and arcs
typically last for minutes to hours, so if you do see one there should
be time to invite family, friends or neighbors to share your unusual
lensed vista of the sky.
Tomorrow's picture: Saturn moonscape
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jan 4 00:11:34 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 4
Moons Beyond Rings at Saturn
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, Cassini Imaging Team
Explanation: What's happened to that moon of Saturn? Nothing --
Saturn's moon Rhea is just partly hidden behind Saturn's rings. In
2010, the robotic Cassini spacecraft then orbiting Saturn took this
narrow-angle view looking across the Solar System's most famous rings.
Rings visible in the foreground include the thin F ring on the outside
and the much wider A and B rings just interior to it. Although it seems
to be hovering over the rings, Saturn's moon Janus is actually far
behind them. Janus is one of Saturn's smaller moons and measures only
about 180 kilometers across. Farther out from the camera is the heavily
cratered Rhea, a much larger moon measuring 1,500 kilometers across.
The top of Rhea is visible only through gaps in the rings. After more
than a decade of exploration and discovery, the Cassini spacecraft ran
low on fuel in 2017 and was directed to enter Saturn's atmosphere,
where it surely melted.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: comet tail-scape
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jan 7 00:07:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 7
Ecstatic Solar Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Annie Schmidt (Point Blue Conservation
Science)
Explanation: A male Adelie penguin performed this Ecstatic Vocalization
in silhouette during the December 4 solar eclipse, the final eclipse of
2021. Of course his Ecstatic Vocalization is a special display that
male penguins use to claim their territory and advertise their
condition. This penguin's territory, at Cape Crozier Antarctica, is
located in one of the largest Adelie penguin colonies. The colony has
been studied by researchers for over 25 years. From there, last
December's eclipse was about 80 percent total when seen at its maximum
phase as the Moon's shadow crossed planet Earth's southernmost
continent.
Status Updates: Deploying the James Webb Space Telescope
Tomorrow's picture: forgotten constellation
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jan 9 00:12:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 9
Hubble's Jupiter and the Shrinking Great Red Spot
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, STScI; Processing: Karol
Masztalerz
Explanation: What will become of Jupiter's Great Red Spot? Gas giant
Jupiter is the solar system's largest world with about 320 times the
mass of planet Earth. Jupiter is home to one of the largest and longest
lasting storm systems known, the Great Red Spot (GRS), visible to the
left. The GRS is so large it could swallow Earth, although it has been
shrinking. Comparison with historical notes indicate that the storm
spans only about one third of the exposed surface area it had 150 years
ago. NASA's Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program has been
monitoring the storm more recently using the Hubble Space Telescope.
The featured Hubble OPAL image shows Jupiter as it appeared in 2016,
processed in a way that makes red hues appear quite vibrant. Modern GRS
data indicate that the storm continues to constrict its surface area,
but is also becoming slightly taller, vertically. No one knows the
future of the GRS, including the possibility that if the shrinking
trend continues, the GRS might one day even do what smaller spots on
Jupiter have done -- disappear completely.
Tuesday over Zoom: APOD editor to present the Best APOD Space Images of
2021
Tomorrow's picture: wagging comet tail
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 14
NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby
Explanation: An island universe of billions of stars, NGC 1566 lies
about 60 million light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado.
Popularly known as the Spanish Dancer galaxy, it's seen face-on from
our Milky Way perspective. A gorgeous grand design spiral, this
galaxy's two graceful spiral arms span over 100,000 light-years, traced
by bright blue star clusters, pinkish starforming regions, and swirling
cosmic dust lanes. NGC 1566's flaring center makes the spiral one of
the closest and brightest Seyfert galaxies. It likely houses a central
supermassive black hole wreaking havoc on surrounding stars, gas, and
dust. In this sharp southern galaxy portrait, the spiky stars lie well
within the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 15
Galileo's Europa
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SETI Institute, Cynthia Phillips,
Marty Valenti
Explanation: Looping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the
Galileo spacecraft recorded stunning views of Europa and uncovered
evidence that the moon's icy surface likely hides a deep, global ocean.
Galileo's Europa image data has been remastered here, with improved
calibrations to produce a color image approximating what the human eye
might see. Europa's long curving fractures hint at the subsurface
liquid water. The tidal flexing the large moon experiences in its
elliptical orbit around Jupiter supplies the energy to keep the ocean
liquid. But more tantalizing is the possibility that even in the
absence of sunlight that process could also supply the energy to
support life, making Europa one of the best places to look for life
beyond Earth. What kind of life could thrive in a deep, dark,
subsurface ocean? Consider planet Earth's own extreme shrimp.
Tomorrow's picture: a very cloudy day
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 16
A Retreating Thunderstorm at Sunset
Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Dyer (The Amazing Sky)
Explanation: What type of cloud is that? This retreating cumulonimbus
cloud, more commonly called a thundercloud, is somewhat unusual as it
contains the unusual bumpiness of a mammatus cloud on the near end,
while simultaneously producing falling rain on the far end. Taken in
mid-2013 in southern Alberta, Canada, the cloud is moving to the east,
into the distance, as the sun sets in the west, behind the camera. In
the featured image, graphic sunset colors cross the sky to give the
already photogenic cloud striking orange and pink hues. A darkening
blue sky covers the background. Further in the distance, a rising,
waxing, gibbous moon is visible on the far right.
Tomorrow's picture: angular space dust
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Mon Jan 17 01:07:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 17
Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas
Image Credit & Copyright: Jarmo Ruuth, Telescope Live, Heaven's Mirror
Observatory
Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an
angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation
of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for
blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this
four-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its
own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors giving creating a
brown hue. Contrastingly blue, the bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is
visible just to the right of center, with the dust that surrounds it
preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white
color. All of the pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way
Galaxy with -- but one notable exception: the white spot just below
Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the
distance. Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres
of giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, stellar
winds, and stellar explosions such as supernovas.
Tomorrow's picture: icons over australia
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Jan 18 00:08:42 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 18
From Orion to the Southern Cross
Image Credit & Copyright: Lucy Yunxi Hu
Explanation: This is a sky filled with glowing icons. On the far left
is the familiar constellation of Orion, divided by its iconic
three-aligned belt stars and featuring the famous Orion Nebula, both
partly encircled by Barnard's Loop. Just left of center in the featured
image is the brightest star in the night: Sirius. Arching across the
image center is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. On the far
right, near the top, are the two brightest satellite galaxies of the
Milky Way: the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and the Small Magellanic
Cloud (SMC). Also on the far right -- just above the cloudy horizon --
is the constellation of Crux, complete with the four stars that make
the iconic Southern Cross. The featured image is a composite of 18
consecutive exposures taken by the same camera and from the same
location in eastern Australia during the last days of last year. In the
foreground, picturesque basalt columns of the Bombo Quarry part to
reveal the vast Pacific Ocean.
Tomorrow's picture: big galaxy approaches
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Wed Jan 19 00:15:54 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 19
M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
Image Credit: Subaru (NAOJ), Hubble (NASA/ESA), Mayall (NSF);
Processing & Copyright: R. Gendler & R. Croman
Explanation: The most distant object easily visible to the unaided eye
is M31, the great Andromeda Galaxy. Even at some two and a half million
light-years distant, this immense spiral galaxy -- spanning over
200,000 light years -- is visible, although as a faint, nebulous cloud
in the constellation Andromeda. In contrast, a bright yellow nucleus,
dark winding dust lanes, and expansive spiral arms dotted with blue
star clusters and red nebulae, are recorded in this stunning telescopic
image which combines data from orbiting Hubble with ground-based images
from Subaru and Mayall. In only about 5 billion years, the Andromeda
galaxy may be even easier to see -- as it will likely span the entire
night sky -- just before it merges with our Milky Way Galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Thu Jan 20 00:26:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 20
NGC 7822 in Cepheus
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Carter
Explanation: Hot, young stars and cosmic pillars of gas and dust seem
to crowd into NGC 7822. At the edge of a giant molecular cloud toward
the northern constellation Cepheus, the glowing star forming region
lies about 3,000 light-years away. Within the nebula, bright edges and
dark shapes stand out in this colorful telescopic skyscape. The image
includes data from narrowband filters, mapping emission from atomic
oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red hues. The
emission line and color combination has become well-known as the Hubble
palette. The atomic emission is powered by energetic radiation from the
central hot stars. Their powerful winds and radiation sculpt and erode
the denser pillar shapes and clear out a characteristic cavity
light-years across the center of the natal cloud. Stars could still be
forming inside the pillars by gravitational collapse but as the pillars
are eroded away, any forming stars will ultimately be cutoff from their
reservoir of star stuff. This field of view spans about 40 light-years
at the estimated distance of NGC 7822.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Jan 21 00:14:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 21
Young Star Jet MHO 2147
Image Credit & License: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab /
NSF / AURA
Acknowledgments: L. Ferrero (Universidad Nacional de C+|rdoba)
Explanation: Laser guide stars and adaptive optics sharpened this
stunning ground-based image of stellar jets from the Gemini South
Observatory, Chilean Andes, planet Earth. These twin outflows of MHO
2147 are from a young star in formation. It lies toward the central
Milky Way and the boundary of the constellations Sagittarius and
Ophiuchus at an estimated distance of some 10,000 light-years. At
center, the star itself is obscured by a dense region of cold dust. But
the infrared image still traces the sinuous jets across a frame that
would span about 5 light-years at the system's estimated distance.
Driven outward by the young rotating star, the apparent wandering
direction of the jets is likely due to precession. Part of a multiple
star system, the young star's rotational axis would slowly precess or
wobble like a top under the gravitation influence of its nearby
companions.
Tomorrow's picture: The Full Moon and the Dancer
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 22 00:15:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 22
The Full Moon and the Dancer
Image Credit & Copyright: Elena Pinna
Explanation: On Monday, January's Full Moon rose as the Sun set.
Spotted near the eastern horizon, its warm hues are seen in this photo
taken near Cagliari, capital city of the Italian island of Sardinia. Of
course the familiar patterns of light and dark across the Moon's
nearside are created by bright rugged highlands and dark smooth lunar
maria. Traditionally the patterns are seen as pareidolia, giving the
visual illusion of a human face like the Man in the Moon, or familiar
animal like the Moon rabbit. But for a moment the swarming murmuration,
also known as a flock of starlings, frozen in the snapshot's field of
view lends another pareidolic element to the scene. Some see the
graceful figure of a dancer enchanted by moonlight.
Tomorrow's picture: moons, rings, and shadows
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sun Jan 23 00:11:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 23
Saturn, Tethys, Rings, and Shadows
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Seen from ice moon Tethys, rings and shadows would display
fantastic views of the Saturnian system. Haven't dropped in on Tethys
lately? Then this gorgeous ringscape from the Cassini spacecraft will
have to do for now. Caught in sunlight just below and left of picture
center in 2005, Tethys itself is about 1,000 kilometers in diameter and
orbits not quite five saturn-radii from the center of the gas giant
planet. At that distance (around 300,000 kilometers) it is well outside
Saturn's main bright rings, but Tethys is still one of five major moons
that find themselves within the boundaries of the faint and tenuous
outer E ring. Discovered in the 1980s, two very small moons Telesto and
Calypso are locked in stable along Tethys' orbit. Telesto precedes and
Calypso follows Tethys as the trio circles Saturn.
Tomorrow's picture: witch star?
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Mon Jan 24 00:08:52 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 24
Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Jos+¬ Mtanous
Explanation: By starlight this eerie visage shines in the dark, a
crooked profile evoking its popular name, the Witch Head Nebula. In
fact, this entrancing telescopic portrait gives the impression that the
witch has fixed her gaze on Orion's bright supergiant star Rigel. More
formally known as IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula spans about 50
light-years and is composed of interstellar dust grains reflecting
Rigel's starlight. The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and of the
dust surrounding Rigel is caused not only by Rigel's intense blue
starlight but because the dust grains scatter blue light more
efficiently than red. The same physical process causes Earth's daytime
sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in Earth's atmosphere are
molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. Rigel, the Witch Head Nebula, and gas
and dust that surrounds them lie about 800 light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jan 25 01:04:08 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 25
Video: Comet Leonard over One Hour
Video Credit & Copyright: Matipon Tangmatitham (NARIT); Text: Matipon
Tangmatitham
Explanation: Which direction is this comet heading? Judging by the
tail, one might imagine that Comet Leonard is traveling towards the
bottom right, but a full 3D analysis shows it traveling almost directly
away from the camera. With this perspective, the dust tail is trailed
towards the camera and can only be seen as a short yellow-white glow
near the head of the comet. The bluish ion tail, however, is made up of
escaping ions that are forced directly away from the Sun by the solar
wind -- but channeled along the Sun's magnetic field lines. The Sun's
magnetic field is quite complex, however, and occasionally solar
magnetic reconnection will break the ion tail into knots that are
pushed away from the Sun. One such knot is visible in the featured
one-hour time-lapse video captured in late December from Thailand.
Comet Leonard is now fading as it heads out of our Solar System.
Gallery: Notable images submitted to APOD of Comet Leonard in 2021
Tomorrow's picture: colorful star clouds
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From
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All on Wed Jan 26 03:28:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 26
Stars, Dust, and Gas Near Antares
Image Credit & Copyright: Mario Cogo (Galax Lux)
Explanation: Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi so dusty yet
colorful? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes.
Fine dust -- illuminated from the front by starlight -- produces blue
reflection nebulae. Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by
ultraviolet starlight produce reddish emission nebulae. Backlit dust
clouds block starlight and so appear dark. Antares, a red supergiant
and one of the brighter stars in the night sky, lights up the
yellow-red clouds on the lower right of the featured image. The Rho
Ophiuchi star system lies at the center of the blue reflection nebula
on the top left. The distant globular cluster of stars M4 is visible
above and to the right of Antares. These star clouds are even more
colorful than humans can see, emitting light across the electromagnetic
spectrum.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Thu Jan 27 00:07:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 27
South of Orion
Image Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander
Explanation: South of the large star-forming region known as the Orion
Nebula, lies bright blue reflection nebula NGC 1999. At the edge of the
Orion molecular cloud complex some 1,500 light-years distant, NGC
1999's illumination is provided by the embedded variable star V380
Orionis. The nebula is marked with a dark sideways T-shape at center
right in this telescopic vista that spans about two full moons on the
sky. Its dark shape was once assumed to be an obscuring dust cloud seen
in silhouette. But infrared data suggest the shape is likely a hole
blown through the nebula itself by energetic young stars. In fact, this
region abounds with energetic young stars producing jets and outflows
with luminous shock waves. Cataloged as Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, named
for astronomers George Herbig and Guillermo Haro, the shocks have
intense reddish hues. HH1 and HH2 are just below and right of NGC 1999.
HH222, also known as the Waterfall nebula, looks like a red gash near
top right in the frame. To create the shocks stellar jets push through
the surrounding material at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per
second.
Tomorrow's picture: the western eastern sea
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Fri Jan 28 00:08:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 27
Western Moon, Eastern Sea
Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Glenn
Explanation: The Mare Orientale, Latin for Eastern Sea, is one of the
most striking large scale lunar features. The youngest of the large
lunar impact basins it's very difficult to see from an earthbound
perspective. Still, taken during a period of favorable tilt, or
libration of the lunar nearside, the Eastern Sea can be found near top
center in this sharp telescopic view, extremely foreshortened along the
Moon's western edge. Formed by the impact of an asteroid over 3 billion
years ago and nearly 1000 kilometers across, the impact basin's
concentric circular features, ripples in the lunar crust, are a little
easier to spot in spacecraft images of the Moon, though. So why is the
Eastern Sea at the Moon's western edge? The Mare Orientale lunar
feature was named before 1961. That's when the convention labeling east
and west on lunar maps was reversed.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat Jan 29 00:39:42 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 29
The Fornax Cluster of Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi, Angus Lau, Tommy Tse
Explanation: Named for the southern constellation toward which most of
its galaxies can be found, the Fornax Cluster is one of the closest
clusters of galaxies. About 62 million light-years away, it is almost
20 times more distant than our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy, and only
about 10 percent farther than the better known and more populated Virgo
Galaxy Cluster. Seen across this two degree wide field-of-view, almost
every yellowish splotch on the image is an elliptical galaxy in the
Fornax cluster. Elliptical galaxies NGC 1399 and NGC 1404 are the
dominant, bright cluster members toward the upper left (but not the
spiky foreground stars). A standout barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is
visible on the lower right as a prominent Fornax cluster member.
Tomorrow's picture: miasma of plasma
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From
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All on Sun Jan 30 00:09:20 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 30
A Solar Prominence from SOHO
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, SOHO-EIT Consortium
Explanation: How can gas float above the Sun? Twisted magnetic fields
arching from the solar surface can trap ionized gas, suspending it in
huge looping structures. These majestic plasma arches are seen as
prominences above the solar limb. In 1999, this dramatic and detailed
image was recorded by the Extreme ultraviolet Image Telescope (EIT) on
board the space-based SOHO observatory in the light emitted by ionized
Helium. It shows hot plasma escaping into space as a fiery prominence
breaks free from magnetic confinement a hundred thousand kilometers
above the Sun. These awesome events bear watching as they can affect
communications and power systems over 100 million kilometers away on
planet Earth. In late 2020 our Sun passed the solar minimum of its
11-year cycle and is now showing increased surface activity.
Tomorrow's picture: stellar icons
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From
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All on Mon Jan 31 00:13:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 January 31
Carina Nebula North
Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari
Explanation: The Great Carina Nebula is home to strange stars and
iconic nebulas. Named for its home constellation, the huge star-forming
region is larger and brighter than the Great Orion Nebula but less well
known because it is so far south -- and because so much of humanity
lives so far north. The featured image shows in great detail the
northern-most part of the Carina Nebula. Visible nebulas include the
semi-circular filaments surrounding the active star Wolf-Rayet 23
(WR23) on the far left. Just left of center is the Gabriela Mistral
Nebula consisting of an emission nebula of glowing gas (IC 2599)
surrounding the small open cluster of stars (NGC 3324). Above the image
center is the larger star cluster NGC 3293, while to its right is the
relatively faint emission nebula designated Loden 153. The most famous
occupant of the Carina Nebula, however, is not shown. Off the image to
the lower right is the bright, erratic, and doomed star star known as
Eta Carinae -- a star once one of the brightest stars in the sky and
now predicted to explode in a supernova sometime in the next few
million years.
Tomorrow's picture: moon date
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Feb 3 02:59:52 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 3
Embraced by Sunlight
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Luis C+ínovas P+¬rez
Explanation: Even though Venus (left) was the brightest planet in the
sky it was less than 1/30th the apparent size of the Moon on January
29. But as both rose before the Sun they shared a crescent phase. For a
moment their visible disks were each about 12 percent illuminated as
they stood above the southeastern horizon. The similar sunlit crescents
were captured in these two separate images. Made at different
magnifications, each panel is a composite of stacked video frames taken
with a small telescope. Venus goes through a range of phases like the
Moon as the inner planet wanders from evening sky to morning sky and
back again with a period of 584 days. Of course the Moon completes its
own cycle of phases, a full lunation, in about 29.5 days.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Fri Feb 4 00:09:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 4
Moons at Twilight
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Fedez
Explanation: Even though Jupiter was the only planet visible in the
evening sky on February 2, it shared the twilight above the western
horizon with the Solar System's brightest moons. In a single exposure
made just after sunset, the Solar System's ruling gas giant is at the
upper right in this telephoto field-of-view from Cancun, Mexico. The
snapshot also captures our fair planet's own natural satellite in its
young crescent phase. The Moon's disk looms large, its familiar face
illuminated mostly by earthshine. But the four points of light lined-up
with Jupiter are Jupiter's own large Galilean moons. Top to bottom are
Ganymede, [Jupiter], Io, Europa, and Callisto. Ganymede, Io, and
Callisto are physically larger than Earth's Moon while water world
Europa is only slightly smaller.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Feb 5 00:04:50 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 5
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
resolution version available.
Symbiotic R Aquarii
Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/R. Montez et al.; Optical: Data:
NASA/ESA/STScI, Processing: Judy Schmidt (CC BY-NC-SA)
Explanation: Variable star R Aquarii is actually an interacting binary
star system, two stars that seem to have a close symbiotic
relationship. Centered in this space-based optical/x-ray composite
image it lies about 710 light years away. The intriguing system
consists of a cool red giant star and hot, dense white dwarf star in
mutual orbit around their common center of mass. With binoculars you
can watch as R Aquarii steadily changes its brightness over the course
of a year or so. The binary system's visible light is dominated by the
red giant, itself a Mira-type long period variable star. But material
in the cool giant star's extended envelope is pulled by gravity onto
the surface of the smaller, denser white dwarf, eventually triggering a
thermonuclear explosion, blasting material into space. Astronomers have
seen such outbursts over recent decades. Evidence for much older
outbursts is seen in these spectacular structures spanning almost a
light-year as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (in red and blue).
Data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (in purple) shows the X-ray
glow from shock waves created as a jet from the white dwarf strikes
surrounding material.
Tomorrow's picture: our fair planet
__________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sun Feb 6 03:31:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 6
Blue Marble Earth
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 17 Crew
Explanation: Welcome to planet Earth, the third planet from a star
named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of
rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water. The planet has a
relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. The
featured picture of Earth, dubbed The Blue Marble, was taken from
Apollo 17 in 1972 and features Africa and Antarctica. It is thought to
be one of the most widely distributed photographs of any kind. Earth
has a single large Moon that is about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the
planet's surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size
as the Sun. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large
variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such
as dolphins and humans. Please enjoy your stay on planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: galactic rain
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Mon Feb 7 00:20:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 7
NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: CFHT, Coelum, MegaCam, J.-C. Cuillandre
(CFHT) & G. A. Anselmi (Coelum)
Explanation: It's raining stars. What appears to be a giant cosmic
umbrella is now known to be a tidal stream of stars stripped from a
small satellite galaxy. The main galaxy, spiral galaxy NGC 4651, is
about the size of our Milky Way, while its stellar parasol appears to
extend some 100 thousand light-years above this galaxy's bright disk. A
small galaxy was likely torn apart by repeated encounters as it swept
back and forth on eccentric orbits through NGC 4651. The remaining
stars will surely fall back and become part of a combined larger galaxy
over the next few million years. The featured image was captured by the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) in Hawaii, USA. The Umbrella
Galaxy lies about 50 million light-years distant toward the
well-groomed northern constellation Coma Berenices.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: vote the sky
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Feb 8 08:26:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 8
Aurora and Light Pillars over Norway
Image Credit & Copyright: Alexandre Correia
Explanation: Which half of this sky is your favorite? On the left, the
night sky is lit up by particles expelled from the Sun that later
collided with Earth's upper atmosphere CÇö creating bright auroras. On
the right, the night glows with ground lights reflected by millions of
tiny ice crystals falling from the sky CÇö creating light pillars. And in
the center, the astrophotographer presents your choices. The light
pillars are vertical columns because the fluttering ice-crystals are
mostly flat to the ground, and their colors are those of the ground
lights. The auroras cover the sky and ground in the green hue of
glowing oxygen, while their transparency is clear because you can see
stars right through them. Distant stars dot the background, including
bright stars from the iconic constellation of Orion. The featured image
was captured in a single exposure two months ago near Kautokeino,
Norway.
Favorite sky half: Left half (aurora) | Right half (light pillars)
Tomorrow's picture: to circle a dying star
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Wed Feb 9 01:05:54 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 9
Eta Car: 3D Model of the Most Dangerous Star Known
Video Credit: NASA, CXC, April Hobart; Text: Michael F. Corcoran (NASA,
Catholic U., HEAPOW)
Explanation: What's the most dangerous star near earth? Many believe
it's Eta Carinae, a binary star system about 100 times the mass of the
Sun, just 10,000 light years from earth. Eta Carinae is a ticking time
bomb, set to explode as a supernova in only a few million years, when
it may bathe the earth in dangerous gamma rays. The star suffered a
notorious outburst in the 1840s when it became the brightest star in
the southern sky, only to fade to obscurity within decades. The star
was not destroyed, but lies hidden behind a thick, expanding,
double-lobed structure called the Homunculus which now surrounds the
binary. Studies of this ejecta provide forensic clues about the
explosion. Using observations from NASA satellites we can now visualize
the 3D distribution of the shrapnel, all the way from the infrared,
through optical and UV, to the outermost shell of million-degree
material, visible only in X-rays.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Thu Feb 10 00:37:08 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 10
T Tauri and Hind's Variable Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Dawn Lowry, Gian Lorenzo Ferretti, Ewa Pasiak
and Terry Felty
Explanation: The star with an orange tint near top center in this dusty
telescopic frame is T Tauri, prototype of the class of T Tauri variable
stars. Next to it (right) is a yellow cosmic cloud historically known
as Hind's Variable Nebula (NGC 1555). About 650 light-years away, at
the boundary of the local bubble and the Taurus molecular cloud, both
star and nebula are seen to vary significantly in brightness but not
necessarily at the same time, adding to the mystery of the intriguing
region. T Tauri stars are now generally recognized as young (less than
a few million years old), sun-like stars still in the early stages of
formation. To further complicate the picture, infrared observations
indicate that T Tauri itself is part of a multiple system and suggest
that the associated Hind's Nebula may also contain a very young stellar
object. The well-composed image spans about 8 light-years at the
estimated distance of T Tauri.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Feb 11 00:23:38 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 11
IC 342: The Hidden Galaxy in Camelopardalis
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Feller
Explanation: Similar in size to large, bright spiral galaxies in our
neighborhood, IC 342 is a mere 10 million light-years distant in the
long-necked, northern constellation Camelopardalis. A sprawling island
universe, IC 342 would otherwise be a prominent galaxy in our night
sky, but it is hidden from clear view and only glimpsed through the
veil of stars, gas and dust clouds along the plane of our own Milky Way
galaxy. Even though IC 342's light is dimmed and reddened by
intervening cosmic clouds, this sharp telescopic image traces the
galaxy's own obscuring dust, young star clusters, and glowing pink star
forming regions along spiral arms that wind far from the galaxy's core.
IC 342 may have undergone a recent burst of star formation activity and
is close enough to have gravitationally influenced the evolution of the
local group of galaxies and the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sun Feb 13 06:28:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 13
Earth at Night
Image Credit: NASA, Suomi NPP VIIRS; Data: Miguel Rom+ín (NASA GSFC);
Processing: Joshua Stevens
Explanation: This is what the Earth looks like at night. Can you find
your favorite country or city? Surprisingly, city lights make this task
quite possible. Human-made lights highlight particularly developed or
populated areas of the Earth's surface, including the seaboards of
Europe, the eastern United States, and Japan. Many large cities are
located near rivers or oceans so that they can exchange goods cheaply
by boat. Particularly dark areas include the central parts of South
America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The featured image, nicknamed
Black Marble, is actually a composite of hundreds of pictures remade in
2016 from data taken by the orbiting Suomi NPP satellite.
Tomorrow's picture: space for the heart
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Mon Feb 14 00:18:48 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 14
In the Heart of the Heart Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Jensen
Explanation: What excites the Heart Nebula? First, the large emission
nebula dubbed IC 1805 looks, in whole, like a human heart. Its shape
perhaps fitting of the Valentine's Day, this heart glows brightly in
red light emitted by its most prominent element: excited hydrogen. The
red glow and the larger shape are all created by a small group of stars
near the nebula's center. In the heart of the Heart Nebula are young
stars from the open star cluster Melotte 15 that are eroding away
several picturesque dust pillars with their energetic light and winds.
The open cluster of stars contains a few bright stars nearly 50 times
the mass of our Sun, many dim stars only a fraction of the mass of our
Sun, and an absent microquasar that was expelled millions of years ago.
The Heart Nebula is located about 7,500 light years away toward the
constellation of the mythological Queen of Aethiopia (Cassiopeia).
Tomorrow's picture: terminator moon
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Tue Feb 15 01:09:48 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 15
Terminator Moon
Image Credit: NASA, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, SVS; Processing &
Copyright: Jai & Neil Shet
Explanation: What's different about this Moon? It's the terminators. In
the featured image, you can't directly see any terminator -- the line
that divides the light of day from the dark of night. That's because
the image is a digital composite of 29 near-terminator lunar strips.
Terminator regions show the longest and most prominent shadows --
shadows which, by their contrast and length, allow a flat photograph to
appear three-dimensional. The original images and data were taken near
the Moon by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Many of the Moon's
craters stand out because of the shadows they all cast to the right.
The image shows in graphic detail that the darker regions known as
maria are not just darker than the rest of the Moon -- they are
flatter.
Dial-A-Moon: Find the phase of the Moon on your birthday.
Tomorrow's picture: eroding sun tower
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From
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All on Wed Feb 16 00:32:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 16
Eiffel Tower Prominence on the Sun
Video Credit & Copyright: Hawk Wolinski
Explanation: What's that on the Sun? Although it may look like a
flowing version of the Eiffel Tower, it is a solar prominence that is
actually much bigger -- about the height of Jupiter. The huge
prominence emerged about ten days ago, hovered over the Sun's surface
for about two days, and then erupted -- throwing a coronal mass
ejection (CME) into the Solar System. The featured video, captured from
the astrophotographer's backyard in Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA,
shows an hour time-lapse played both forwards and backwards. That CME
did not impact the Earth, but our Sun had unleashed other recent CMEs
that not only triggered Earthly auroras, but puffed out the Earth's
atmosphere enough to cause just-launched Starlink satellites to fall
back. Activity on the Sun, including sunspots, prominences, CMEs and
flares, continues to increase as the Sun evolves away from a deep
minimum in its 11-year magnetic cycle.
Birthday Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Feb 17 00:20:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 17
Chamaeleon I Molecular Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Acquisition: Stas Volskiy (Chilescope.com),
Processing: Robert Eder
Explanation: Dark markings and bright nebulae in this telescopic
southern sky view are telltale signs of young stars and active star
formation. They lie a mere 650 light-years away, at the boundary of the
local bubble and the Chamaeleon molecular cloud complex. Regions with
young stars identified as dusty reflection nebulae from the 1946
Cederblad catalog include the C-shaped Ced 110 just above and left of
center, and bluish Ced 111 below it. Also a standout in the frame, the
orange tinted V-shape of the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula (Cha IRN) was
carved by material streaming from a newly formed low-mass star. The
well-composed image spans 1.5 degrees. That's about 17 light-years at
the estimated distance of the nearby Chamaeleon I molecular cloud.
Tomorrow's picture: East of Sirius
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From
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All on Fri Feb 18 01:40:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 18
Three Clusters in Puppis
Image Credit & Copyright: Dave Doctor
Explanation: Galactic or open star clusters are young. The swarms of
stars are born together near the plane of the Milky Way, but their
numbers steadily dwindle as cluster members are ejected by galactic
tides and gravitational interactions. Caught in this telescopic frame
over three degrees across are three good examples of galactic star
clusters, seen toward the southern sky's nautical constellation Puppis.
Below and left, M46 is some 5,500 light-years in the distance. Right of
center M47 is only 1,600 light-years away and NGC 2423 (top) is about
2500 light-years distant. Around 300 million years young M46 contains a
few hundred stars in a region about 30 light-years across. Sharp eyes
can spot a planetary nebula, NGC 2438, at about 11 o'clock against the
M46 cluster stars. But that nebula's central star is billions of years
old, and NGC 2438 is likely a foreground object only by chance along
the line of sight to youthful M46. Even younger, aged around 80 million
years, M47 is a smaller and looser star cluster spanning about 10
light-years. Star cluster NGC 2423 is pushing about 750 million years
in age though. NGC 2423 is known to harbor an extrasolar planet,
detected orbiting one of its red giant stars.
Tomorrow's picture: mammals in space
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From
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All on Sat Feb 19 00:05:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 19
Peculiar Galaxies of Arp 273
Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Guenzel
Explanation: The spiky stars in the foreground of this backyard
telescopic frame are well within our own Milky Way Galaxy. But the two
eye-catching galaxies lie far beyond the Milky Way, at a distance of
over 300 million light-years. Their distorted appearance is due to
gravitational tides as the pair engage in close encounters. Cataloged
as Arp 273 (also as UGC 1810), the galaxies do look peculiar, but
interacting galaxies are now understood to be common in the universe.
Nearby, the large spiral Andromeda Galaxy is known to be some 2 million
light-years away and approaching the Milky Way. The peculiar galaxies
of Arp 273 may offer an analog of their far future encounter. Repeated
galaxy encounters on a cosmic timescale can ultimately result in a
merger into a single galaxy of stars. From our perspective, the bright
cores of the Arp 273 galaxies are separated by only a little over
100,000 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: aurora over white dome
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From
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All on Sun Feb 20 00:23:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 20
Aurora Over White Dome Geyser
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Howell
Explanation: Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. Colorful auroras
erupted unexpectedly a few years ago, with green aurora appearing near
the horizon and brilliant bands of red aurora blooming high overhead. A
bright Moon lit the foreground of this picturesque scene, while
familiar stars could be seen far in the distance. With planning, the
careful astrophotographer shot this image mosaic in the field of White
Dome Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in the western USA. Sure
enough, just after midnight, White Dome erupted -- spraying a stream of
water and vapor many meters into the air. Geyser water is heated to
steam by scalding magma several kilometers below, and rises through
rock cracks to the surface. About half of all known geysers occur in
Yellowstone National Park. Although the geomagnetic storm that caused
the auroras subsided within a day, eruptions of White Dome Geyser
continue about every 30 minutes.
Tomorrow's picture: barred spiral
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From
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All on Mon Feb 21 00:07:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 21
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 6217
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
Explanation: Many spiral galaxies have bars across their centers. Even
our own Milky Way Galaxy is thought to have a modest central bar.
Prominently barred spiral galaxy NGC 6217, featured here, was captured
in spectacular detail in this image taken by the Advanced Camera for
Surveys on the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. Visible are
dark filamentary dust lanes, young clusters of bright blue stars, red
emission nebulas of glowing hydrogen gas, a long bar of stars across
the center, and a bright active nucleus that likely houses a
supermassive black hole. Light takes about 60 million years to reach us
from NGC 6217, which spans about 30,000 light years across and can be
found toward the constellation of the Little Bear (Ursa Minor).
Tomorrow's picture: quasar illustrated
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From
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All on Tue Feb 22 00:37:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 22
Illustration: An Early Quasar
Illustration Credit & License: ESO, M. Kornmesser
Explanation: What did the first quasars look like? The nearest quasars
are now known to involve supermassive black holes in the centers of
active galaxies. Gas and dust that falls toward a quasar glows
brightly, sometimes outglowing the entire home galaxy. The quasars that
formed in the first billion years of the universe are more mysterious,
though. Featured, recent data has enabled an artist's impression of an
early-universe quasar as it might have been: centered on a massive
black hole, surrounded by sheets of gas and an accretion disk, and
expelling a powerful jet. Quasars are among the most distant objects we
see and give humanity unique information about the early and
intervening universe. The oldest quasars currently known are seen at
just short of redshift 8 -- only 700 million years after the Big Bang
-- when the universe was only a few percent of its current age.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Wed Feb 23 00:21:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 23
Orion over Green Bank
Image Credit & Copyright: Dave Green
Explanation: What will the huge Green Bank Telescope discover tonight?
Pictured, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) on the lower
right is the largest fully-pointable single-dish radio telescope in the
world. With a central dish larger than a football field, the GBT is
nestled in the hills of West Virginia, USA in a radio quiet zone where
the use of cell phones, WiFi emitters, and even microwave ovens are
limited. The GBT explores our universe not only during the night -- but
during the day, too, since the daytime sky is typically dark in radio
waves. Taken in late January, the featured image was planned for months
to get the setting location of Orion just right. The image is a
composite of a foreground shot taken over a kilometer away from the
GBT, and a background shot built up of long exposures during the
previous night. The deep background image of Orion is fitting because
the GBT is famous for, among many discoveries, mapping the unusual
magnetic field in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
Tomorrow's picture: colorful stars
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From
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All on Thu Feb 24 00:33:08 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 24
Beautiful Albireo AB
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Eder
Explanation: Beta Cygni is a single bright star to the naked eye. About
420 light-years away it marks the foot of the Northern Cross, famous
asterism in the constellation Cygnus. But a view through the eyepiece
of a small telescope will transform it into a beautiful double star, a
treasure of the night sky in blue and gold. Beta Cygni is also known as
Albireo, designated Albireo AB to indicate its two bright component
stars. Their visually striking color difference is illustrated in this
telescopic snapshot, along with their associated visible spectrum of
starlight shown in insets to the right. Albireo A, top inset, shows the
spectrum of a K-type giant star, cooler than the Sun and emitting most
of its energy at yellow and red wavelengths. Below, Albireo B has the
spectrum of a main sequence star much hotter than the Sun, emitting
more energy in blue and violet. Albireo A is known to be a binary star,
two stars together orbiting a common center of mass, though the two
stars are too close together to be seen separately with a small
telescope. Well-separated Albireo A and B most likely represent an
optical double star and not a physical binary system because the two
components have clearly different measured motions through space.
Tomorrow's picture: mars with moxie
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From
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All on Fri Feb 25 01:09:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 25
Perseverance Sol 354
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Processing; Kenneth Kremer
Explanation: This Navcam mosaic from Perseverance looks out over the
car-sized rover's deck, across the floor of Jezero crater on Mars.
Frames used to construct the mosaic view were captured on mission sol
354. That corresponds to Earth calendar date February 17, 2022, nearly
one Earth year after the rover's landing. With a mass of over 1,000
kilograms, six-wheeled Perseverance is the heaviest rover to touch down
on Mars. During its first year of exploration the rover has collected
six (so far) rock core samples for later return to planet Earth, served
as the base station for Ingenuity, the first helicopter on Mars, and
tested MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment),
converting some of the Red PlanetCÇÖs thin, carbon dioxide-rich
atmosphere into oxygen.
Tomorrow's picture: big space swirl
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All on Sat Feb 26 00:54:48 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 26
Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 4945
Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson
Explanation: Large spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen nearly edge-on in
this cosmic galaxy close-up. It's almost the size of our Milky Way
Galaxy. NGC 4945's own dusty disk, young blue star clusters, and pink
star forming regions stand out in the colorful telescopic frame. About
13 million light-years distant toward the expansive southern
constellation Centaurus, NGC 4945 is only about six times farther away
than Andromeda, the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way.
Though this galaxy's central region is largely hidden from view for
optical telescopes, X-ray and infrared observations indicate
significant high energy emission and star formation in the core of NGC
4945. Its obscured but active nucleus qualifies the gorgeous island
universe as a Seyfert galaxy and home to a central supermassive black
hole.
Tomorrow's picture: really famous picture -- remastered
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From
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All on Sun Feb 27 00:24:34 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 27
Earthrise 1: Historic Image Remastered
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 8 Crew, Bill Anders; Processing and License:
Jim Weigang
Explanation: "Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! Here's the
Earth coming up. Wow is that pretty!" Soon after that pronouncement, 50
years ago today, one of the most famous images ever taken was snapped
from the orbit of the Moon. Now known as "Earthrise", the iconic image
shows the Earth rising above the limb of the Moon, as taken by the crew
of Apollo 8. But the well-known Earthrise image was actually the second
image taken of the Earth rising above the lunar limb -- it was just the
first in color. With modern digital technology, however, the real first
Earthrise image -- originally in black and white -- has now been
remastered to have the combined resolution and color of the first three
images. Behold! The featured image is a close-up of the picture that
Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders was talking about. Thanks to modern
technology and human ingenuity, now we can all see it. (Historical
note: A different historic black & white image of the Earth setting
behind the lunar limb was taken by the robotic Lunar Orbiter 1 two
years earlier.)
Tomorrow's picture: moon holder
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From
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All on Mon Feb 28 00:26:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 February 28
Direct Projection: The Moon in My Hands
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Graphy
Explanation: You don't have to look through a telescope to know where
it's pointing. Allowing the telescope to project its image onto a large
surface can be useful because it dilutes the intense brightness of very
bright sources. Such dilution is useful for looking at the Sun, for
example during a solar eclipse. In the featured single-exposure image,
though, it is a too-bright full moon that is projected. This February
full moon occurred two weeks ago and is called the Snow Moon by some
northern cultures. The projecting instrument is the main 62-centimeter
telescope at the Saint-V+¬ran Observatory high in the French Alps.
Seeing a full moon directly is easier because it is not too bright,
although you won't see this level of detail. Your next chance will
occur on March 17.
Tomorrow's picture: dueling bands
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Tue Mar 1 00:16:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 1
Dueling Bands in the Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)
Explanation: What are these two bands in the sky? The more commonly
seen band is the one on the right and is the central band of our Milky
Way galaxy. Our Sun orbits in the disk of this spiral galaxy, so that
from inside, this disk appears as a band of comparable brightness all
the way around the sky. The Milky Way band can also be seen all year --
if out away from city lights. The less commonly seem band, on the left,
is zodiacal light -- sunlight reflected from dust orbiting the Sun in
our Solar System. Zodiacal light is brightest near the Sun and so is
best seen just before sunrise or just after sunset. On some evenings in
the north, particularly during the months of March and April, this
ribbon of zodiacal light can appear quite prominent after sunset. It
was determined only this century that zodiacal dust was mostly expelled
by comets that have passed near Jupiter. Only on certain times of the
year will the two bands be seen side by side, in parts of the sky, like
this. The featured image, including the Andromeda galaxy and a meteor,
was captured in late January over a frozen lake in Kanding, Sichuan,
China.
Tomorrow's picture: it came from the sun
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Wed Mar 2 00:25:50 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 2
Record Prominence Imaged by Solar Orbiter
Image Credit: Solar Orbiter, EUI Team, ESA & NASA; h/t: Bum-Suk Yeom
Explanation: What's happened to our Sun? Last month, it produced the
largest prominence ever imaged together with a complete solar disk. The
record image, featured, was captured in ultraviolet light by the
Sun-orbiting Solar Orbiter spacecraft. A quiescent solar prominence is
a cloud of hot gas held above the Sun's surface by the Sun's magnetic
field. This solar prominence was huge -- spanning a length rivaling the
diameter of the Sun itself. Solar prominences may erupt unpredictably
and expel hot gas into the Solar System via a Coronal Mass Ejection
(CME). When a CME strikes the Earth and its magnetosphere, bright
auroras may occur. This prominence did produce a CME, but it was
directed well away from the Earth. Although surely related to the Sun's
changing magnetic field, the energy mechanism that creates and sustains
a solar prominence remains a topic of research.
Tomorrow's picture: spiral galaxy NGC 2841
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Mar 3 00:12:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 3
Spiral Galaxy NGC 2841
Image Credit & Copyright: Vitali Pelenjow
Explanation: A mere 46 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC
2841 can be found in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. This
deep view of the gorgeous island universe was captured during 32 clear
nights in November, December 2021 and January 2022. It shows off a
striking yellow nucleus, galactic disk, and faint outer regions. Dust
lanes, small star-forming regions, and young star clusters are embedded
in the patchy, tightly wound spiral arms. In contrast, many other
spirals exhibit grand, sweeping arms with large star-forming regions.
NGC 2841 has a diameter of over 150,000 light-years, even larger than
our own Milky Way. X-ray images suggest that resulting winds and
stellar explosions create plumes of hot gas extending into a halo
around NGC 2841.
Tomorrow's picture: multiwavelength crab
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Mar 4 00:36:38 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 4
The Multiwavelength Crab
NASA, ESA, G. Dubner (IAFE, CONICET-University of Buenos Aires) et al.;
A. Loll et al.; T. Temim et al.; F. Seward et al.; VLA/NRAO/AUI/NSF;
Chandra/CXC;
Spitzer/JPL-Caltech; XMM-Newton/ESA; Hubble/STScI
Explanation: The Crab Nebula is cataloged as M1, the first object on
Charles Messier's famous list of things which are not comets. In fact,
the Crab is now known to be a supernova remnant, expanding debris from
massive star's death explosion, witnessed on planet Earth in 1054 AD.
This brave new image offers a 21st century view of the Crab Nebula by
presenting image data from across the electromagnetic spectrum as
wavelengths of visible light. From space, Chandra (X-ray) XMM-Newton
(ultraviolet), Hubble (visible), and Spitzer (infrared), data are in
purple, blue, green, and yellow hues. From the ground, Very Large Array
radio wavelength data is shown in red. One of the most exotic objects
known to modern astronomers, the Crab Pulsar, a neutron star spinning
30 times a second, is the bright spot near picture center. Like a
cosmic dynamo, this collapsed remnant of the stellar core powers the
Crab's emission across the electromagnetic spectrum. Spanning about 12
light-years, the Crab Nebula is 6,500 light-years away in the
constellation Taurus.
Tomorrow's picture: from somewhere else
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From
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All on Sun Mar 6 11:24:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 6
Venus and the Triply Ultraviolet Sun
Image Credit: NASA/SDO & the AIA, EVE, and HMI teams; Digital
Composition: Peter L. Dove
Explanation: This was a very unusual type of solar eclipse. Typically,
it is the Earth's Moon that eclipses the Sun. In 2012, though, the
planet Venus took a turn. Like a solar eclipse by the Moon, the phase
of Venus became a continually thinner crescent as Venus became
increasingly better aligned with the Sun. Eventually the alignment
became perfect and the phase of Venus dropped to zero. The dark spot of
Venus crossed our parent star. The situation could technically be
labeled a Venusian annular eclipse with an extraordinarily large ring
of fire. Pictured here during the occultation, the Sun was imaged in
three colors of ultraviolet light by the Earth-orbiting Solar Dynamics
Observatory, with the dark region toward the right corresponding to a
coronal hole. Hours later, as Venus continued in its orbit, a slight
crescent phase appeared again. The next Venusian transit across the Sun
will occur in 2117.
Tomorrow's picture: a truth about orion
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From
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All on Mon Mar 7 00:43:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 7
A Lion in Orion
Image Credit & Copyright: Maroun Mahfoud
Explanation: Yes, but can you see the lion? A deep exposure shows the
famous dark indentation that looks like a horse's head, visible just
left and below center, and known unsurprisingly as the Horsehead
Nebula. The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is part of a vast complex of
dark absorbing dust and bright glowing gas. To bring out details of the
Horsehead's pasture, an astrophotographer artistically combined light
accumulated for over 20 hours in hydrogen (orange), oxygen (blue), and
sulfur (green). The resulting spectacular picture captured from
Raachine, Lebanon, details an intricate tapestry of gaseous wisps and
dust-laden filaments that were created and sculpted over eons by
stellar winds and ancient supernovas. The featured composition brings
up another pareidolic animal icon -- that of a lion's head -- in the
expansive orange colored gas above the horse's head. The Flame Nebula
is visible just to the left of the Horsehead. The Horsehead Nebula lies
1,500 light years distant towards the constellation of Orion.
Tomorrow's picture: oddly inverted moon
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From
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All on Tue Mar 8 00:12:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 8
Moon in Inverted Colors
Image Credit & Copyright: Dawid Glawdzin
Explanation: Which moon is this? It's Earth's moon -- but in inverted
colors. Here, the pixel values corresponding to light and dark areas
have been translated in reverse, or inverted, producing a false-color
representation reminiscent of a black and white photographic negative.
However, this is an inverted color image -- where the muted colors of
the moon are real but digitally exaggerated before inversion. Normally
bright rays from the large crater Tycho dominate the southern (bottom)
features as easily followed dark green lines emanating from the
85-kilometer diameter impact site. Normally dark lunar mare appear
light and silvery. The image was acquired in Southend-on-Sea, England,
UK. Historically, astronomical images recorded on photographic plates
were directly examined on inverted-color negatives because it helped
the eye pick out faint details.
Tomorrow's picture: martian rock flower
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From
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All on Thu Mar 10 00:25:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 10
Globular Star Cluster 47 Tuc
Image Credit & Copyright: Bernard Miller
Explanation: Globular star cluster 47 Tucanae is a jewel of the
southern sky. Also known as NGC 104, it roams the halo of our Milky Way
Galaxy along with some 200 other globular star clusters. The second
brightest globular cluster (after Omega Centauri) as seen from planet
Earth, 47 Tuc lies about 13,000 light-years away. It can be spotted
with the naked-eye close on the sky to the Small Magellanic Cloud in
the constellation of the Toucan. The dense cluster is made up of
hundreds of thousands of stars in a volume only about 120 light-years
across. Red giant stars on the outskirts of the cluster are easy to
pick out as yellowish stars in this sharp telescopic portrait. Tightly
packed globular cluster 47 Tuc is also home to a star with the closest
known orbit around a black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: a rainbow smiles
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From
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All on Wed Mar 16 03:38:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 16
The Observable Universe
Illustration Credit & Licence: Wikipedia, Pablo Carlos Budassi
Explanation: How far can you see? Everything you can see, and
everything you could possibly see, right now, assuming your eyes could
detect all types of radiations around you -- is the observable
universe. In light, the farthest we can see comes from the cosmic
microwave background, a time 13.8 billion years ago when the universe
was opaque like thick fog. Some neutrinos and gravitational waves that
surround us come from even farther out, but humanity does not yet have
the technology to detect them. The featured image illustrates the
observable universe on an increasingly compact scale, with the Earth
and Sun at the center surrounded by our Solar System, nearby stars,
nearby galaxies, distant galaxies, filaments of early matter, and the
cosmic microwave background. Cosmologists typically assume that our
observable universe is just the nearby part of a greater entity known
as "the universe" where the same physics applies. However, there are
several lines of popular but speculative reasoning that assert that
even our universe is part of a greater multiverse where either
different physical constants occur, different physical laws apply,
higher dimensions operate, or slightly different-by-chance versions of
our standard universe exist.
Available: High res image version with readable annotations | Clickable
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Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Sun Mar 20 00:49:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 20
A Picturesque Equinox Sunset
Image Credit & Copyright: Roland Christen
Explanation: What's that at the end of the road? The Sun. Many towns
have roads that run east - west, and on two days each year, the Sun
rises and sets right down the middle. Today is one of those days: an
equinox. Not only is today a day of equal night ("aequus"-"nox") and
day time, but also a day when the sun rises precisely to the east and
sets due west. Featured here is a picturesque road in northwest
Illinois, USA that runs approximately east -west. The image was taken
during the March Equinox of 2015, and shows the Sun down the road at
sunset. In many cultures, this March equinox is taken to be the first
day of a season, typically spring in Earth's northern hemisphere, and
autumn in the south. Does your favorite street run east - west?
Tonight, at sunset, you can find out with a quick glance.
Tomorrow's picture: every single day last year
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From
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All on Mon Mar 21 00:17:12 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 21
The Sky in 2021
Image Credit & Copyright: Cees Bassa (Netherlands Institute for Radio
Astronomy)
Explanation: What if you could see the entire sky -- all at once -- for
an entire year? That, very nearly, is what is pictured here. Every 15
minutes during 2021, an all-sky camera took an image of the sky over
the Netherlands. Central columns from these images were then aligned
and combined to create the featured keogram, with January at the top,
December at the bottom, and the middle of the night running vertically
just left of center. What do we see? Most obviously, the daytime sky is
mostly blue, while the nighttime sky is mostly black. The twelve light
bands crossing the night sky are caused by the glow of the Moon. The
thinnest part of the black hourglass shape occurs during the summer
solstice when days are the longest, while the thickest part occurs at
the winter solstice. Yesterday was an equinox -- when night and day
were equal -- and the northern-spring equinox from one year ago can
actually be located in the keogram -- about three-quarters of the way
up.
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Tomorrow's picture: a whale of an aurora
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From
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All on Tue Mar 22 00:05:54 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 22
A Whale of an Aurora over Swedish Forest
Image Credit & Copyright: G++ran Strand
Explanation: What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal mass
ejection occurred on our Sun earlier this month, throwing a cloud of
fast-moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Part of this
cloud impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and, bolstered by a sudden
gap, resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at some high northern
latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral corona
captured above a forest in Sweden from a scenic perch overlooking the
city of +ûstersund. To some, this shimmering green glow of recombining
atmospheric oxygen might appear like a large whale, but feel free to
share what it looks like to you. The unusually quiet Sun of the past
few years has now passed. As our Sun now approaches a solar maximum in
its 11-year solar magnetic cycle, dramatic auroras like this are sure
to continue.
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Tomorrow's picture: big bubble
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From
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All on Thu Mar 24 00:23:28 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 24
Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries
Image Credit & License: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab /
NSF / AURA
Processing: T.A. Rector (Univ. Alaska Anchorage), J. Miller (Gemini
Observatory/NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin
Explanation: Peculiar spiral galaxy Arp 78 is found within the
boundaries of the head strong constellation Aries. Some 100 million
light-years beyond the stars and nebulae of our Milky Way galaxy, the
island universe is over 100,000 light-years across. Also known as NGC
772, it sports a prominent, outer spiral arm in this detailed cosmic
portrait from the large Gemini North telescope near the summit of
Maunakea, Hawaii, planet Earth. Tracking along sweeping dust lanes and
lined with young blue star clusters, Arp 78's spiral arm is likely
pumped-up by galactic-scale gravitational tidal interactions The close
companion galaxy responsible is NGC 770, located off the upper right of
this frame. But more distant background galaxies are clearly visible in
the cosmic field of view.
Tomorrow's picture: serpentine protectress
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From
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All on Thu Mar 31 00:44:28 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 March 31
Exploring the Antennae
Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson
Explanation: Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly
constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. Stars in the
two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely collide
in the course of the ponderous cataclysm that lasts for hundreds of
millions of years. But the galaxies' large clouds of molecular gas and
dust often do, triggering furious episodes of star formation near the
center of the cosmic wreckage. Spanning over 500 thousand light-years,
this stunning view also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far
from the scene of the accident by gravitational tidal forces. The
remarkably sharp ground-based image, an accumulation of 88 hours of
exposure captured during 2012-2021, follows the faint tidal tails and
distant background galaxies in the field of view. The suggestive
overall visual appearance of the extended arcing structures gives the
galaxy pair, also known as Arp 244, its popular name - The Antennae.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sun Apr 3 00:58:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 3
CMB Dipole: Speeding Through the Universe
Image Credit: DMR, COBE, NASA, Four-Year Sky Map
Explanation: Our Earth is not at rest. The Earth moves around the Sun.
The Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way Galaxy
orbits in the Local Group of Galaxies. The Local Group falls toward the
Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. But these speeds are less than the speed
that all of these objects together move relative to the cosmic
microwave background radiation (CMBR). In the featured all-sky map from
the COBE satellite in 1993, microwave light in the Earth's direction of
motion appears blueshifted and hence hotter, while microwave light on
the opposite side of the sky is redshifted and colder. The map
indicates that the Local Group moves at about 600 kilometers per second
relative to this primordial radiation. This high speed was initially
unexpected and its magnitude is still unexplained. Why are we moving so
fast? What is out there?
Tomorrow's picture: auroral vortex
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All on Mon Apr 4 00:25:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 4
A Vortex Aurora over Iceland
Image Credit & Copyright: Christophe Suarez
Explanation: No, the car was not in danger of being vacuumed into space
by the big sky vortex. For one reason, the vortex was really an aurora,
and since auroras are created by particles striking the Earth from
space, they do not create a vacuum. This rapidly developing auroral
display was caused by a Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun that passed
by the Earth closely enough to cause a ripple in Earth's magnetosphere.
The upper red parts of the aurora occur over 250 kilometers high with
its red glow created by atmospheric atomic oxygen directly energized by
incoming particles. The lower green parts of the aurora occur over 100
kilometers high with its green glow created by atmospheric atomic
oxygen energized indirectly by collisions with first-energized
molecular nitrogen. Below 100 kilometers, there is little atomic
oxygen, which is why auroras end abruptly. The concentric cylinders
depict a dramatic auroral corona as seen from the side. The featured
image was created from a single 3-second exposure taken in mid-March
over Lake Myvatn in Iceland.
April is: Global Astronomy Month
Tomorrow's picture: california seven
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All on Thu Apr 7 00:13:38 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 7
Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Rodrigues Santos
Explanation: Unlike most entries in Charles Messier's famous catalog of
deep sky objects, M24 is not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.
It's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allows a
view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral arm of our Milky
Way galaxy. When you gaze at the star cloud with binoculars or small
telescope you are looking through a window over 300 light-years wide at
stars some 10,000 light-years or more from Earth. Sometimes called the
Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, M24's luminous stars fill this gorgeous
starscape. Covering over 3 degrees or the width of 6 full moons in the
constellation Sagittarius, the telescopic field of view includes dark
markings B92 and B93 just above center, along with other clouds of dust
and glowing nebulae toward the center of the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Apr 8 00:32:20 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 8
Hale-Bopp: The Great Comet of 1997
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefan Seip (TWAN)
Explanation: Only twenty-five years ago, Comet Hale-Bopp rounded the
Sun and offered a dazzling spectacle in planet Earth's night skies.
Digitized from the original astrophoto on 35mm color slide film, this
classic image of the Great Comet of 1997 was recorded a few days after
its perihelion passage on April 1, 1997. Made with a camera and
telephoto lens piggy-backed on a small telescope, the 10 minute long,
hand-guided exposure features the memorable tails of Hale-Bopp, a
whitish dust tail and blue ion tail. Here, the ion tail extends well
over ten degrees across the northern sky. In all, Hale-Bopp was
reported as visible to the naked eye from late May 1996 through
September 1997. Also known as C/1995 O1, Hale-Bopp is recognized as one
of the most compositionally pristine comets to pass through the inner
Solar System. A visitor from the distant Oort cloud, the comet's next
perihelion passage should be around the year 4380 AD. Do you remember
Hale-Bopp?
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Thu Apr 14 00:15:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 14
Messier 96
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby
Explanation: Spiral arms seem to swirl around the core of Messier 96 in
this colorful, detailed portrait of a beautiful island universe. Of
course M96 is a spiral galaxy, and counting the faint arms extending
beyond the brighter central region it spans 100 thousand light-years or
so. That's about the size of our own Milky Way. M96 is known to be 38
million light-years distant, a dominant member of the Leo I galaxy
group. Background galaxies and smaller Leo I group members can be found
by examining the picture. The most intriguing one is itself a spiral
galaxy seen nearly edge on behind the outer spiral arm near the 1
o'clock position from center. Its bright central bulge cut by its own
dark dust clouds, the edge-on background spiral appears to be about 1/5
the size of M96. If that background galaxy is similar in actual size to
M96, then it would be about 5 times farther away.
Tomorrow's picture: the red planet rocks
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All on Fri Apr 15 00:27:10 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 15
The Gator-back Rocks of Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
Explanation: Wind-sharpened rocks known as ventifacts, cover this broad
sloping plain in the foot hills of Mount Sharp, Gale crater, Mars.
Dubbed gator-back rocks their rugged, scaly appearance is captured in
these digitally stitched Mastcam frames from the Curiosity rover on
mission sol 3,415 (March 15, 2022). Driving over gator-back rocks
before has resulted in damage to the rover's wheels, so Curiosity team
members decided to turn around and take another path to continue the
rover's climb. Curiosity has been on an ascent of Gale crater's central
5.5 kilometer high mountain since 2014. As it climbs, it's been able to
study layers shaped by water on Mars billions of years ago.
Tomorrow's picture: the pines of Orion
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From
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All on Mon Apr 18 02:59:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 18
Stars and Planets over Portugal
Image Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro (TWAN, Dark Sky Alqueva)
Explanation: The mission was to document night-flying birds -- but it
ended up also documenting a beautiful sky. The featured wide-angle
mosaic was taken over the steppe golden fields in M+¬rtola, Portugal in
2020. From such a dark location, an immediately-evident breathtaking
glow arched over the night sky: the central band of our Milky Way
galaxy. But this sky had much more. Thin clouds crossed the sky like
golden ribbons. The planet Mars appeared on the far left, while the
planets Saturn and Jupiter were also simultaneously visible -- but on
the opposite side of the sky, here seen on the far right. Near the top
of the image the bright star Vega can be found, while the far-distant
and faint Andromeda Galaxy can be seen toward the left, just below
Milky Way's arch. As the current month progresses, several planets are
lining up in the pre-dawn sky: Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn.
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Tomorrow's picture: giant chicken
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Apr 23 00:20:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 23
Messier 104
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive;
Processing & Copyright: Ignacio Diaz Bobillo
Explanation: A gorgeous spiral galaxy, Messier 104 is famous for its
nearly edge-on profile featuring a broad ring of obscuring dust lanes.
Seen in silhouette against an extensive central bulge of stars, the
swath of cosmic dust lends a broad brimmed hat-like appearance to the
galaxy suggesting a more popular moniker, the Sombrero Galaxy. This
sharp view of the well-known galaxy was made from over 10 hours of
Hubble Space Telescope image data, processed to bring out faint details
often lost in the overwhelming glare of M104's bright central bulge.
Also known as NGC 4594, the Sombrero galaxy can be seen across the
spectrum, and is host to a central supermassive black hole. About
50,000 light-years across and 28 million light-years away, M104 is one
of the largest galaxies at the southern edge of the Virgo Galaxy
Cluster. Still, the spiky foreground stars in this field of view lie
well within our own Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: just press the button
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Apr 22 00:35:34 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 22
Planet Earth at Twilight
Image Credit: ISS Expedition 2 Crew, Gateway to Astronaut Photography
of Earth, NASA
Explanation: No sudden, sharp boundary marks the passage of day into
night in this gorgeous view of ocean and clouds over our fair planet
Earth. Instead, the shadow line or terminator is diffuse and shows the
gradual transition to darkness we experience as twilight. With the Sun
illuminating the scene from the right, the cloud tops reflect gently
reddened sunlight filtered through the dusty troposphere, the lowest
layer of the planet's nurturing atmosphere. A clear high altitude
layer, visible along the dayside's upper edge, scatters blue sunlight
and fades into the blackness of space. This picture was taken in June
of 2001 from the International Space Station orbiting at an altitude of
211 nautical miles. Of course from home, you can check out the Earth
Now.
Celebrate: Today is Earth Day
Tomorrow's picture: Messier 104
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Apr 24 00:09:20 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 24
Split the Universe
Image Credit: NASA, Erwin Schr++dinger's cat
Explanation: Just now, before you hit the button, two future universes
are possible. After pressing the button, though, you will live in only
one. A real-web version of the famous Schr++dinger's cat experiment
clicking the red button in the featured astronaut image should
transform that image into a picture of the same astronaut holding one
of two cats -- one living, or one dead. The timing of your click,
combined with the wiring of your brain and the millisecond timing of
your device, will all conspire together to create a result dominated,
potentially, by the randomness of quantum mechanics. Some believe that
your personally-initiated quantum decision will split the universe in
two, and that both the live-cat and dead-cat universes exist in
separate parts of a larger multiverse. Others believe that the result
of your click will collapse the two possible universes into one -- in a
way that could not have been predicted beforehand. Yet others believe
that the universe is classically deterministic, so that by pressing the
button you did not really split the universe, but just carried out an
action predestined since time began. We at APOD believe that however
silly you may feel clicking the red button, and regardless of the
outcome, you should have a thought-provoking day. Or two.
Tomorrow's picture: great carina
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Apr 25 00:16:08 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 25
The Great Nebula in Carina
Image Credit & Copyright: Ignacio Javier Diaz Bobillo
Explanation: In one of the brightest parts of Milky Way lies a nebula
where some of the oddest things occur. NGC 3372, known as the Great
Nebula in Carina, is home to massive stars and changing nebulas. The
Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324), the bright structure just below the image
center, houses several of these massive stars. The entire Carina
Nebula, captured here, spans over 300 light years and lies about 7,500
light-years away in the constellation of Carina. Eta Carinae, the most
energetic star in the nebula, was one of the brightest stars in the sky
in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically. While Eta Carinae itself
maybe on the verge of a supernova explosion, X-ray images indicate that
much of the Great Nebula in Carina has been a veritable supernova
factory.
Tomorrow's picture: opera of the planets
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Tue Apr 26 00:10:50 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 April 26
Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House
Image Credit & Copyright: Prasun Agrawal
Explanation: The world is waking up to a picturesque planet parade.
Just before dawn, the eastern skies over much of planet Earth are
decorated by a notable line of familiar planets. In much of Earth's
northern hemisphere, this line of planets appears most nearly
horizontal, but in much of Earth's southern hemisphere, the line
appears more nearly vertical. Pictured over the Sydney Opera House in
southern Australia, the planet line was captured nearly vertical about
five days ago. From top to bottom, the morning planets are Saturn,
Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. As April ends, the angular distance between
Venus and Jupiter will gradually pass below a degree as they switch
places. Then, as May ends, Jupiter will pass near Mars as those two
planets switch places. In June, the parade will briefly expand to
include Mercury.
Notable Submissions to APOD: Morning Planet Parade 2022
Tomorrow's picture: Jupiter eclipse
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri May 6 00:11:34 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 May 6
NGC 3572 and the Southern Tadpoles
Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Taylor
Explanation: This cosmic skyscape features glowing gas and dark dust
clouds along side the young stars of NGC 3572. A beautiful emission
nebula and star cluster it sails far southern skies within the nautical
constellation Carina. Stars from NGC 3572 are toward top center in the
telescopic frame that would measure about 100 light-years across at the
cluster's estimated distance of 9,000 light-years. The visible
interstellar gas and dust is part of the star cluster's natal molecular
cloud. Dense streamers of material within the nebula, eroded by stellar
winds and radiation, clearly trail away from the energetic young stars.
They are likely sites of ongoing star formation with shapes reminiscent
of the Tadpoles of IC 410 better known to northern skygazers. In the
coming tens to hundreds of millions of years, gas and stars in the
cluster will be dispersed though, by gravitational tides and by violent
supernova explosions that end the short lives of the massive cluster
stars.
Tomorrow's picture: firefall by moonlight
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon May 9 00:29:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 May 9
A Martian Eclipse: Phobos Crosses the Sun
Video Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, ASU MSSS, SSI
Explanation: What's that passing in front of the Sun? It looks like a
moon, but it can't be Earth's Moon, because it isn't round. It's the
Martian moon Phobos. The featured video was taken from the surface of
Mars a month ago by the Perseverance rover. Phobos, at 11.5 kilometers
across, is 150 times smaller than Luna (our moon) in diameter, but also
50 times closer to its parent planet. In fact, Phobos is so close to
Mars that it is expected to break up and crash into Mars within the
next 50 million years. In the near term, the low orbit of Phobos
results in more rapid solar eclipses than seen from Earth. The featured
video is shown in real time -- the transit really took about 40
seconds,as shown. The videographer -- the robotic rover Perseverance
(Percy) -- continues to explore Jezero Crater on Mars, searching not
only for clues to the watery history of the now dry world, but evidence
of ancient microbial life.
New Social Mirror: APOD now available on mastodon
Tomorrow's picture: giant space paw
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu May 19 00:12:52 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 May 19
A Digital Lunar Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Cain
Explanation: Recorded on May 15/16 this sequence of exposures follows
the Full Moon during a total lunar eclipse as it arcs above treetops in
the clearing skies of central Florida. A frame taken every 5 minutes by
a digital camera shows the progression of the eclipse over three hours.
The bright lunar disk grows dark and red as it glides through planet
Earth's shadow. In fact, counting the central frames in the sequence
measures the roughly 90 minute duration of the total phase of this
eclipse. Around 270 BC, the Greek astronomer Aristarchus also measured
the duration of total lunar eclipses, but probably without the benefit
of digital watches and cameras. Still, using geometry he devised a
simple and impressively accurate way to calculate the Moon's distance
in terms of the radius of planet Earth, from the eclipse duration.
Tomorrow's picture: a view from Earth's shadow
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Jun 1 00:34:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 1
Tau Herculids Meteors over Kitt Peak Telescopes
Image Credit & Copyright: Jianwei Lyu (Steward Obs., U. Arizona)
Explanation: It wasn't the storm of the century -- but it was a night
to remember. Last night was the peak of the Tau Herculids meteor
shower, a usually modest dribble of occasional meteors originating from
the disintegrating Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. This year,
calculations showed that the Earth might be passing through a
particularly dense stream of comet debris -- at best creating a storm
of bright meteors streaking out from the constellation of Hercules.
What actually happened fell short of a meteor storm, but could be
called a decent meteor shower. Featured here is a composite image taken
at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA accumulated over 2.5
hours very late on May 30. Over that time, 19 Tau Herculids meteors
were captured, along with 4 unrelated meteors. (Can you find them?) In
the near foreground is the Bok 2.3-meter Telescope with the 4.0-meter
Mayall Telescope just behind it. Next year, the annual Tau Herculids
are expected to return to its normal low rate, with the next active
night forecast for 2049.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Jun 5 00:26:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 5
Two Black Holes Dancing in 3C 75
Image Credit: X-Ray: NASA/CXC/D. Hudson, T. Reiprich et al. (AIfA);
Radio: NRAO/VLA/ NRL
Explanation: What's happening at the center of active galaxy 3C 75? The
two bright sources at the center of this composite x-ray (blue)/ radio
(pink) image are co-orbiting supermassive black holes powering the
giant radio source 3C 75. Surrounded by multimillion degree x-ray
emitting gas, and blasting out jets of relativistic particles the
supermassive black holes are separated by 25,000 light-years. At the
cores of two merging galaxies in the Abell 400 galaxy cluster they are
some 300 million light-years away. Astronomers conclude that these two
supermassive black holes are bound together by gravity in a binary
system in part because the jets' consistent swept back appearance is
most likely due to their common motion as they speed through the hot
cluster gas at about 1200 kilometers per second. Such spectacular
cosmic mergers are thought to be common in crowded galaxy cluster
environments in the distant universe. In their final stages, the
mergers are expected to be intense sources of gravitational waves.
Tomorrow's picture: Milky Way doomed
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Jun 11 00:27:28 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 11
The Road and the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: David Cruz
Explanation: At night you can follow this road as it passes through the
Dark Sky Alqueva reserve not too far from Alentejo, Portugal. Or you
could stop, look up, and follow the Milky Way through the sky. Both
stretch from horizon to horizon in this 180 degree panorama recorded on
June 3. Our galaxy's name, the Milky Way, does refer to its appearance
as a milky path in the sky. The word galaxy itself derives from the
Greek for milk. From our fair planet the arc of the Milky Way is most
easily visible on moonless nights from dark sky areas, though not quite
so bright or colorful as in this image. The glowing celestial band is
due to the collective light of myriad stars along the galactic plane
too faint to be distinguished individually. The diffuse starlight is
cut by dark swaths of the galaxy's obscuring interstellar dust clouds.
Standing above the Milky Way arc near the top of this panoramic
nightscape is bright star Vega, with the galaxy's central bulge near
the horizon at the right.
Tomorrow's picture: pareidolia in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Jun 15 00:31:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 15
In the Heart of the Virgo Cluster
Image Credit & Copyright: Saulius Adomaitis
Explanation: The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies is the closest cluster of
galaxies to our Milky Way Galaxy. The Virgo Cluster is so close that it
spans more than 5 degrees on the sky - about 10 times the angle made by
a full Moon. With its heart lying about 70 million light years distant,
the Virgo Cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies, contains over
2,000 galaxies, and has a noticeable gravitational pull on the galaxies
of the Local Group of Galaxies surrounding our Milky Way Galaxy. The
cluster contains not only galaxies filled with stars but also gas so
hot it glows in X-rays. Motions of galaxies in and around clusters
indicate that they contain more dark matter than any visible matter we
can see. Pictured here, the heart of the Virgo Cluster includes bright
Messier galaxies such as Markarian's Eyes on the upper left, M86 just
to the upper right of center, M84 on the far right, as well as spiral
galaxy NGC 4388 at the bottom right.
Celestial Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Birthday? Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Jun 17 00:12:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 17
Good Morning Planets from Chile
Image Credit & Copyright: Elke Schulz (Daniel Verschatse Observatory)
Explanation: On June 15, innermost planet Mercury had wandered about as
far from the Sun as it ever gets in planet Earth's sky. Near the
eastern horizon just before sunrise it stands over distant Andes
mountain peaks in this predawn snapshot from the valley of Rio Hurtado
in Chile. June's other morning planets are arrayed above it, as all the
naked-eye planets of the Solar System stretch in a line along the
ecliptic in the single wide-field view. Tilted toward the north, the
Solar System's ecliptic plane arcs steeply through southern hemisphere
skies. Northern hemisphere early morning risers will see the lineup of
planets along the ecliptic at a shallower angle tilting toward the
south. From both hemispheres June's beautiful morning planetary display
finds the visible planets in order of their increasing distance from
the Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Jun 20 00:15:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 20
Rock Fingers on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
Explanation: There, just right of center, what is that? The surface of
Mars keeps revealing new surprises with the recent discovery of
finger-like rock spires. The small nearly-vertical rock outcrops were
imaged last month by the robotic Curiosity rover on Mars. Although
similar in size and shape to small snakes, the leading explanation for
their origin is as conglomerations of small minerals left by water
flowing through rock crevices. After these relatively dense minerals
filled the crevices, they were left behind when the surrounding rock
eroded away. Famous rock outcrops on Earth with a similar origin are
called hoodoos. NASA's Curiosity Rover continues to search for new
signs of ancient water in Gale Crater on Mars, while also providing a
geologic background important for future human exploration.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: city suns
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Jun 27 00:23:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 27
The Gum Nebula over Snowy Mountains
Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Jin
Explanation: The Gum Nebula is so large and close it is actually hard
to see. This interstellar expanse of glowing hydrogen gas frequently
evades notice because it spans 35 degrees -- over 70 full Moons --
while much of it is quite dim. This featured spectacular 90-degree wide
mosaic, however, was designed to be both wide and deep enough to bring
up the Gum -- visible in red on the right. The image was acquired late
last year with both the foreground -- including Haba Snow Mountain --
and the background -- including the Milky Way's central band --
captured by the same camera and from the same location in Shangri-La,
Yunnan, China. The Gum Nebula is so close that we are only about 450
light-years from the front edge, while about 1,500 light-years from the
back edge. Named for a cosmic cloud hunter, Australian astronomer Colin
Stanley Gum (1924-1960), the origin of this complex nebula is still
being debated. A leading theory for the origin of the Gum Nebula is
that it is the remnant of a million year-old supernova explosion, while
a competing theory holds that the Gum is a molecular cloud shaped over
eons by multiple supernovas and the outflowing winds of several massive
stars.
Tomorrow's picture: moon planet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Jun 28 00:18:42 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 28
Mercury from Passing BepiColombo
Image Credit & License: ESA, JAXA, BepiColombo, MTM
Explanation: Which part of the Moon is this? No part -- because this is
the planet Mercury. Mercury's old surface is heavily cratered like that
of Earth's Moon. Mercury, while only slightly larger than Luna, is much
denser and more massive than any Solar System moon because it is made
mostly of iron. In fact, our Earth is the only planet more dense.
Because Mercury rotates exactly three times for every two orbits around
the Sun, and because Mercury's orbit is so elliptical, visitors on
Mercury could see the Sun rise, stop in the sky, go back toward the
rising horizon, stop again, and then set quickly over the other
horizon. From Earth, Mercury's proximity to the Sun causes it to be
visible only for a short time just after sunset or just before sunrise.
The featured image was captured last week by ESA and JAXA's passing
BepiColombo spacecraft as it sheds energy and prepares to orbit the
innermost planet starting in 2025.
Tomorrow's picture: solar system family portrait
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Jun 29 00:16:50 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 June 29
Solar System Family Portrait
Image Credit & Copyright: Alexis Trigo
Explanation: Yes, but have you ever seen all of the planets at once? A
rare roll-call of planets has been occurring in the morning sky for
much of June. The featured fisheye all-sky image, taken a few mornings
ago near the town of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, caught not only the
entire planet parade, but the Moon between Mars and Venus. In order,
left to right along the ecliptic plane, members of this Solar System
family portrait are Earth, Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus,
Venus, Mercury, and Earth. To emphasize their locations, Neptune and
Uranus have been artificially enhanced. The volcano just below Mercury
is Licancabur. In July, Mercury will move into the Sun's glare but
reappear a few days later on the evening side. Then, in August, Saturn
will drift past the direction opposite the Sun and so become visible at
dusk instead of dawn. The next time that all eight planets will be
simultaneously visible in a morning sky will be in 2122.
Notable Submissions to APOD: Morning Planet Parade 2022 June
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Jul 3 00:22:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 July 3
Phobos: Doomed Moon of Mars
Image Credit: HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA
Explanation: This moon is doomed. Mars, the red planet named for the
Roman god of war, has two tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos, whose names
are derived from the Greek for Fear and Panic. These martian moons may
well be captured asteroids originating in the main asteroid belt
between Mars and Jupiter or perhaps from even more distant reaches of
our Solar System. The larger moon, Phobos, is indeed seen to be a
cratered, asteroid-like object in this stunning color image from the
robotic Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, with objects as small as 10 meters
visible. But Phobos orbits so close to Mars - about 5,800 kilometers
above the surface compared to 400,000 kilometers for our Moon - that
gravitational tidal forces are dragging it down. In perhaps 50 million
years, Phobos is expected to disintegrate into a ring of debris.
Tomorrow's picture: strawberry supermoon
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Jul 5 00:18:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 July 5
A Molten Galaxy Einstein Ring
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, S. Jha; Processing: Jonathan Lodge
Explanation: It is difficult to hide a galaxy behind a cluster of
galaxies. The closer cluster's gravity will act like a huge lens,
pulling images of the distant galaxy around the sides and greatly
distorting them. This is just the case observed in the featured image
recently re-processed image from the Hubble Space Telescope. The
cluster GAL-CLUS-022058c is composed of many galaxies and is lensing
the image of a yellow-red background galaxy into arcs seen around the
image center. Dubbed a molten Einstein ring for its unusual shape, four
images of the same background galaxy have been identified. Typically, a
foreground galaxy cluster can only create such smooth arcs if most of
its mass is smoothly distributed -- and therefore not concentrated in
the cluster galaxies visible. Analyzing the positions of these
gravitational arcs gives astronomers a method to estimate the dark
matter distribution in galaxy clusters, as well as infer when the stars
in these early galaxies began to form.
New APOD Social Mirrors in Arabic: On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Tomorrow's picture: star streamers
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All on Sun Jul 10 00:31:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 July 10
In the Center of the Cat's Eye Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Reprocessing & Copyright: Raul
Villaverde
Explanation: Three thousand light-years away, a dying star throws off
shells of glowing gas. This image from the Hubble Space Telescope
reveals the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), to be one of the most complex
planetary nebulae known. Spanning half a light-year, the features seen
in the Cat's Eye are so complex that astronomers suspect the bright
central object may actually be a binary star system. The term planetary
nebula, used to describe this general class of objects, is misleading.
Although these objects may appear round and planet-like in small
telescopes, high resolution images with large telescopes reveal them to
be stars surrounded by cocoons of gas blown off in the late stages of
stellar evolution. Gazing into this Cat's Eye, astronomers may well be
seeing more than detailed structure, they may be seeing the fate of our
Sun, destined to enter its own planetary nebula phase of evolution ...
in about 5 billion years.
Tomorrow's picture: sahara andromeda
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All on Tue Jul 19 00:44:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 July 19
Pleiades over Half Dome
Image Credit & Copyright: Dheera Venkatraman
Explanation: Stars come in bunches. The most famous bunch of stars on
the sky is the Pleiades, a bright cluster that can be easily seen with
the unaided eye. The Pleiades lies only about 450 light years away,
formed about 100 million years ago, and will likely last about another
250 million years. Our Sun was likely born in a star cluster, but now,
being about 4.5 billion years old, its stellar birth companions have
long since dispersed. The Pleiades star cluster is pictured over Half
Dome, a famous rock structure in Yosemite National Park in California,
USA. The featured image is a composite of 28 foreground exposures and
174 images of the stellar background, all taken from the same location
and by the same camera on the same night in October 2019. After
calculating the timing of a future juxtaposition of the Pleiades and
Half Dome, the astrophotrographer was unexpectedly rewarded by an
electrical blackout, making the background sky unusually dark.
Tomorrow's picture: webb of ring
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All on Wed Jul 20 02:34:12 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 July 20
Jupiter and Ring in Infrared from Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Why does Jupiter have rings? Jupiter's main ring was
discovered in 1979 by NASA's passing Voyager 1 spacecraft, but its
origin was then a mystery. Data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft that
orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003, however, confirmed the hypothesis
that this ring was created by meteoroid impacts on small nearby moons.
As a small meteoroid strikes tiny Metis, for example, it will bore into
the moon, vaporize, and explode dirt and dust off into a Jovian orbit.
The featured image of Jupiter in infrared light by the James Webb Space
Telescope shows not only Jupiter and its clouds, but this ring as well.
Also visible is Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) -- in comparatively
light color on the right, Jupiter's large moon Europa -- in the center
of diffraction spikes on the left, and Europa's shadow -- next to the
GRS. Several features in the image are not yet well understood,
including the seemingly separated cloud layer on Jupiter's right limb.
Celestial Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Tue Jul 26 00:12:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 July 26
Comet NEOWISE Rising over the Adriatic Sea
Video Credit & Copyright: Paolo Girotti
Explanation: This sight was worth getting out of bed early. Two years
ago this month, Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) rose before dawn to the
delight of northern sky enthusiasts awake that early. Up before sunrise
on July 8th, the featured photographer was able to capture in dramatic
fashion one of the few comets visible to the unaided eye this century,
an inner-Solar System intruder that has become known as the Great Comet
of 2020. The resulting video detailed Comet NEOWISE from Italy rising
over the Adriatic Sea. The time-lapse video combines over 240 images
taken over 30 minutes. The comet was seen rising through a foreground
of bright and undulating noctilucent clouds, and before a background of
distant stars. Comet NEOWISE remained unexpectedly bright until 2020
August, with its ion and dust tails found to emanate from a nucleus
spanning about five kilometers across.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,800+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: crepuscular moonrise
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sun Jul 31 00:17:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 July 31
Starburst Galaxy M94 from Hubble
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Explanation: Why does this galaxy have a ring of bright blue stars?
Beautiful island universe Messier 94 lies a mere 15 million light-years
distant in the northern constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes
Venatici). A popular target for Earth-based astronomers, the face-on
spiral galaxy is about 30,000 light-years across, with spiral arms
sweeping through the outskirts of its broad disk. But this Hubble Space
Telescope field of view spans about 7,000 light-years across M94's
central region. The featured close-up highlights the galaxy's compact,
bright nucleus, prominent inner dust lanes, and the remarkable bluish
ring of young massive stars. The ring stars are all likely less than 10
million years old, indicating that M94 is a starburst galaxy that is
experiencing an epoch of rapid star formation from inspiraling gas. The
circular ripple of blue stars is likely a wave propagating outward,
having been triggered by the gravity and rotation of a oval matter
distributions. Because M94 is relatively nearby, astronomers can better
explore details of its starburst ring.
Tomorrow's picture: space mountain
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All on Wed Aug 3 00:18:42 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 3
Halo of the Cat's Eye
Image Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls
Explanation: What created the unusual halo around the Cat's Eye nebula?
No one is sure. What is sure is that the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is
one of the best known planetary nebulae on the sky. Although haunting
symmetries are seen in the bright central region, this image was taken
to feature its intricately structured outer halo, which spans over
three light-years across. Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated
as a final phase in the life of a Sun-like star. Only recently however,
have some planetaries been found to have expansive halos, likely formed
from material shrugged off during earlier puzzling episodes in the
star's evolution. While the planetary nebula phase is thought to last
for around 10,000 years, astronomers estimate the age of the outer
filamentary portions of the Cat's Eye Nebula's halo to be 50,000 to
90,000 years.
Tomorrow's picture: herculean stars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sun Aug 7 00:11:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 7
Meteor before Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Fritz Helmut Hemmerich
Explanation: What's that green streak in front of the Andromeda galaxy?
A meteor. While photographing the Andromeda galaxy in 2016, near the
peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, a small pebble from deep space
crossed right in front of our Milky Way Galaxy's far-distant companion.
The small meteor took only a fraction of a second to pass through this
10-degree field. The meteor flared several times while braking
violently upon entering Earth's atmosphere. The green color was
created, at least in part, by the meteor's gas glowing as it vaporized.
Although the exposure was timed to catch a Perseid meteor, the
orientation of the imaged streak seems a better match to a meteor from
the Southern Delta Aquariids, a meteor shower that peaked a few weeks
earlier. Not coincidentally, the Perseid Meteor Shower peaks later this
week, although this year the meteors will have to outshine a sky
brightened by a nearly full moon.
Tomorrow's picture: celestial lagoon
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Wed Aug 10 00:16:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 10
Dust Clouds of the Pacman Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Douglas J. Struble (Future World Media)
Explanation: Stars can create huge and intricate dust sculptures from
the dense and dark molecular clouds from which they are born. The tools
the stars use to carve their detailed works are high energy light and
fast stellar winds. The heat they generate evaporates the dark
molecular dust as well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and
glow red. Pictured here, a new open cluster of stars designated IC 1590
is nearing completion around the intricate interstellar dust structures
in the emission nebula NGC 281, dubbed the Pac-man Nebula because of
its overall shape. The dust cloud on the upper left is classified as a
Bok Globule as it may gravitationally collapse and form a star -- or
stars. The Pacman Nebula lies about 10,000 light years away toward the
constellation of Cassiopeia.
Tomorrow's picture: MAGIC meteors
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All on Sun Aug 14 00:28:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 14
4000 Exoplanets
Video Credit: SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida); Data: NASA
Exoplanet Archive
Explanation: Over 4000 planets are now known to exist outside our Solar
System. Known as exoplanets, this milestone was passed last month, as
recorded by NASA's Exoplanet Archive. The featured video highlights
these exoplanets in sound and light, starting chronologically from the
first confirmed detection in 1992 and continuing into 2019. The entire
night sky is first shown compressed with the central band of our Milky
Way Galaxy making a giant U. Exoplanets detected by slight jiggles in
their parents-star's colors (radial velocity) appear in pink, while
those detected by slight dips in their parent star's brightness
(transit) are shown in purple. Further, those exoplanets imaged
directly appear in orange, while those detected by gravitationally
magnifying the light of a background star (microlensing) are shown in
green. The faster a planet orbits its parent star, the higher the
accompanying tone played. The retired Kepler satellite has discovered
about half of these first 4000 exoplanets in just one region of the
sky, while the TESS mission is on track to find even more, all over the
sky, orbiting the brightest nearby stars. Finding exoplanets not only
helps humanity to better understand the potential prevalence of life
elsewhere in the universe, but also how our Earth and Solar System were
formed.
Tomorrow's picture: wall of stars
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All on Fri Aug 19 00:28:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 19
Saturn: 1993 - 2022
Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)
Explanation: Saturn is the most distant planet of the Solar System
easily visible to the unaided eye. With this extraordinary, long-term
astro-imaging project begun in 1993, you can follow the ringed gas
giant for one Saturn year as it wanders once around the ecliptic plane,
finishing a single orbit around the Sun by 2022. Constructed from
individual images made over 29 Earth years, the split panorama is
centered along the ecliptic and crossed by the plane of our Milky Way
galaxy. Saturn's position in 1993 is at the right side, upper panel in
the constellation Capricornus and progresses toward the left. It
returns to the spot in Capricornus at left in the lower panel in 2022.
The consistent imaging shows Saturn appears slightly brighter during
the years 2000-2005 and 2015-2019, periods when its beautiful rings
were tilted more face-on to planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sun Aug 21 17:49:28 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 21
The Spinning Pulsar of the Crab Nebula
Image Credit: NASA: X-ray: Chandra (CXC), Optical: Hubble (STScI),
Infrared: Spitzer (JPL-Caltech)
Explanation: At the core of the Crab Nebula lies a city-sized,
magnetized neutron star spinning 30 times a second. Known as the Crab
Pulsar, it is the bright spot in the center of the gaseous swirl at the
nebula's core. About twelve light-years across, the spectacular picture
frames the glowing gas, cavities and swirling filaments near the Crab
Nebula's center. The featured picture combines visible light from the
Hubble Space Telescope in purple, X-ray light from the Chandra X-ray
Observatory in blue, and infrared light from the Spitzer Space
Telescope in red. Like a cosmic dynamo the Crab pulsar powers the
emission from the nebula, driving a shock wave through surrounding
material and accelerating the spiraling electrons. With more mass than
the Sun and the density of an atomic nucleus,the spinning pulsar is the
collapsed core of a massive star that exploded. The outer parts of the
Crab Nebula are the expanding remnants of the star's component gasses.
The supernova explosion was witnessed on planet Earth in the year 1054.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: climate spiral
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Tue Aug 23 00:36:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 23
Meteor & Milky Way over the Mediterranean
Image Credit & Copyright: Julien Looten
Explanation: Careful planning made this a nightscape to remember.
First, the night itself was chosen to occur during the beginning of
this year's Perseid Meteor Shower. Next, the time of night was chosen
to be before the bright Moon would rise and dominate the night sky's
brightness. The picturesque foreground was selected to be a rocky beach
of the Mediterranean Sea in Le Dramont, France, with, at the time, +«le
dCÇÖOr island situated near the ominously descending central band of our
Milky Way Galaxy. Once everything was set and with the weather
cooperating, all of the frames for this seemingly surreal nightscape
were acquired within 15 minutes. What you can't see is that, on this
night, the astrophotographer brought along his father who, although
unskilled in modern sky-capture techniques, once made it a point to
teach his child about the sky.
Perseid Meteor Shower 2022 Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: wheel of galaxy
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Thu Aug 25 00:33:54 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 August 25
Tiangong Space Station Transits the Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Lucy Yunxi Hu
Explanation: The rugged lunar south polar region lies at the top of
this colorful portrait of a last quarter Moon made on August 20.
Constructed from video frames and still images taken at Springrange,
New South Wales, Australia it also captures a transit of China's
Tiangong Space Station. The transit itself was fleeting, taking the
space station less than a second to cross the shadowed and sunlit lunar
disk. The low Earth orbiting Tiangong is at an altitude of about 400
kilometers, while the Moon is some 400,000 kilometers away. Subtle
color differences along the bright lunar surface are revealed in the
multiple stacked frames. Not visible to the eye, they indicate real
differences in chemical makeup across the lunar surface.
Tomorrow's picture: little planet
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Thu Sep 1 00:28:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 1
The Tulip and Cygnus X-1
Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Kohlmann
Explanation: Framing a bright emission region, this telescopic view
looks out along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy toward the nebula
rich constellation Cygnus the Swan. Popularly called the Tulip Nebula,
the reddish glowing cloud of interstellar gas and dust is also found in
the 1959 catalog by astronomer Stewart Sharpless as Sh2-101. Nearly 70
light-years across, the complex and beautiful Tulip Nebula blossoms
about 8,000 light-years away. Ultraviolet radiation from young
energetic stars at the edge of the Cygnus OB3 association, including O
star HDE 227018, ionizes the atoms and powers the emission from the
Tulip Nebula. Also in the field of view is microquasar Cygnus X-1, one
of the strongest X-ray sources in planet Earth's sky. Blasted by
powerful jets from a lurking black hole its fainter bluish curved shock
front is only just visible though, beyond the cosmic Tulip's petals
near the right side of the frame.
Back to School? Learn Science with NASA
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Fri Sep 2 00:30:38 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 2
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Fabian Neyer
Explanation: Find the Big Dipper and follow the handle away from the
dipper's bowl until you get to the last bright star. Then, just slide
your telescope a little south and west and you'll come upon this
stunning pair of interacting galaxies, the 51st entry in Charles
Messier's famous catalog. Perhaps the original spiral nebula, the large
galaxy with well defined spiral structure is also cataloged as NGC
5194. Its spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweep in front of its
companion galaxy (left), NGC 5195. The pair are about 31 million
light-years distant and officially lie within the angular boundaries of
the small constellation Canes Venatici. In direct telescopic views, M51
looks faint and fuzzy to the eye. But this remarkably deep image shows
off details of the interacting galaxy's striking colors and galactic
tidal debris. The image includes nearly 90 hours of narrowband data
that also reveals a vast glowing cloud of reddish ionized hydrogen gas
discovered in the M51 system.
Tomorrow's picture: 29 seconds later
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat Sep 3 00:05:28 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 3
Sun and Moon and ISS
Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night), Jin Ma (Beijing
Planetarium)
Explanation: On August 25 Sun and Moon could both be seen in planet
Earth's daytime skies. And so could the International Space Station.
The ISS crossed the disk of the waning crescent Moon as seen from
Shunyi district, Beijing, China at about 11:02 am local time. Some 40
kilometers to the southwest, in Fengtai district, the ISS was seen to
cross the Sun's disk too. The solar transit was observed only 29
seconds later. Both transits are compared in these panels, composed of
processed and stacked video frames from the two locations. The
coordinated captures were made with different equipment, but adjusted
to show the Sun and Moon at the same scale. The ISS was at a calculated
range of 435 kilometers for the lunar transit and 491 kilometers when
passing in front of the Sun.
Artemis I: Launch Update
Tomorrow's picture: sea and sky
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From
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All on Sun Sep 4 00:17:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 4
Sea and Sky Glows over the Oregon Coast
Image Credit & Copyright: Rudy Montoya
Explanation: Every step caused the sand to light up blue. That glow was
bioluminescence -- a blue radiance that also lights the surf in this
surreal scene captured in mid-2018 at Meyer's Creek Beach in Oregon,
USA. Volcanic stacks dot the foreground sea, while a thin fog layer
scatters light on the horizon. The rays of light spreading from the
left horizon were created by car headlights on the Oregon Coast Highway
(US 101), while the orange light on the right horizon emanates from a
fishing boat. Visible far in the distance is the band of our Milky Way
Galaxy, appearing to rise from a dark rocky outcrop. Sixteen images
were added together to bring up the background Milky Way and to reduce
noise.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: space cliffs
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From
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All on Mon Sep 5 00:33:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 5
Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Explanation: Stars created these cliffs. Specifically, the destructive
winds and energetic light from the stars in the open cluster NGC 3324
eroded away part of a mountain of dark interstellar dust in the
northern part of the Carina Nebula. Several of these stars are visible
toward the top of this highly detailed image taken recently by the
James Webb Space Telescope, the largest astronomical telescope ever
launched. Webb's large mirror and ability to see dust-piercing infrared
light has enabled it to capture fascinating details in the dust,
hundreds of previously hidden stars, and even some galaxies far in the
distance. The featured jagged cliffs occur in part of Carina known as
the Gabriela Mistral Nebula -- because when viewed in another
orientation, they appear similar to the facial profile of the famous
Chilean poet. These nebular cliffs occur about 7,600 light years away
toward the southern constellation of Carina.
Astrophysicists: Browse 2,800+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: rainbow cloud top
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From
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All on Tue Sep 6 00:25:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 6
An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China
Image Credit & Copyright: Jiaqi Sun n'êo¡Öoÿëtɬn'ë
Explanation: Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining?
Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud, a
group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size and so
together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts.
The featured image was taken last month in Pu'er, Yunnan Province,
China. Also captured were unusual cloud ripples above the pileus cloud.
The formation of a rare pileus cloud capping a common cumulus cloud is
an indication that the lower cloud is expanding upward and might well
develop into a storm.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: big red
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All on Wed Sep 7 00:11:44 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 7
Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb
Images Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production
Team
Explanation: Near the center of a nearby star-forming region lies a
massive cluster containing some of the largest and hottest stars known.
Collectively known as star cluster NGC 2070, these stars are part of
the vast Tarantula Nebula and were captured in two kinds of infrared
light by the new Webb Space Telescope. The main image shows the group
of stars at NGC 2070's center -- known as R136 -- in near-infrared,
light just a bit too red for humans to see. In contrast, the rollover
image captures the cluster center in mid-infrared light, light closer
to radio waves. Since R136's brightest stars emit more of their light
in the near infrared, they are much more prominent on that image. This
LMC cluster's massive stars emit particle winds and energetic light
that are evaporating the gas cloud from which they formed. The Webb
images, released yesterday, shows details of R136 and its surroundings
that have never been seen before, details that are helping humanity to
better understanding of how all stars are born, evolve and die.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Sep 8 00:29:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 8
North America and the Pelican
Image Credit & Copyright: Frank Sackenheim
Explanation: Fans of our fair planet might recognize the outlines of
these cosmic clouds. On the left, bright emission outlined by dark,
obscuring dust lanes seems to trace a continental shape, lending the
popular name North America Nebula to the emission region cataloged as
NGC 7000. To the right, just off the North America Nebula's east coast,
is IC 5070, whose avian profile suggests the Pelican Nebula. The two
bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away, part of the same large
and complex star forming region, almost as nearby as the better-known
Orion Nebula. At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would
span 80 light-years. This careful cosmic portrait uses narrowband
images combined to highlight the bright ionization fronts and the
characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, and oxygen gas. These nebulae
can be seen with binoculars from a dark location. Look northeast of
bright star Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, soaring high in the northern
summer night sky.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Sep 9 00:11:12 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 9
Interstellar Voyager
Poster Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager
Explanation: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 on a grand
tour of the outer planets of the Solar System. They have become the
longest operating and most distant spacecraft from Earth. Both have
traveled beyond the heliosphere, the realm defined by the influence of
the solar wind and the Sun's magnetic field. On the 45th year of their
journey toward the stars Voyager 1 and 2 reached nearly 22 light-hours
and 18 light-hours from the Sun respectively and remain the only
spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space. Each spacecraft
carries a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk with recordings of sounds,
pictures and messages. The Golden Records are intended to communicate a
story of life and culture on planet Earth, preserved in a medium that
can survive an interstellar journey for a billion years.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Sep 10 00:37:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 10
Galaxy by the Lake
Image Credit & Copyright: Gerardo Ferrarino
Explanation: This 180 degree panoramic night skyscape captures our
Milky Way Galaxy as it arcs above the horizon on a winter's night in
August. Near midnight, the galactic center is close to the zenith with
the clear waters of Lake Traful, Neuquen, Argentina, South America,
planet Earth below. Zodiacal light, dust reflected sunlight along the
Solar System's ecliptic plane, is also visible in the region's very
dark night sky. The faint band of light reaches up from the distant
snowy peaks toward the galaxy's center. Follow the arc of the Milky Way
to the left to find the southern hemisphere stellar beacons Alpha and
Beta Centauri. Close to the horizon bright star Vega is reflected in
the calm mountain lake.
Tomorrow's picture: tilt and spin
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All on Sun Sep 11 00:26:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 11
Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins
Video Credit: NASA, Animation: James O'Donoghue (JAXA)
Explanation: How does your favorite planet spin? Does it spin rapidly
around a nearly vertical axis, or horizontally, or backwards? The
featured video animates NASA images of all eight planets in our Solar
System to show them spinning side-by-side for an easy comparison. In
the time-lapse video, a day on Earth -- one Earth rotation -- takes
just a few seconds. Jupiter rotates the fastest, while Venus spins not
only the slowest (can you see it?), but backwards. The inner rocky
planets, across the top, most certainly underwent dramatic
spin-altering collisions during the early days of the Solar System. The
reasons why planets spin and tilt as they do remains a topic of
research with much insight gained from modern computer modeling and the
recent discovery and analysis of hundreds of exoplanets: planets
orbiting other stars.
Tomorrow's picture: stars and sprites
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All on Mon Sep 12 00:23:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 12
Red Sprite Lightning over the Czech Republic
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel +á-ìerba
Explanation: What are those red filaments in the sky? They are a rarely
seen form of lightning confirmed only about 35 years ago: red sprites.
Research has shown that following a powerful positive cloud-to-ground
lightning strike, red sprites may start as 100-meter balls of ionized
air that shoot down from about 80-km high at 10 percent the speed of
light. They are quickly followed by a group of upward streaking ionized
balls. The featured image was taken late last month from the Jeseniky
Mountains in northern Moravia in the Czech Republic. The distance to
the red sprites is about 200 kilometers. Red sprites take only a
fraction of a second to occur and are best seen when powerful
thunderstorms are visible from the side.
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Tomorrow's picture: sun snake
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All on Tue Sep 13 03:36:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 13
A Long Snaking Filament on the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman (Averted Imagination)
Explanation: Earlier this month, the Sun exhibited one of the longer
filaments on record. Visible as the bright curving streak around the
image center, the snaking filament's full extent was estimated to be
over half of the Sun's radius -- more than 350,000 kilometers long. A
filament is composed of hot gas held aloft by the Sun's magnetic field,
so that viewed from the side it would appear as a raised prominence. A
different, smaller prominence is simultaneously visible at the Sun's
edge. The featured image is in false-color and color-inverted to
highlight not only the filament but the Sun's carpet chromosphere. The
bright dot on the upper right is actually a dark sunspot about the size
of the Earth. Solar filaments typically last from hours to days,
eventually collapsing to return hot plasma back to the Sun. Sometimes,
though, they explode and expel particles into the Solar System, some of
which trigger auroras on Earth. The pictured filament appeared in early
September and continued to hold steady for about a week.
Tomorrow's picture: waving space lizard
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All on Wed Sep 14 00:14:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 14
Waves of the Great Lacerta Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Jarmo Ruuth, Telescope Live; Text: Ata
Sarajedini (Florida Atlantic U., Astronomy Minute podcast)
Explanation: It is one of the largest nebulas on the sky -- why isn't
it better known? Roughly the same angular size as the Andromeda Galaxy,
the Great Lacerta Nebula can be found toward the constellation of the
Lizard (Lacerta). The emission nebula is difficult to see with
wide-field binoculars because it is so faint, but also usually
difficult to see with a large telescope because it is so great in angle
-- spanning about three degrees. The depth, breadth, waves, and beauty
of the nebula -- cataloged as Sharpless 126 (Sh2-126) -- can best be
seen and appreciated with a long duration camera exposure. The featured
image is one such combined exposure -- in this case 10 hours over five
different colors and over six nights during this past June and July at
the IC Astronomy Observatory in Spain. The hydrogen gas in the Great
Lacerta Nebula glows red because it is excited by light from the bright
star 10 Lacertae, one of the bright blue stars just above the
red-glowing nebula's center. The stars and nebula are about 1,200 light
years distant.
Harvest Full Moon 2022: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Thu Sep 15 00:23:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 15
Harvest Moon over Sicily
Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile
Explanation: For northern hemisphere dwellers, September's Full Moon
was the Harvest Moon. Reflecting warm hues at sunset it rises over the
historic town of Castiglione di Sicilia in this telephoto view from
September 9. Famed in festival, story, and song Harvest Moon is just
the traditional name of the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox.
According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the diminishing
daylight hours as the growing season drew to a close, farmers could
harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from dusk to dawn.
Harvest Full Moon 2022: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Fri Sep 16 00:12:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 16
The Tarantula Zone
Image Credit & Copyright: Processing - Robert Gendler, Roberto
Colombari
Data - Hubble Tarantula Treasury, European Southern Observatory, James
Webb Space Telescope, Amateur Sources
Explanation: The Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus, is more
than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant star forming region
within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 180
thousand light-years away, it's the largest, most violent star forming
region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies. The cosmic arachnid
sprawls across this magnificent view, an assembly of image data from
large space- and ground-based telescopes. Within the Tarantula (NGC
2070), intense radiation, stellar winds, and supernova shocks from the
central young cluster of massive stars cataloged as R136 energize the
nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments. Around the Tarantula are
other star forming regions with young star clusters, filaments, and
blown-out bubble-shaped clouds. In fact, the frame includes the site of
the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A, at lower right. The
rich field of view spans about 2 degrees or 4 full moons, in the
southern constellation Dorado. But were the Tarantula Nebula closer,
say 1,500 light-years distant like the Milky Way's own star forming
Orion Nebula, it would take up half the sky.
Tomorrow's picture: pathfinder to perseverance
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All on Sat Sep 17 00:37:48 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 17
Perseverance in Jezero Crater's Delta
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, ASU
Explanation: The Perseverance rover's Mastcam-Z captured images to
create this mosaic on August 4, 2022. The car-sized robot was
continuing its exploration of the fan-shaped delta of a river that,
billions of years ago, flowed into Jezero Crater on Mars. Sedimentary
rocks preserved in Jezero's delta are considered one of the best places
on Mars to search for potential signs of ancient microbial life and
sites recently sampled by the rover, dubbed Wildcat Ridge and Skinner
Ridge, are at lower left and upper right in the frame. The samples
taken from these areas were sealed inside ultra-clean sample tubes,
ultimately intended for return to Earth by future missions. Starting
with the Pathfinder Mission and Mars Global Surveyor in 1997, the last
25 years of a continuous robotic exploration of the Red Planet has
included orbiters, landers, rovers, and a helicopter from planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: stone circle analemma
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All on Sun Sep 18 00:29:38 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 18
Analemma over the Callanish Stones
Image Credit & Copyright: Giuseppe Petricca
Explanation: If you went outside at the same time every day and took a
picture that included the Sun, how would the Sun's position change? A
more visual answer to that question is an analemma, a composite image
taken from the same spot at the same time over the course of a year.
The featured analemma was composed from images taken every few days at
noon near the village of Callanish in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland,
UK. In the foreground are the Callanish Stones, a stone circle built
around 2700 BC during humanity's Bronze Age. It is not known if the
placement of the Callanish Stones has or had astronomical significance.
The ultimate causes for the figure-8 shape of this and all analemmas
are the tilt of the Earth axis and the ellipticity of the Earth's orbit
around the Sun. At the solstices, the Sun will appear at the top or
bottom of an analemma. The featured image was taken near the December
solstice and so the Sun appears near the bottom. Equinoxes, however,
correspond to analemma middle points -- not the intersection point.
This coming Friday at 1:04 am (UT) -- Thursday in the Americas -- is
the equinox ("equal night"), when day and night are equal over all of
planet Earth. Many cultures celebrate a change of season at an equinox.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: lightning layer
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Mon Sep 19 00:07:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 19
Star Trails and Lightning over the Pyrenees
Image Credit & Copyright: Marc Sell+¬s Llim+|s
Explanation: The beauty in this image comes in layers. On the bottom
layer is the picturesque village of Manlleu in Barcelona, Spain. The
six-minute exposure makes car lights into streaks. The next layer is a
mountain -- Serra de Bellmunt -- of Europe's famous Pyrenees. Next up
is a tremendous lightning storm emanating from a classically-shaped
anvil cloud. The long exposure allowed for the capture of many
intricate lightning bolts. Finally, at the top and furthest in the
distance are stars. Here, the multi-minute exposure made stars into
trails. The trailing effect is caused by the rotation of the Earth, and
the curvature of the trails indicates their distance from the north
spin pole of the Earth above. Taken after sunset in early June, the
lightning storm soon moved off. The stars, though, will continue to
circle the poll for as long as the Earth spins -- surely billions of
years into the future.
Tomorrow's picture: star shells
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All on Tue Sep 20 00:37:54 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 20
Star Forming Region NGC 3582 without Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Chris Willocks
Explanation: What's happening in the Statue of Liberty nebula? Bright
stars and interesting molecules are forming and being liberated. The
complex nebula resides in the star forming region called RCW 57, and
besides the iconic monument, to some looks like a flying superhero or a
weeping angel. By digitally removing the stars, this re-assigned color
image showcases dense knots of dark interstellar dust, fields of
glowing hydrogen gas ionized by these stars, and great loops of gas
expelled by dying stars. A detailed study of NGC 3576, also known as
NGC 3582 and NGC 3584, uncovered at least 33 massive stars in the end
stages of formation, and the clear presence of the complex carbon
molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are
thought to be created in the cooling gas of star forming regions, and
their development in the Sun's formation nebula five billion years ago
may have been an important step in the development of life on Earth.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: horse red nebula
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Thu Sep 22 00:14:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 22
NGC 7331 Close Up
Image Credit & License: ESA/Hubble & NASA/D. Milisavljevic (Purdue
University)
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as
an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in
the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as
a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not
included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. Since the
galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic
exposures often result in an image that evokes a strong sense of depth.
This Hubble Space Telescope close-up spans some 40,000 light-years. The
galaxy's magnificent spiral arms feature dark obscuring dust lanes,
bright bluish clusters of massive young stars, and the telltale reddish
glow of active star forming regions. The bright yellowish central
regions harbor populations of older, cooler stars. Like the Milky Way,
a supermassive black hole lies at the core of spiral galaxy NGC 7331.
Tomorrow's picture: ringed planet Neptune
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Fri Sep 23 00:06:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 23
Ringed Ice Giant Neptune
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam
Explanation: Ringed, ice giant Neptune lies near the center of this
sharp near-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The dim
and distant world is the farthest planet from the Sun, about 30 times
farther away than planet Earth. But in the stunning Webb view the
planet's dark and ghostly appearance is due to atmospheric methane that
absorbs infrared light. High altitude clouds that reach above most of
Neptune's absorbing methane easily stand out in the image though.
Coated with frozen nitrogen, Neptune's largest moon Triton is brighter
than Neptune in reflected sunlight and is seen at upper left sporting
the Webb's characteristic diffraction spikes. Including Triton, seven
of Neptune's 14 known moons can be identified in the field of view.
Neptune's faint rings are striking in this new space-based planetary
portrait. Details of the complex ring system are seen here for the
first time since Neptune was visited by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in
August 1989.
Tomorrow's picture: shadows in the sky
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From
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All on Sun Sep 25 00:15:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 25
The Fairy of Eagle Nebula
Image Credit: Image Credit: NASA, ESA, The Hubble Heritage Team
(STScI/AURA)
Explanation: The dust sculptures of the Eagle Nebula are evaporating.
As powerful starlight whittles away these cool cosmic mountains, the
statuesque pillars that remain might be imagined as mythical beasts.
Featured here is one of several striking dust pillars of the Eagle
Nebula that might be described as a gigantic alien fairy. This fairy,
however, is ten light years tall and spews radiation much hotter than
common fire. The greater Eagle Nebula, M16, is actually a giant
evaporating shell of gas and dust inside of which is a growing cavity
filled with a spectacular stellar nursery currently forming an open
cluster of stars. This great pillar, which is about 7,000 light years
away, will likely evaporate away in about 100,000 years. The featured
image is in scientifically re-assigned colors and was taken by the
Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.
Tomorrow's picture: earth without water
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Mon Sep 26 00:10:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 26
All the Water on Planet Earth
Illustration Credit: Jack Cook, Adam Nieman, Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution; Data source: Igor Shiklomanov
Explanation: How much of planet Earth is made of water? Very little,
actually. Although oceans of water cover about 70 percent of Earth's
surface, these oceans are shallow compared to the Earth's radius. The
featured illustration shows what would happen if all of the water on or
near the surface of the Earth were bunched up into a ball. The radius
of this ball would be only about 700 kilometers, less than half the
radius of the Earth's Moon, but slightly larger than Saturn's moon Rhea
which, like many moons in our outer Solar System, is mostly water ice.
The next smallest ball depicts all of Earth's liquid fresh water, while
the tiniest ball shows the volume of all of Earth's fresh-water lakes
and rivers. How any of this water came to be on the Earth and whether
any significant amount is trapped far beneath Earth's surface remain
topics of research.
Tomorrow's picture: furious sky
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Sep 27 00:12:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 27
DART: Impact on Asteroid Dimorphos
Video Credit: NASA, JHUAPL, DART
Explanation: Could humanity deflect an asteroid headed for Earth? Yes.
Deadly impacts from large asteroids have happened before in Earth's
past, sometimes causing mass extinctions of life. To help protect our
Earth from some potential future impacts, NASA tested a new planetary
defense mechanism yesterday by crashing the robotic Double Asteroid
Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft into Dimorphos, a small asteroid
spanning about 170-meters across. As shown in the featured video, the
impact was a success. Ideally, if impacted early enough, even the kick
from a small spacecraft can deflect a large asteroid enough to miss the
Earth. In the video, DART is seen in a time-lapse video first passing
larger Didymos, on the left, and then approaching the smaller
Dimorphos. Although the video ends abruptly with DART's crash,
observations monitoring the changed orbit of Dimorphos -- from
spacecraft and telescopes around the world -- have just begun.
Tomorrow's picture: furious sky
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From
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All on Wed Sep 28 00:25:44 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 28
A Furious Sky over Mount Shasta
Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner
Explanation: Is the sky angry with Mount Shasta? According to some
ancient legends, the spirits of above and below worlds fight there,
sometimes quite actively during eruptions of this enormous volcano in
California, USA. Such drama can well be imagined in this deep sky image
taken in late June. Evident above the snow-covered peak is the central
band of our Milky Way Galaxy, on the left, and a picturesque sky toward
the modern constellations of Scorpius and Ophiuchus, above and to the
right. The bright orange star Antares and the colorful rho Ophiuchi
cloud complex are visible just to the right of Mount Shasta, while the
red emission nebula surrounding the star zeta Ophiuchi appears on the
top right. The static earth image in the featured composite was taken
during the blue hour, while a two-panel panorama tracking the
background sky was taken later that night with the same camera and from
the same location. Within a few million years, Antares, some stars in
the rho Ophiuchi system, and zeta Ophiuchi will all likely explode as
supernovas.
Tomorrow's picture: asteroid safety
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Sep 29 00:15:34 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 29
DART Asteroid Impact from Space
Image Credit: ASI / NASA
Explanation: Fifteen days before impact, the DART spacecraft deployed a
small companion satellite to document its historic planetary defense
technology demonstration. Provided by the Italian Space Agency, the
Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging Asteroids, aka LICIACube, recorded
this image of the event's aftermath. A cloud of ejecta is seen near the
right edge of the frame captured only minutes following DART's impact
with target asteroid Dimorphos while LICIACube was about 80 kilometers
away. Presently about 11 million kilometers from Earth, 160 meter
diameter Dimorphos is a moonlet orbiting 780 meter diameter asteroid
Didymos. Didymos is seen off center in the LICIACube image. Over the
coming weeks, ground-based telescopic observations will look for a
small change in Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos to evaluate how
effectively the DART impact deflected its target.
Tomorrow's picture: 24 sunrises
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Fri Sep 30 00:10:02 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 September 30
Equinox Sunrise Around the World
Collage Image Copyright: Luca Vanzella
Explanation: A planet-wide collaboration resulted in this remarkable
array of sunrise photographs taken around the September 2022 equinox.
The images were contributed by 24 photographers, one in each of 24
nautical time zones around the world. Unlike more complicated civil
time zone boundaries, the 24 nautical time zones are simply 15 degree
longitude bands corresponding to 1 hour steps that span the globe.
Start at the upper right for the first to experience a sunrise in the
nautical time zone corresponding to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) +
12 hours. In that time zone, the photographer was located in
Christchurch, New Zealand. Travel to the west by looking down the
column and then moving to the column toward the left for later sunrises
as the time zone offset in hours from UTC decreases. Or, you can watch
a video of September 2022 equinox sunrises around planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: Observe the Moon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Oct 1 00:21:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 1
Lunation Matrix
Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)
Explanation: Observe the Moon every night and you'll see its visible
sunlit portion gradually change. In phases progressing from New Moon to
Full Moon to New Moon again, a lunar cycle or lunation is completed in
about 29.5 days. Top left to bottom right, this 7x4 matrix of
telescopic images captures the range of lunar phases for 28 consecutive
nights, from the evening of July 29 to the morning of August 26,
following an almost complete lunation. No image was taken 24 hours or
so just after and just before New Moon, when the lunar phase is at best
a narrow crescent, close to the Sun and really hard to see. Finding
mostly clear Mediterranean skies required an occasional road trip to
complete this lunar cycle project, imaging in early evening for the
first half and late evening and early morning for the second half of
the lunation. Since all the images are registered at the same scale you
can use this matrix to track the change in the Moon's apparent size
during the single lunation. For extra credit, find the lunar phase that
occurred closest to perigee.
Tonight: International Observe the Moon Night
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic cannon
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sun Oct 2 03:12:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 2
Supernova Cannon Expels Pulsar J0002
Image Credit: F. Schinzel et al. (NRAO, NSF), Canadian Galactic Plane
Survey (DRAO), NASA (IRAS);
Composition: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba)
Explanation: What could shoot out a neutron star like a cannon ball? A
supernova. About 10,000 years ago, the supernova that created the
nebular remnant CTB 1 not only destroyed a massive star but blasted its
newly formed neutron star core -- a pulsar -- out into the Milky Way
Galaxy. The pulsar, spinning 8.7 times a second, was discovered using
downloadable software Einstein@Home searching through data taken by
NASA's orbiting Fermi Gamma-Ray Observatory. Traveling over 1,000
kilometers per second, the pulsar PSR J0002+6216 (J0002 for short) has
already left the supernova remnant CTB 1, and is even fast enough to
leave our Galaxy. Pictured, the trail of the pulsar is visible
extending to the lower left of the supernova remnant. The featured
image is a combination of radio images from the VLA and DRAO radio
observatories, as well as data archived from NASA's orbiting IRAS
infrared observatory. It is well known that supernovas can act as
cannons, and even that pulsars can act as cannonballs -- what is not
known is how supernovas do it.
Tomorrow's picture: flyby europa
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From
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All on Mon Oct 3 05:30:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 3
Jupiter's Europa from Spacecraft Juno
Image Credit & License: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SwRI, MSSS; Processing:
Andrea Luck
Explanation: What mysteries might be solved by peering into this
crystal ball? In this case, the ball is actually a moon of Jupiter, the
crystals are ice, and the moon is not only dirty but cracked beyond
repair. Nevertheless, speculation is rampant that oceans exist under
Europa's fractured ice-plains that could support life. Europa, roughly
the size of Earth's Moon, is pictured here in an image taken a few days
ago when the Jupiter-orbiting robotic spacecraft Juno passed within 325
kilometers of its streaked and shifting surface. Underground oceans are
thought likely because Europa undergoes global flexing due to its
changing gravitational attraction with Jupiter during its slightly
elliptical orbit, and this flexing heats the interior. Studying Juno's
close-up images may further humanity's understanding not only of Europa
and the early Solar System but also of the possibility that life exists
elsewhere in the universe.
Tomorrow's picture: big eagle
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From
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All on Tue Oct 4 00:09:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 4
Star-Forming Eagle Nebula without Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar
Explanation: The whole thing looks like an eagle. A closer look at the
Eagle Nebula's center, however, shows the bright region is actually a
window into the center of a larger dark shell of dust. Through this
window, a brightly-lit workshop appears where a whole open cluster of
stars is being formed. In this cavity tall pillars and round globules
of dark dust and cold molecular gas remain where stars are still
forming. Paradoxically, it is perhaps easier to appreciate this
impressive factory of star formation by seeing it without its stars --
which have been digitally removed in the featured image. The Eagle
emission nebula, tagged M16, lies about 6500 light years away, spans
about 20 light-years, and is visible with binoculars toward the
constellation of the Serpent (Serpens). Creating this picture involved
over 22 hours of imaging and combining colors emitted specifically by
hydrogen (red), and oxygen (blue).
Tomorrow's picture: space dart debris
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All on Wed Oct 5 00:16:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 5
Expanding Plume from DART's Impact
Video Credit: Les Makes Observatory, J. Berthier, F. Vachier, A. Klotz,
P. Thierry, T. Santana-Ros, ESA NEOCC, D. F++hring, E. Petrescu, M.
Micheli
Explanation: What happens if you crash a spaceship into an asteroid? In
the case of NASA's DART spaceship and the small asteroid Dimorphos, as
happened last week, you get quite a plume. The goal of the planned
impact was planetary protection -- to show that the path of an asteroid
can be slightly altered, so that, if done right, a big space rock will
miss the Earth. The high brightness of the plume, though, was
unexpected by many, and what it means remains a topic of research. One
possibility is that 170-meter wide Dimorphos is primarily a rubble pile
asteroid and the collision dispersed some of the rubble in the pile.
The featured time-lapse video covers about 20 minutes and was taken
from the Les Makes Observatory on France's Reunion Island, off the
southeast coast of southern Africa. One of many Earth-based
observatories following the impact, the initial dot is primarily
Dimorphos's larger companion: asteroid Didymos. Most recently, images
show that the Didymos - Dimorphos system has developed comet-like
tails.
DART Impact on Dimorphos: Notable images submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Oct 6 01:51:54 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 6
NGC 4631: The Whale Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Sherick
Explanation: NGC 4631 is a big beautiful spiral galaxy. Seen edge-on,
it lies only 25 million light-years away in the well-trained northern
constellation Canes Venatici. The galaxy's slightly distorted wedge
shape suggests to some a cosmic herring and to others its popular
moniker, The Whale Galaxy. Either way, it is similar in size to our own
Milky Way. In this sharp color image, the galaxy's yellowish core, dark
dust clouds, bright blue star clusters, and red star forming regions
are easy to spot. A companion galaxy, the small elliptical NGC 4627 is
just above the Whale Galaxy. Faint star streams seen in deep images are
the remnants of small companion galaxies disrupted by repeated
encounters with the Whale in the distant past. The Whale Galaxy is also
known to have spouted a halo of hot gas glowing in X-rays.
Tomorrow's picture: jovian close-up
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All on Fri Oct 7 00:21:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 7
In Ganymede's Shadow
Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew McCarthy
Explanation: At opposition, opposite the Sun in Earth's sky, late last
month Jupiter is also approaching perihelion, the closest point to the
Sun in its elliptical orbit, early next year. That makes Jupiter
exceptionally close to our fair planet, currently resulting in
excellent views of the Solar System's ruling gas giant. On September
27, this sharp image of Jupiter was recorded with a small telescope
from a backyard in Florence, Arizona. The stacked video frames reveal
the massive world bounded by planet girdling winds. Dark belts and
light zones span the gas giant, along with rotating oval storms and its
signature Great Red Spot. Galilean moon Ganymede is below and right in
the frame. The Solar System's largest moon and its shadow are in
transit across the southern Jovian cloud tops.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sat Oct 8 00:23:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 8
Two Comets in Southern Skies
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose J. Chambo (Cometografia)
Explanation: Heading for its closest approach to the Sun or perihelion
on December 20, comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) remains a sight for
telescopic observers as it sweeps through planet Earth's southern
hemisphere skies. First time visitor from the remote Oort cloud this
comet PanSTARRS sports a greenish coma and whitish dust tail about half
a degree long at the upper left in a deep image from September 21. It
also shares the starry field of view toward the constellation Scorpius
with another comet, 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, seen about 1 degree
below and right of PanSTARRS. Astronomers estimate that first time
visitor comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) has been inbound from the Oort
cloud for some 3 million years along a hyperbolic orbit.
Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is more familiar though. The periodic comet
loops through its own elliptical orbit, from just beyond the orbit of
Jupiter to the vicinity of Earth's orbit, once every 5.4 years. Just
passing in the night, this comet PanSTARRS is about 20 light-minutes
from Earth in the September 21 image. Seen to be disintegrating since
1995, Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 was about 7.8 light-minutes away.
Tomorrow's picture: northern skylights
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From
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All on Sun Oct 9 00:43:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 9
Auroras over Northern Canada
Image Credit & Copyright: Kwon, O Chul (TWAN)
Explanation: Gusting solar winds and blasts of charged particles from
the Sun resulted in several rewarding nights of auroras back in 2014
December, near the peak of the last 11-year solar cycle. The featured
image captured dramatic auroras stretching across a sky near the town
of Yellowknife in northern Canada. The auroras were so bright that they
not only inspired awe, but were easily visible on an image exposure of
only 1.3 seconds. A video taken concurrently shows the dancing sky
lights evolving in real time as tourists, many there just to see
auroras, respond with cheers. The conical dwellings on the image right
are tipis, while far in the background, near the image center, is the
constellation of Orion. Auroras may increase again over the next few
years as our Sun again approaches solar maximum.
Tomorrow's picture: double lunar analemma
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From
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All on Mon Oct 10 00:24:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 10
A Double Lunar Analemma over Turkey
Image Credit & Copyright: Betul Turksoy
Explanation: An analemma is that figure-8 curve you get when you mark
the position of the Sun at the same time each day for one year. But the
trick to imaging an analemma of the Moon is to wait bit longer. On
average the Moon returns to the same position in the sky about 50
minutes and 29 seconds later each day. So photograph the Moon 50
minutes 29 seconds later on successive days. Over one lunation or lunar
month it will trace out an analemma-like curve as the Moon's actual
position wanders due to its tilted and elliptical orbit. Since the
featured image was taken over two months, it actually shows a double
lunar analemma. Crescent lunar phases too thin and faint to capture
around the New moon are missing. The two months the persistent
astrophotographer chose were during a good stretch of weather during
July and August, and the location was Kayseri, Turkey
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Tue Oct 11 00:40:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 11
Stars, Dust, Pillars, and Jets in the Pelican Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Adriano Almeida
Explanation: What dark structures arise within the Pelican Nebula? On
the whole, the nebula appears like a bird (a pelican) and is seen
toward the constellation of a different bird: Cygnus, a Swan. But
inside, the Pelican Nebula is a place lit up by new stars and befouled
by dark dust. Smoke-sized dust grains start as simple carbon compounds
formed in the cool atmospheres of young stars but are dispersed by
stellar winds and explosions. Two impressive Herbig-Haro jets are seen
emitted by the star HH 555 on the right, and these jets are helping to
destroy the light year-long dust pillar that contains it. Other pillars
and jets are also visible. The featured image was
scientifically-colored to emphasize light emitted by small amounts of
heavy elements in a nebula made predominantly of the light elements
hydrogen and helium. The Pelican Nebula (IC 5067 and IC 5070) is about
2,000 light-years away and can be found with a small telescope to the
northeast of the bright star Deneb.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: squid game
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From
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All on Wed Oct 12 00:10:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 12
Ou4: The Giant Squid Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Tommy Lease
Explanation: A mysterious squid-like cosmic cloud, this nebula is very
faint, but also very large in planet Earth's sky. In the image,
composed with 30 hours of narrowband image data, it spans nearly three
full moons toward the royal constellation Cepheus. Discovered in 2011
by French astro-imager Nicolas Outters, the Squid Nebula's bipolar
shape is distinguished here by the telltale blue-green emission from
doubly ionized oxygen atoms. Though apparently surrounded by the
reddish hydrogen emission region Sh2-129, the true distance and nature
of the Squid Nebula have been difficult to determine. Still, a more
recent investigation suggests Ou4 really does lie within Sh2-129 some
2,300 light-years away. Consistent with that scenario, the cosmic squid
would represent a spectacular outflow of material driven by a triple
system of hot, massive stars, cataloged as HR8119, seen near the center
of the nebula. If so, this truly giant squid nebula would physically be
over 50 light-years across.
Tomorrow's picture: dust shells in space
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From
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All on Thu Oct 13 00:32:12 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 13
Dust Shells around WR 140 from Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST, MIRI, ERS Program 1349; Processing:
Judy Schmidt
Explanation: What are those strange rings? Rich in dust, the rings are
likely 3D shells -- but how they were created remains a topic of
research. Where they were created is well known: in a binary star
system that lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation
of the Swan (Cygnus) -- a system dominated by the Wolf-Rayet star WR
140. Wolf-Rayet stars are massive, bright, and known for their
tumultuous winds. They are also known for creating and dispersing heavy
elements such as carbon which is a building block of interstellar dust.
The other star in the binary is also bright and massive -- but not as
active. The two great stars joust in an oblong orbit as they approach
each other about every eight years. When at closest approach, the X-ray
emission from the system increases, as, apparently, does the dust
expelled into space -- creating another shell. The featured infrared
image by the new Webb Space Telescope resolves greater details and more
dust shells than ever before.
Tomorrow's picture: falcon and hunter
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From
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All on Fri Oct 14 00:29:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 14
The Falcon and the Hunter's Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Seeley
Explanation: The Full Moon of October 9th was the second Full Moon
after the northern hemisphere autumnal equinox, traditionally called
the Hunter's Moon. According to lore, the name is a fitting one because
this Full Moon lights the night during a time for hunting in
preparation for the coming winter months. In this snapshot, a nearly
full Hunter's Moon was captured just after sunset on October 8, rising
in skies over Florida's Space Coast. Rising from planet Earth a Falcon
9 rocket pierces the bright lunar disk from the photographer's vantage
point. Ripples and fringes along the edge of the lunar disk appear as
supersonic shock waves generated by the rocket's passage change the
atmosphere's index of refraction.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sat Oct 15 00:15:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 15
GRB 221009A
Image Credit: NASA, DOE, Fermi LAT Collaboration
Explanation: Gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A likely signals the birth of a
new black hole, formed at the core of a collapsing star long ago in the
distant universe. The extremely powerful blast is depicted in this
animated gif constructed using data from the Fermi Gamma Ray Space
Telescope. Fermi captured the data at gamma-ray energies, detecting
photons with over 100 million electron volts. In comparison visible
light photons have energies of about 2 electron volts. A steady, high
energy gamma-ray glow from the plane of our Milky Way galaxy runs
diagonally through the 20 degree wide frame at the left, while the
transient gamma-ray flash from GRB 221009A appears at center and then
fades. One of the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever detected GRB 221009A
is also close as far as gamma-ray bursts go, but still lies about 2
billion light-years away. In low Earth orbit Fermi's Large Area
Telescope recorded gamma-ray photons from the burst for more than 10
hours as high-energy radiation from GRB 221009A swept over planet Earth
last Sunday, October 9.
Tomorrow's picture: barred spiral
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From
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All on Sun Oct 16 02:11:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 16
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300
Image Credit: NASA ESA, Hubble Heritage
Explanation: Across the center of this spiral galaxy is a bar. And at
the center of this bar is smaller spiral. And at the center of that
spiral is a supermassive black hole. This all happens in the big,
beautiful, barred spiral galaxy cataloged as NGC 1300, a galaxy that
lies some 70 million light-years away toward the constellation of the
river Eridanus. This Hubble Space Telescope composite view of the
gorgeous island universe is one of the most detailed Hubble images ever
made of a complete galaxy. NGC 1300 spans over 100,000 light-years and
the Hubble image reveals striking details of the galaxy's dominant
central bar and majestic spiral arms. How the giant bar formed, how it
remains, and how it affects star formation remains an active topic of
research.
Tomorrow's picture: burst rings
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From
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All on Mon Oct 17 00:52:30 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 17
X-Ray Rings Around a Gamma Ray Burst
Image Credit: NASA Swift Obs.; Data: B. Cenko (NASA's GSFC), A.
Beardmore (U. Leicester) et al.; Processing: J. Miller (U. Michigan)
Explanation: Why would x-ray rings appear around a gamma-ray burst? The
surprising answer has little to do with the explosion itself but rather
with light reflected off areas of dust-laden gas in our own Milky Way
Galaxy. GRB 221009A was a tremendous explosion -- a very bright
gamma-ray burst (GRB) that occurred far across the universe with
radiation just arriving in our Solar System last week. Since GRBs can
also emit copious amounts of x-rays, a bright flash of x-rays arrived
nearly simultaneously with the gamma-radiation. In this case, the
X-rays also bounced off regions high in dust right here in our Milky
Way Galaxy, creating the unusual reflections. The greater the angle
between reflecting Milky Way dust and the GRB, the greater the radius
of the X-ray rings, and, typically, the longer it takes for these
light-echoes to arrive.
Tomorrow's picture: a flowering aurora
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From
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All on Tue Oct 18 00:29:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 18
Milky Way Auroral Flower
Image Credit & Copyright: G÷ran Strand
Explanation: Could the stem of our Milky Way bloom into an auroral
flower? No, not really, even though it may appear that way in today's
featured all-sky image. On the left, the central plane of our home
galaxy extends from the horizon past the middle of the sky. On the
right, an auroral oval also extends from the sky's center -- but is
dominated by bright green-glowing oxygen. The two are not physically
connected, because the aurora is relatively nearby, with the higher red
parts occurring in Earth's atmosphere only about 1000 kilometers high.
In contrast, an average distance to the stars and nebulas we see in the
Milky Way more like 1000 light-years away - 10 trillion times further.
The featured image composite was taken in early October across a small
lake in Abisko, northern Sweden. As our Sun's magnetic field evolves
into the active part of its 11-year cycle, auroras near both of Earth's
poles are sure to become more frequent.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy grab
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From
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All on Wed Oct 19 00:19:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 19
A Galaxy Beyond Stars, Gas, Dust
Image Credit & Copyright: Howard Trottier; Text: Emily Rice
Explanation: Do we dare believe our eyes? When we look at images of
space, we often wonder whether they are "real", and just as often the
best answer varies. In this case, the scene appears much as our eyes
would see it, because it was obtained using RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
filters like the cone cells in our eyes, except collecting light for 19
hours, not a fraction of a second. The featured image was captured over
six nights, using a 24-inch diameter telescope in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, in California, USA. The bright spiral galaxy at the center
(NGC 7497) looks like it is being grasped by an eerie tendril of a
space ghost, and therein lies the trick. The galaxy is actually 59
million light years away, while the nebulosity is MBM 54, less than one
thousand light years away, making it one of the nearest cool clouds of
gas and dust -- galactic cirrus -- within our own Milky Way Galaxy.
Both are in the constellation of Pegasus, which can be seen high
overhead from northern latitudes in the autumn.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Oct 20 03:03:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 20
Pillars of Creation
Image Credit: Science - NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam
Processing - Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI),
Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Explanation: A now famous picture from the Hubble Space Telescope
featured these star forming columns of cold gas and dust light-years
long inside M16, the Eagle Nebula, dubbed the Pillars of Creation. This
James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam image expands Hubble's exploration of
that region in greater detail and depth inside the iconic stellar
nursery. Particularly stunning in Webb's near infrared view is the
telltale reddish emission from knots of material undergoing
gravitational collapse to form stars within the natal clouds. The Eagle
Nebula is some 6,500 light-years distant. The larger bright emission
nebula is itself an easy target for binoculars or small telescopes. M16
lies along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy in a nebula rich part of
the sky, toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the
snake).
Tomorrow's picture: andromeda in southern skies
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All on Fri Oct 21 00:45:20 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 21
Andromeda in Southern Skies
Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Griffin (Otago Museum)
Explanation: Looking north from southern New Zealand, the Andromeda
Galaxy never gets more than about five degrees above the horizon. As
spring comes to the southern hemisphere, in late September Andromeda is
highest in the sky around midnight though. In a single 30 second
exposure this telephoto image tracked the stars to capture the closest
large spiral galaxy from Mount John Observatory as it climbed just over
the rugged peaks of the south island's Southern Alps. In the
foreground, stars are reflected in the still waters of Lake
Alexandrina. Also known as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy is one of the
brightest objects in the Messier catalog, usually visible to the
unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch. But this clear, dark sky
and long exposure reveal the galaxy's greater extent in planet Earth's
night, spanning nearly 6 full moons.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sat Oct 22 00:39:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 22
NGC 1499: The California Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Stephen Kennedy
Explanation: Drifting through the Orion Arm of the spiral Milky Way
Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of California on
the west coast of the United States. Our own Sun also lies within the
Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,500 light-years from the California
Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic emission nebula is around
100 light-years long. The California Nebula shines with the telltale
reddish glow characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long
lost electrons. The electrons have been stripped away, ionized by
energetic starlight. Most likely providing the energetic starlight that
ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot star Xi Persei just
to the right of the nebula. A popular target for astrophotographers,
this deep image reveals the glowing nebula, obscuring dust, and stars
across a 3 degree wide field of view. The California nebula lies toward
the constellation Perseus, not far from the Pleiades.
Tomorrow's picture: strange planet
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All on Sun Oct 23 00:42:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 23
Milky Way and Zodiacal Light over Australian Pinnacles
Image Credit & Copyright: Jingyi Zhang
Explanation: What strange world is this? Earth. In the foreground of
the featured image are the Pinnacles, unusual rock spires in Nambung
National Park in Western Australia. Made of ancient sea shells
(limestone), how these human-sized picturesque spires formed remains a
topic of research. The picturesque panorama was taken in 2017
September. A ray of zodiacal light, sunlight reflected by dust grains
orbiting between the planets in the Solar System, rises from the
horizon near the image center. Arching across the top is the central
band of our Milky Way Galaxy. The planets Jupiter and Saturn, as well
as several famous stars are also visible in the background night sky.
Tomorrow's picture: red andromeda
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All on Mon Oct 24 00:08:30 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 24
Clouds Around Galaxy Andromeda
Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Fryhover
Explanation: What are those red clouds surrounding the Andromeda
galaxy? This galaxy, M31, is often imaged by planet Earth-based
astronomers. As the nearest large spiral galaxy, it is a familiar sight
with dark dust lanes, bright yellowish core, and spiral arms traced by
clouds of bright blue stars. A mosaic of well-exposed broad and
narrow-band image data, this deep portrait of our neighboring island
universe offers strikingly unfamiliar features though, faint reddish
clouds of glowing ionized hydrogen gas in the same wide field of view.
Most of the ionized hydrogen clouds surely lie in the foreground of the
scene, well within our Milky Way Galaxy. They are likely associated
with the pervasive, dusty interstellar cirrus clouds scattered hundreds
of light-years above our own galactic plane. Some of the clouds,
however, occur right in the Andromeda galaxy itself, and some in M110,
the small galaxy just below.
Tomorrow's picture: jupiter moves
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From
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All on Tue Oct 25 00:16:36 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 25
Jupiter Rotates as Moons Orbit
Video Credit & Copyright: Makrem Larnaout
Explanation: Jupiter and its moons move like our Sun and its planets.
Similarly, Jupiter spins while its moons circle around. Jupiter's
rotation can be observed by tracking circulating dark belts and light
zones. The Great Red Spot, the largest storm known, rotates to become
visible after about 15 seconds in the 48-second time lapse video. The
video is a compilation of shorts taken over several nights last month
and combined into a digital recreation of how 24-continuous hours would
appear. Jupiter's brightest moons always orbit in the plane of the
planet's rotation, even as Earth's spin makes the whole system appear
to tilt. The moons Europa, Ganymede, and Io are all visible, with
Europa's shadow appearing as the icy Galilean moon crosses Jupiter's
disk. Jupiter remains near opposition this month, meaning that it is
unusually bright, near to its closest to the Earth, and visible nearly
all night long.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: longer than a comet
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Wed Oct 26 00:05:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 26
Cocoon Nebula Wide Field
Image Credit & Copyright: Andy Ermolli
Explanation: When does a nebula look like a comet? In this crowded
starfield, covering over two degrees within the high flying
constellation of the Swan (Cygnus), the eye is drawn to the Cocoon
Nebula. A compact star forming region, the cosmic Cocoon punctuates a
nebula bright in emission and reflection on the left, with a long trail
of interstellar dust clouds to the right, making the entire complex
appear a bit like a comet. Cataloged as IC 5146, the central bright
head of the nebula spans about 10 light years, while the dark dusty
tail spans nearly 100 light years. Both are located about 2,500 light
years away. The bright star near the bright nebula's center, likely
only a few hundred thousand years old, supplies power to the nebular
glow as it helps clear out a cavity in the molecular cloud's star
forming dust and gas. The long dusty filaments of the tail, although
dark in this visible light image, are themselves hiding stars in the
process of formation, stars that can be seen at infrared wavelengths.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Oct 27 00:09:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 27
Sunset, Moonset, Taj Mahal
Image Credit & Copyright: Neelam and Ajay Talwar (TWAN)
Explanation: On October 25th, Sun and New Moon set together as seen
from Agra, India. Their close conjunction near the western horizon, a
partial solar eclipse, was captured in this elevated view in hazy skies
near the solitary dome of the Taj Mahal. Of course, the partial solar
eclipse was also seen from most of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle
East, and western parts of Asia. This eclipse was the last of two solar
eclipses (both partial eclipses) in 2022. But the next Full Moon will
slide through planet Earth's shadow on November 7/8, in a total lunar
eclipse.
Tomorrow's picture: comet's return
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From
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All on Fri Oct 28 00:15:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 28
Seven Years of Halley Dust
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation: History's first known periodic comet Halley (1P/Halley)
returns to the inner Solar System every 75 years or so. The famous
comet made its last appearance to the naked-eye in 1986. But dusty
debris from Comet Halley can be seen raining through planet Earth's
skies twice a year during two annual meteor showers, the Eta Aquarids
in May and the Orionids in October. Including meteors near the shower
maximum on October 21, this composite view compiles Orionid meteors
captured from years 2015 through 2022. About 47 bright meteors are
registered in the panoramic night skyscape. Against a starry background
extending along the Milky Way, the Orionid meteors all seem to radiate
from a point just north of Betelgeuse in the familiar constellation of
the Hunter. In the foreground are mountains in eastern Slovakia near
the city of Presov.
Tomorrow's picture: a dark and spooky nebula
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From
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All on Sat Oct 29 02:46:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 29
LDN 673: Dark Clouds in Aquila
Image Credit & Copyright: Frank Sackenheim, Josef Poepsel, Stefan
Binnewies (Capella Observatory Team)
Explanation: Part of a dark expanse that splits the crowded plane of
our Milky Way galaxy, the Aquila Rift arcs through planet Earth's skies
near bright star Altair. In eerie silhouette against the Milky Way's
faint starlight, its dusty molecular clouds likely contain raw material
to form hundreds of thousands of stars and astronomers search the dark
clouds for telltale signs of star birth. This telescopic close-up looks
toward the region at a fragmented Aquila dark cloud complex identified
as LDN 673, stretching across a field of view slightly wider than the
full moon. In the scene, visible indications of energetic outflows
associated with young stars include the small red tinted nebulosity RNO
109 above and right of center, and Herbig-Haro object HH32 below. These
dark clouds might look scary, but they're estimated to be some 600
light-years away. At that distance, this field of view spans about 7
light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: a dark and spooky night
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From
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All on Sun Oct 30 00:14:00 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 30
Night on a Spooky Planet
Image Credit & Copyright: St¤phane Vetter (Nuits sacr¤es)
Explanation: What spooky planet is this? Planet Earth of course, on a
dark and stormy night in 2013 at Hverir, a geothermally active area
along the volcanic landscape in northeastern Iceland. Triggered by
solar activity, geomagnetic storms produced the auroral display in the
starry night sky. The ghostly towers of steam and gas are venting from
fumaroles and danced against the eerie greenish light. For now, auroral
apparitions are increasing as our Sun approaches a maximum in its 11
year solar activity cycle. And pretty soon, ghostly shapes may dance in
your neighborhood too.
Tomorrow's picture: big bat
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From
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All on Mon Oct 31 02:24:02 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 October 31
LDN 43: The Cosmic Bat Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby; Text: Michelle
Thaller (NASA's GSFC)
Explanation: What is the most spook-tacular nebula in the galaxy? One
contender is LDN 43, which bears an astonishing resemblance to a vast
cosmic bat flying amongst the stars on a dark Halloween night. Located
about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, this
molecular cloud is dense enough to block light not only from background
stars, but from wisps of gas lit up by the nearby reflection nebula LBN
7. Far from being a harbinger of death, this 12-light year-long
filament of gas and dust is actually a stellar nursery. Glowing with
eerie light, the bat is lit up from inside by dense gaseous knots that
have just formed young stars.
Celebrate: Halloween With NASA Online
Tomorrow's picture: massive stars
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From
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All on Tue Nov 1 00:10:30 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 1
The featured image the Lobster Nebula, star field with a few bright
blue stars surrounded by a red-glowing nebula that could be visualized
as a lobster. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
NGC 6357: The Lobster Nebula
Image Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA; Processing: T. A. Rector (U.
Alaska Anchorage/NSF's NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Obs./NSF's NOIRLab),
M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF's NOIRLab)
Explanation: Why is the Lobster Nebula forming some of the most massive
stars known? No one is yet sure. Cataloged as NGC 6357, the Lobster
Nebula houses the open star cluster Pismis 24 near its center -- a home
to unusually bright and massive stars. The overall red glow near the
inner star forming region results from the emission of ionized hydrogen
gas. The surrounding nebula, featured here, holds a complex tapestry of
gas, dark dust, stars still forming, and newly born stars. The
intricate patterns are caused by complex interactions between
interstellar winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity.
The image was taken with DOE's Dark Energy Camera on the 4-meter Blanco
Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. NGC
6357 spans about 400 light years and lies about 8,000 light years away
toward the constellation of the Scorpion.
Tomorrow's picture: sun block
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From
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All on Wed Nov 2 00:33:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 2
A Partial Eclipse of an Active Sun
Video Credit: Ralf Burkart; h/t Maciej Libert (AG)
Explanation: Watch for three things in this unusual eclipse video.
First, watch for a big dark circle to approach from the right to block
out more and more of the Sun. This dark circle is the Moon, and the
video was made primarily to capture this partial solar eclipse last
week. Next, watch a large solar prominence hover and shimmer over the
Sun's edge. A close look will show that part of it is actually falling
back to the Sun. The prominence is made of hot plasma that is
temporarily held aloft by the Sun's changing magnetic field. Finally,
watch the Sun's edge waver. What is wavering is a dynamic carpet of hot
gas tubes rising and falling through the Sun's chromosphere -- tubes
known as spicules. The entire 4-second time-lapse video covers a time
of about ten minutes, although the Sun itself is expected to last
another 5 billion years.
Partial Solar Eclipse in October 2022: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Nov 3 00:26:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 3
The featured image shows steam rising from several separated vents at
Hverir, a geothermally active field in Iceland. Green aurora rage in
the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
M33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Processing - Robert Gendler
Data - Hubble Legacy Archive, KPNO, NOIRLab, NSF, Aura, Amateur Sources
Explanation: The small, northern constellation Triangulum harbors this
magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the
Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy. M33 is over 50,000
light-years in diameter, third largest in the Local Group of galaxies
after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About 3
million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 is itself thought to be a
satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy and astronomers in these two galaxies
would likely have spectacular views of each other's grand spiral star
systems. As for the view from the Milky Way, this sharp image combines
data from telescopes on and around planet Earth to show off M33's blue
star clusters and pinkish star forming regions along the galaxy's
loosely wound spiral arms. In fact, the cavernous NGC 604 is the
brightest star forming region, seen here at about the 1 o'clock
position from the galaxy center. Like M31, M33's population of
well-measured variable stars have helped make this nearby spiral a
cosmic yardstick for establishing the distance scale of the Universe.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Nov 4 06:05:56 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 4
InSight's Final Selfie
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Mars InSight
Explanation: The Mars InSight lander returned its first image from the
Red Planet's flat, equatorial Elysium Planitia after a successful
touchdown on November 26, 2018. The history making mission to explore
the martian Interior using Seismic investigations, geodesy, and heat
transport has been operating for over 1,400 martian days or sols. In
that time the InSight mission has detected more than 1,300 marsquakes
and recorded data from Mars-shaking meteoroid impacts, observing how
the seismic waves travel to provide a glimpse inside Mars. Analyzing
the archive of data collected is expected to yield discoveries for
decades. But InSight's final operational sol is likely not far off. The
reason is evident in this selfie recorded earlier this year showing its
deck and large, 2-meter-wide solar panels covered with dust. Kicked up
by martian winds the dust continues to accumulate and drastically
reduce the power that can be generated by InSight's solar panels.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Nov 5 00:10:42 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 5
Lunar Eclipse at the South Pole
Image Credit & Copyright: Aman Chokshi
Explanation: Last May 16 the Moon slid through Earth's shadow,
completely immersed in the planet's dark umbra for about 1 hour and 25
minutes during a total lunar eclipse. In this composited timelapse
view, the partial and total phases of the eclipse were captured as the
Moon tracked above the horizon from Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
There it shared a cold and starry south polar night with a surging
display of the aurora australis and central Milky Way. In the
foreground are the BICEP (right) and South Pole telescopes at the
southernmost station's Dark Sector Laboratory. But while polar skies
can be spectacular, you won't want to go to the South Pole to view the
total lunar eclipse coming up on November 8. Instead, that eclipse can
be seen from locations in Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas
and Northern Europe. It will be your last chance to watch a total lunar
eclipse until 2025.
Tomorrow's picture: inverted Sun day
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From
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All on Sun Nov 6 00:49:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 6
Dark Ball in Inverted Starfield
Image Credit: Jim Lafferty
Explanation: Does this strange dark ball look somehow familiar? If so,
that might be because it is our Sun. In the featured image from 2012, a
detailed solar view was captured originally in a very specific color of
red light, then rendered in black and white, and then color inverted.
Once complete, the resulting image was added to a starfield, then also
color inverted. Visible in the image of the Sun are long light
filaments, dark active regions, prominences peeking around the edge,
and a moving carpet of hot gas. The surface of our Sun can be a busy
place, in particular during Solar Maximum, the time when its surface
magnetic field is wound up the most. Besides an active Sun being so
picturesque, the plasma expelled can also become picturesque when it
impacts the Earth's magnetosphere and creates auroras.
Compute it Yourself: Browse 2,900+ codes in the Astrophysics Source
Code Library
Tomorrow's picture: nebular mystery
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From
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All on Tue Nov 8 07:21:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 8
The featured image shows a several interacting spiral galaxies with a
bridge of stars and gas connecting the two brightest galaxies. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
Galaxies: Wild's Triplet from Hubble
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, Dark Energy
Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, J. Dalcanton
Explanation: How many galaxies are interacting here? This grouping of
galaxies is called the Wild Triplet, not only for the discoverer, but
for the number of bright galaxies that appear. It had been assumed that
all three galaxies, collectively cataloged as Arp 248, are interacting,
but more recent investigations reveal that only the brightest two
galaxies are sparring gravitationally: the big galaxies at the top and
bottom. The spiral galaxy in the middle of the featured image by the
Hubble Space Telescope is actually far in the distance, as is the
galaxy just below it and all of the other numerous galaxies in the
field. A striking result of these giants jousting is a tremendous
bridge of stars, gas, and dust that stretches between them -- a bridge
almost 200,000 light-years long. Light we see today from Wild's Triplet
left about 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. In
perhaps a billion years or so, the two interacting galaxies will merge
to form a single large spiral galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: nebular mystery
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All on Wed Nov 9 01:02:42 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 9
The featured image shows a complex nebula that is more dense and more
blue on one side than the other. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
The Asymmetric Nebula Surrounding Wolf-Rayet Star 18
Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Woronow
Explanation: Why does the nebula around the star WR-18 shine brighter
on one side? Also known as NGC 3199, this active star and its
surrounding nebula lie about 12,000 light-years away toward the
nautical southern constellation of Carina. The featured deep image has
been highly processed to bring out filamentary details of the glowing
gas in the bubble-shaped nebula. The nebula is about 75 light-years
across. Near the nebula's center is a Wolf-Rayet star, WR-18, which is
a massive, hot, short-lived star that generates an intense and complex
stellar wind. In fact, Wolf-Rayet stars are known to create nebulas
with interesting shapes as their powerful winds sweep up surrounding
interstellar material. In this case, the bright right edge was
initially thought to indicate that a bow shock was being produced as
the star plowed through a uniform medium, like a boat through water.
Recent measurements and analyses, however, have shown the star is not
moving quickly toward the bright edge. A more likely explanation has
emerged that the material surrounding the star is not uniform, but
clumped and denser near the bright edge.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Nov 10 01:17:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 10
Total Lunar Eclipse
Image Credit: KPNO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / Petr Horalek (Institute of
Physics in Opava)
Explanation: The beginning, middle, and end of a journey through planet
Earth's colorful umbral shadow is captured in this timelapse composite
image of a total lunar eclipse. Taken on November 8 from Kitt Peak
National Observatory this eclipse's 1 hour and 25 minute long total
phase starts on the right and finishes on the left. Reddened sunlight,
scattered into the central shadow by Earth's dusty atmosphere produces
the dramatic dark red hues reflected by the lunar disk. For this
eclipse, additional reddening is likely due to scattering from ash
lingering in the atmosphere after a large volcanic eruption in the
southern Pacific earlier this year. Seen at the right and left, the
Earth's shadow is still lighter along its edge though. That faint
bluish fringe along the lunar limb is colored by sunlight filtered
through Earth's stratospheric ozone layer.
Tomorrow's picture: ice giant, red moon
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All on Sat Nov 12 01:05:30 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 12
Eclipse in the City
Image Credit & Copyright: Stan Honda
Explanation: A darker Moon sets over Manhattan in this night skyscape.
The 16 frame composite was assembled from consecutive exposures
recorded during the November 8 total lunar eclipse. In the timelapse
sequence stars leave short trails above the urban skyline, while the
Moon remains immersed in Earth's shadow. But the International Space
Station was just emerging from the shadow into the sunlit portion of
its low Earth orbit. As seen from New York City, the visible streak of
this ISS flyover starts near a star in Taurus and tracks right to left,
through the belt of Orion and over Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major.
Gaps along the bright trail of the fast moving orbital outpost (and an
aircraft flying closer to the horizon) mark the time between individual
exposures in the sequence. The trail of bright planet Mars is at the
top of the frame. Pleiades star cluster trails are high over the
eclipsed Moon and Empire State Building.
Lunar Eclipse of November 2022: Notable Submissions to APOD
Love Eclipses? (US): Apply to become a NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador
Tomorrow's picture: identified flying object
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All on Sun Nov 13 01:18:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 13
Flying Saucer Crash Lands in Utah Desert
Image Credit: USAF 388th Range Sqd., Genesis Mission, NASA
Explanation: A flying saucer from outer space crash-landed in the Utah
desert after being tracked by radar and chased by helicopters. The year
was 2004, and no space aliens were involved. The saucer, pictured here,
was the Genesis sample return capsule, part of a human-made robot
Genesis spaceship launched in 2001 by NASA itself to study the Sun. The
unexpectedly hard landing at over 300 kilometers per hour occurred
because the parachutes did not open as planned. The Genesis mission had
been orbiting the Sun collecting solar wind particles that are usually
deflected away by Earth's magnetic field. Despite the crash landing,
many return samples remained in good enough condition to analyze. So
far, Genesis-related discoveries include new details about the
composition of the Sun and how the abundance of some types of elements
differ across the Solar System. These results have provided intriguing
clues into details of how the Sun and planets formed billions of years
ago.
Tomorrow's picture: sky wizard
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All on Mon Nov 14 01:08:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 14
NGC 7380: The Wizard Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Ioan Popa
Explanation: What powers are being wielded in the Wizard Nebula?
Gravitation strong enough to form stars, and stellar winds and
radiations powerful enough to create and dissolve towers of gas.
Located only 8,000 light years away, the Wizard nebula, featured here,
surrounds developing open star cluster NGC 7380. Visually, the
interplay of stars, gas, and dust has created a shape that appears to
some like a fictional medieval sorcerer. The active star forming region
spans 100 about light years, making it appear larger than the angular
extent of the Moon. The Wizard Nebula can be located with a small
telescope toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia (Cepheus).
Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the
stars being formed may outlive our Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: in wolf's cave
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All on Tue Nov 15 02:12:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 15
Wolf's Cave Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Lacroce
Explanation: The mysterious blue reflection nebula found in catalogs as
VdB 152 or Ced 201 really is very faint. It lies at the tip of the long
dark nebula Barnard 175 in a dusty complex that has also been called
Wolf's Cave. At the center of this deep telescopic view, the cosmic
apparitions are nearly 1,400 light-years away along the northern Milky
Way in the royal constellation Cepheus. Interstellar dust in the region
blocks light from background stars and scatters light from the embedded
bright star, giving the end nebula its characteristic blue color.
Though stars do form in molecular clouds, this star seems to have only
accidentally wandered into the area, as its measured velocity through
space is very different from the cloud's velocity. At the image bottom
is the planetary nebula Dengel-Hartl 5, while red glowing gas from an
ancient supernova remnant is also visible along the image's right side.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Wed Nov 16 01:12:32 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 16
In the Arms of NGC 1097
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby, Mark Hanson
Explanation: Spiral galaxy NGC 1097 shines in southern skies, about 45
million light-years away in the heated constellation Fornax. Its blue
spiral arms are mottled with pinkish star forming regions in this
colorful galaxy portrait. They seem to have wrapped around a small
companion galaxy above and right of center, about 40,000 light-years
from the spiral's luminous core. That's not NGC 1097's only peculiar
feature, though. This very deep exposure hints of faint, mysterious
jets, seen to extend well beyond the bluish arms. In fact, four faint
jets are ultimately recognized in optical images of NGC 1097. The jets
trace an X centered on the galaxy's nucleus, but probably don't
originate there. Instead, they could be fossil star streams, trails
left over from the capture and disruption of a much smaller galaxy in
the large spiral's ancient past. A Seyfert galaxy, NGC 1097's nucleus
also harbors a supermassive black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Thu Nov 17 01:56:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 17
Planet Earth from Orion
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis 1
Explanation: A Space Launch System rocket left planet Earth on
Wednesday, November 16 at 1:47am EST carrying the Orion spacecraft on
the Artemis 1 mission, the first integrated test of NASA's deep space
exploration systems. Over an hour after liftoff from Kennedy Space
Center's
historic Launch Complex 39B, one of Orion's external video cameras
captured this view of its new perspective from space. In the foreground
are Orion's Orbital Maneuvering System engine and auxillary engines, at
the bottom of the European Service Module. Beyond one of the module's
7-meter long extended solar array wings lies the spacecraft's beautiful
home world. The Artemis 1 mission will last almost four weeks, testing
capabilities to enable human exploration of the Moon and Mars. The
uncrewed Orion spacecraft is expected to fly by the Moon on November
21, performing a close approach to the lunar surface on its way to a
retrograde orbit 70,000 kilometers beyond the Moon.
Tomorrow's picture: the protostar within
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From
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All on Fri Nov 18 02:14:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 18
The Protostar within L1527
Image Credit: Science - NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam
Processing - Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI),
Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Explanation: The protostar within dark cloud L1527 is a mere 100,000
years old, still embedded in the cloud of gas and dust that feeds its
growth. In this NIRCam image from the James Webb Space Telescope, the
dark band at the neck of the infrared nebula is a thick disk that
surrounds the young stellar object. Viewed nearly edge-on and a little
larger than our Solar System, the disk ultimately supplies material to
the protostar while hiding it from Webb's direct infrared view. The
nebula itself is seen in stunning detail though. Illuminated by
infrared light from the protostar, the hourglass-shaped nebula's
cavities are created as material ejected in the star-forming process
plows through the surrounding medium. As the protostar gains mass it
will eventually become a full-fledged star, collapsing and igniting
nuclear fusion in its core. A likely analog to our own Sun and Solar
System in their early infancy, the protostar within dark cloud L1527
lies some 460 light-years distant in the Taurus star-forming region.
Webb's NIRCam image spans about 0.3 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: moonshot
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From
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All on Sat Nov 19 01:07:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 19
Artemis 1 Moonshot
Image Credit & Copyright: John Kraus
Explanation: When the Artemis 1 mission's Orion spacecraft makes its
November 21 powered flyby of the Moon, denizens of planet Earth will
see the Moon in a waning crescent phase. The spacecraft will approach
to within about 130 kilometers of the lunar surface on its way to a
distant retrograde orbit some 70,000 kilometers beyond the Moon. But
the Moon was at last quarter for the November 16 launch and near the
horizon in the dark early hours after midnight. It's captured here in
skies over Kennedy Space Center along with the SLS rocket engines and
solid rocket boosters lofting the uncrewed Orion to space. Ragged
fringes appearing along the bright edge of the sunlit lunar nearside
are caused as pressure waves generated by the rocket's passage change
the index of refraction along the camera's line of sight.
Tomorrow's picture: ripples over Tibet
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From
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All on Sun Nov 20 01:35:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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2022 November 20
The featured image shows a dark field with a photographer lit in red
imaging a night sky tinged with green airglow and decorated with clouds
that appear collectively like a giant spiral. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Airglow Ripples over Tibet
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai
Explanation: Why would the sky look like a giant target? Airglow.
Following a giant thunderstorm over Bangladesh in late April, giant
circular ripples of glowing air appeared over Tibet, China, as pictured
here. The unusual pattern is created by atmospheric gravity waves,
waves of alternating air pressure that can grow with height as the air
thins, in this case about 90-kilometers up. Unlike auroras powered by
collisions with energetic charged particles and seen at high latitudes,
airglow is due to chemiluminescence, the production of light in a
chemical reaction. More typically seen near the horizon, airglow keeps
the night sky from ever being completely dark.
Tomorrow's picture: butterfly sky
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From
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All on Mon Nov 21 01:25:52 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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2022 November 21
The featured image shows the Butterfly Nebula as imaged by Hubble. The
nebula appears very colorful due to a expansive color map used by the
digitizing processor. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: William Ostling
Explanation: Stars can make beautiful patterns as they age -- sometimes
similar to flowers or insects. NGC 6302, the Butterfly Nebula, is a
notable example. Though its gaseous wingspan covers over 3 light-years
and its estimated surface temperature exceeds 200,000 degrees C, the
aging central star of NGC 6302, the featured planetary nebula, has
become exceptionally hot, shining brightly in visible and ultraviolet
light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust. This sharp
close-up was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope and is processed
here to show off remarkable details of the complex planetary nebula,
highlighting in particular light emitted by oxygen (shown as blue),
hydrogen (green), and nitrogen (red). NGC 6302 lies about 3,500
light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation of the
Scorpion (Scorpius). Planetary nebulas evolve from outer atmospheres of
stars like our Sun, but usually fade in about 20,000 years.
Tomorrow's picture: double space
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From
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All on Tue Nov 22 01:07:38 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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2022 November 22
The featured image shows two clusters of blue stars placed next to each
other. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
A Double Star Cluster in Perseus
Image Credit & Copyright: Tommy Lease
Explanation: Few star clusters this close to each other. Visible to the
unaided eye from dark sky areas, it was cataloged in 130 BC by Greek
astronomer Hipparchus. Some 7,000 light-years away, this pair of open
star clusters is also an easy binocular target, a striking starfield in
the northern constellation of the mythical Greek hero Perseus. Now
known as h and chi Persei, or NGC 869 (above right) and NGC 884, the
clusters themselves are separated by only a few hundred light-years and
contain stars much younger and hotter than the Sun. In addition to
being physically close together, the clusters' ages based on their
individual stars are similar - evidence that both clusters were likely
a product of the same star-forming region.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Wed Nov 23 01:11:18 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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2022 November 23
Earthset from Orion
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis 1
Explanation: Eight billion people are about to disappear in this
snapshot from space. Taken on November 21, the sixth day of the Artemis
1 mission, their home world is setting behind the Moon's bright edge as
viewed by an external camera on the outbound Orion spacecraft. The
Orion was headed for a powered flyby that took it to within 130
kilometers of the lunar surface. Velocity gained in the flyby maneuver
will be used to reach a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. That
orbit is considered distant because it's another 92,000 kilometers
beyond the Moon, and retrograde because the spacecraft will orbit in
the opposite direction of the Moon's orbit around planet Earth. Orion
will enter its distant retrograde orbit on Friday, November 25.
Swinging around the Moon, Orion will reach a maximum distance (just
over 400,000 kilometers) from Earth on Monday November 28 exceeding a
record set by Apollo 13 for most distant spacecraft designed for human
space exploration.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Thu Nov 24 01:35:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
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written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 24
Lynds Dark Nebula 1251
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Attalienti
Explanation: Stars are forming in Lynds Dark Nebula (LDN) 1251. About
1,000 light-years away and drifting above the plane of our Milky Way
galaxy, the dusty molecular cloud is part of a complex of dark nebulae
mapped toward the Cepheus flare region. Across the spectrum,
astronomical explorations of the obscuring interstellar clouds reveal
energetic shocks and outflows associated with newborn stars, including
the telltale reddish glow from scattered Herbig-Haro objects hiding in
the image. Distant background galaxies also lurk on the scene, almost
buried behind the dusty expanse. This alluring view spans over four
full moons on the sky, or 35 light-years at the estimated distance of
LDN 1251.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Nov 25 01:20:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
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2022 November 25
NGC 6744: Extragalactic Close-Up
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the LEGUS team
Explanation: Beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 6744 is nearly 175,000
light-years across. That's larger than the Milky Way. It lies some 30
million light-years distant in the southern constellation Pavo, with
its galactic disk tilted towards our line of sight. This Hubble
close-up of the nearby island universe spans about 24,000 light-years
or so across NGC 6744's central region. The Hubble view combines
visible light and ultraviolet image data. The giant galaxy's yellowish
core is dominated by the visible light from old, cool stars. Beyond the
core are star-forming regions and young star clusters scattered along
the inner spiral arms. NGC 6744's young star clusters are bright at
ultraviolet wavelengths, shown in blue and magenta hues. Spiky stars
scattered around the frame are foreground stars and well within our own
Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Nov 26 01:07:46 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
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2022 November 26
Saturn at Night
NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute, Mindaugas Macijauskas
Explanation: Saturn is still bright in planet Earth's night skies.
Telescopic views of the distant gas giant and its beautiful rings often
make it a star at star parties. But this stunning view of Saturn's
rings and night side just isn't possible from telescopes closer to the
Sun than the outer planet. They can only bring Saturn's day into view.
In fact, this image of Saturn's slender sunlit crescent with night's
shadow cast across its broad and complex ring system was captured by
the Cassini spacecraft. A robot spacecraft from planet Earth, Cassini
called Saturn orbit home for 13 years before it was directed to dive
into the atmosphere of the gas giant on September 15, 2017. This
magnificent mosaic is composed of frames recorded by Cassini's
wide-angle camera only two days before its grand final plunge. Saturn's
night will not be seen again until another spaceship from Earth calls.
Tomorrow's picture: supernumerary
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All on Sun Nov 27 01:17:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 27
Supernumerary Rainbows over New Jersey
Image Credit & Copyright: John Entwistle
Explanation: Yes, but can your rainbow do this? After the remnants of
Hurricane Florence passed over the Jersey Shore, New Jersey, USA in
2018, the Sun came out in one direction but something quite unusual
appeared in the opposite direction: a hall of rainbows. Over the course
of a next half hour, to the delight of the photographer and his
daughter, vibrant supernumerary rainbows faded in and out, with at
least five captured in this featured single shot. Supernumerary
rainbows only form when falling water droplets are all nearly the same
size and typically less than a millimeter across. Then, sunlight will
not only reflect from inside the raindrops, but interfere, a wave
phenomenon similar to ripples on a pond when a stone is thrown in. In
fact, supernumerary rainbows can only be explained with waves, and
their noted existence in the early 1800s was considered early evidence
of light's wave nature.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Mon Nov 28 01:04:54 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 28
The featured image is a composite showing many meteors trails streaking
across a sky featuring the familiar constellation of Orion. In the
foreground two people sit in adjoining chairs facing away from the
camera, one holding a wand with a glowing star at the end. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
Leonid Meteors Through Orion
Image Credit & Copyright: Luo Hongyang
Explanation: Where will the next meteor appear? Even during a meteor
shower, it is practically impossible to know. Therefore, a good way to
enjoy a meteor shower is to find a place where you can sit comfortably
and monitor a great expanse of dark sky. And it may be satisfying to
share this experience with a friend. The meteor shower depicted was the
2022 Leonids which peaked earlier this month, and the view is from
Hainan, China looking out over the South China Sea. Meteor streaks
captured over a few hours were isolated and added to a foreground image
recorded earlier. From this place and time, Leonid meteors that trace
back to the constellation of Leo were seen streaking across other
constellations including Orion. The bright red planet Mars appears near
the top of the image. Bonding over their love of astronomy, the two
pictured meteor enthusiasts, shown celebrating their common birthday
this month, are now married.
Tomorrow's picture: closest supernova remnant
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From
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All on Tue Nov 29 02:16:30 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 29
The featured image shows a grand skyscape with a brown desert road in
the foreground and a sky containing the Milky Way galactic band
complete with a large red glow on the right which is the dim Gum
Nebula. The LMC galaxy is also visible. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
The Gum Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Lima
Explanation: Because the Gum Nebula is the closest supernova remnant,
it is actually hard to see. Spanning 40 degrees across the sky, the
nebula appears so large and faint that it is easily lost in the din of
a bright and complex background. The Gum Nebula is highlighted nicely
in red emission toward the right of the featured wide-angle,
single-image photograph taken in late May. Also visible in the frame
are the Atacama Desert in Chile in the foreground, the Carina Nebula in
the plane of our Milky Way galaxy running diagonally down from the
upper left, and the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) galaxy.
The Gum Nebula is so close that we are much nearer the front edge than
the back edge, each measuring 450 and 1500 light years respectively.
The complicated nebula lies in the direction of the constellations of
Puppis and Vela. Oddly, much remains unknown about the Gum Nebula,
including the timing and even number of supernova explosions that
formed it.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Wed Nov 30 01:06:26 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 November 30
The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty
Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Quintile
Explanation: This colorful skyscape spans about four full moons across
nebula rich starfields along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy in the
royal northern constellation Cepheus. Near the edge of the region's
massive molecular cloud some 2,400 light-years away, bright reddish
emission region Sharpless (Sh) 155 is at the center of the frame, also
known as the Cave Nebula. About 10 light-years across the cosmic cave's
bright walls of gas are ionized by ultraviolet light from the hot young
stars around it. Dusty reflection nebulae, like vdB 155 to the right,
and dense obscuring clouds of dust also abound on the interstellar
canvas. Astronomical explorations have revealed other dramatic signs of
star formation, including the bright reddish fleck of Herbig-Haro (HH)
168. Below and right of center, the Herbig-Haro object emission is
generated by energetic jets from a newborn star.
Tomorrow's picture: supernumerary
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All on Thu Dec 1 01:03:40 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 1
Artemis 1: Flight Day 13
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis 1
Explanation: On flight day 13 (November 28) of the Artemis 1 mission
the Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth. In fact,
over 430,000 kilometers from Earth its distant retrograde orbit also
put Orion nearly 70,000 kilometers from the Moon. In the same field of
view in this video frame from flight day 13, planet and large natural
satellite even appear about the same apparent size from the uncrewed
spacecraft's perspective. Today (December 1) should see Orion depart
its distant retrograde orbit. En route to planet Earth it will head
toward a second powered fly by of the Moon. Splashdown on the home
world is expected on December 11.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Fri Dec 2 01:17:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 2
Merging Galaxy Pair IIZw096
Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, A. Evans
Explanation: Bright at infrared wavelengths, this merging galaxy pair
is some 500 million light-years away toward the constellation
Delphinus. The cosmic mashup is seen against a background of even more
distant galaxies, and occasional spiky foreground stars. But the galaxy
merger itself spans about 100,000 light-years in this deep James Webb
Space Telescope image. The image data is from Webb's Near-InfraRed
Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI). Their combined,
sharp infrared view follows galactic scale restructuring in the dusty
merger's wild jumble of intense star forming regions and distorted
spiral arms
Tomorrow's picture: Stereo Saturday
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sat Dec 3 01:34:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 3
Stereo Mars near Opposition
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi
Explanation: Mars looks sharp in these two rooftop telescope views
captured in late November from Singapore, planet Earth. At the time,
Mars was about 82 million kilometers from Singapore and approaching its
opposition, opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky on December 8.
Olympus Mons, largest of the volcanoes in the Tharsis Montes region
(and largest known volcano in the Solar System), is near Mars' western
limb. In both the images it's the whitish donut-shape at the upper
right. The dark area visible near center is the Terra Sirenum region
while the long dark peninsula closest to the planet's eastern limb is
Sinus Gomer. Near its tip is Gale crater, the Curiosity rover's landing
site in 2012. Above Sinus Gomer, white spots are other volcanoes in the
Elysium region. At top of the planet is the north polar cap covered
with ice and clouds. Taken about two days apart, these images of the
same martian hemisphere form a stereo pair. Look at the center of the
frame and cross your eyes until the separate images come together to
see the Red Planet in 3D.
Tomorrow's picture: Powers of Ten
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sun Dec 4 01:39:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 4
Video: Powers of Ten
Video Credit & Copyright: Charles & Ray Eames (Eames Office)
Explanation: How different does the universe look on very small scales?
On very large scales? The most famous short science film of its
generation gives breathtaking comparisons. That film, Powers of Ten,
originally created in the 1960s, has been officially posted to YouTube
and embedded here. From a picnic blanket near Chicago out past the
Virgo Cluster of Galaxies, every ten seconds the film zooms out to show
a square a factor of ten times larger on each side. The 9-minute video
then reverses, zooming back in a factor of ten every two seconds and
ends up inside a single proton. The Powers of Ten sequence is actually
based on the book Cosmic View by Kees Boeke in 1957, as is a similar
but mostly animated film Cosmic Zoom that was also created in the late
1960s. The changing perspectives are so enthralling and educational
that sections have been recreated using more modern computerized
techniques, including the first few minutes of the movie Contact. Ray
and husband Charles Eames, the film's creators, were known as quite
visionary spirits and even invented their own popular chair.
Tomorrow's picture: seven sister stars
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Mon Dec 5 02:14:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 5
The featured image shows many blue stars clustered together in
blue-glowing gas and dust. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster
Image Credit & Copyright: Blake Estes (iTelescope Siding Spring Obs.) &
Christian Sasse
Explanation: Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you
have, you probably have never seen it as large and clear as this.
Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of
the Pleiades can be seen with the unaided eye even from the depths of a
light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though,
the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very
evident. The featured 11-hour exposure, taken from the Siding Spring
Observatory in Australia, covers a sky area several times the size of
the full moon. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades
lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull
(Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the
brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six of
the sister stars visible to the unaided eye. The actual number of
Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or less than seven,
depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the
observer's eyesight.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: star birth mountain
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Thu Dec 8 01:52:12 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 8
Orion and the Ocean of Storms
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis 1
Explanation: A camera on board the uncrewed Orion spacecraft captured
this view on December 5 as Orion approached its return powered flyby of
the Moon. Below one of Orion's extended solar arrays lies dark, smooth,
terrain along the western edge of the Oceanus Procellarum. Prominent on
the lunar nearside Oceanus Procellarum, the Ocean of Storms, is the
largest of the Moon's lava-flooded maria. The lunar terminator, shadow
line between lunar night and day, runs along the left of the frame. The
41 kilometer diameter crater Marius is top center, with ray crater
Kepler peeking in at the edge, just right of the solar array wing.
Kepler's bright rays extend to the north and west, reaching the
dark-floored Marius. Of course the Orion spacecraft is now headed
toward a December 11 splashdown in planet Earth's water-flooded Pacific
Ocean.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Dec 9 00:17:08 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 9
Mars Rises above the Lunar Limb
Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Glenn
Explanation: On the night of December 7 Mars wandered near the Full
Moon. In fact the Red Planet was occulted, passing behind the Moon,
when viewed from locations across Europe and North America. About an
hour after disappearing behind the lunar disk Mars reappears in this
stack of sharp video frames captured from San Diego, planet Earth. With
the Moon in the foreground Mars was a mere 82 million kilometers
distant, near its own opposition. Full Moon and full Mars were bright
enough provide the spectacular image with no exposure adjustments
necessary. In the image Mars appears to rise just over ancient,
dark-floored, lunar crater Abel very close to the southeastern edge of
the Moon's near side. Humboldt is the large impact crater to its north
(left).
Tomorrow's picture: Challenger and the Sea of Serenity
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All on Sat Dec 10 00:50:14 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 10
America and the Sea of Serenity
Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, NASA; Anaglyph by Patrick Vantuyne
Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and check out this stereo
view of another world. Fifty years ago the scene was recorded by Apollo
17 mission commander Eugene Cernan on December 11, 1972, one orbit
before descending to land on the Moon. The stereo anaglyph was
assembled from two photographs (AS17-147-22465, AS17-147-22466)
captured from his vantage point on board the Lunar Module Challenger as
he and Dr. Harrison Schmitt flew over Apollo 17's landing site in the
Taurus-Littrow Valley. The broad, sunlit face of the mountain dubbed
South Massif rises near the center of the frame, above the dark floor
of Taurus-Littrow to its left. Piloted by Ron Evans, the Command Module
America is visible in orbit in the foreground against the South
Massif's peak. Beyond the mountains, toward the lunar limb, lies the
Moon's Mare Serenitatis.
Tomorrow's picture: Io
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All on Sun Dec 11 00:29:48 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 11
The featured image shows Jupiter's moon Io which is bright yellow from
sulfur and covered with volcanoes and volcanic floes. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Io in True Color
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project
Explanation: The strangest moon in the Solar System is bright yellow.
The featured picture, an attempt to show how Io would appear in the
"true colors" perceptible to the average human eye, was taken in 1999
July by the Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003.
Io's colors derive from sulfur and molten silicate rock. The unusual
surface of Io is kept very young by its system of active volcanoes. The
intense tidal gravity of Jupiter stretches Io and damps wobbles caused
by Jupiter's other Galilean moons. The resulting friction greatly heats
Io's interior, causing molten rock to explode through the surface. Io's
volcanoes are so active that they are effectively turning the whole
moon inside out. Some of Io's volcanic lava is so hot it glows in the
dark.
Artemis 1 Coverage: Orion return and splashdown
Tomorrow's picture: interstellar dust monster
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All on Mon Dec 12 13:07:38 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 12
The featured image shows an interstellar gas globule that looks like a
monster superposed against a glowing red background. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
An Unusual Globule in IC 1396
Image Credit & Copyright: Bernard Miller
Explanation: Is there a monster in IC 1396? Known to some as the
Elephant's Trunk Nebula, parts of gas and dust clouds of this star
formation region may appear to take on foreboding forms, some nearly
human. The only real monster here, however, is a bright young star too
far from Earth to hurt us. Energetic light from this star is eating
away the dust of the dark cometary globule near the top of the featured
image. Jets and winds of particles emitted from this star are also
pushing away ambient gas and dust. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant,
the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers a much larger region on the
sky than shown here, with an apparent width of more than 10 full moons.
Tomorrow's picture: art and sky
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All on Tue Dec 13 00:43:10 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 13
The featured image shows a person standing in mountainous terrain
holding a light. Above are many sky icons including auroral arcs, the
arc of the Milky Way, a meteor, and the stars of the Big Dipper. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
An Artful Sky over Lofoten Islands
Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi
Explanation: Can the night sky be both art and science? If so, perhaps
the featured image is an example. The digital panorama was composed of
10 landscape and 10 sky images all taken on the same night, from the
same location, and with the same camera. Iconic features in the image
have been artfully brightened, and the ground nearby was artfully
illuminated. Visible in the foreground is the creative photographer
anchoring an amazing view from the rugged Lofoten Islands of Norway,
two months ago, by holding a lamp. Far in the distance are three
prominent arches: our Milky Way Galaxy on the left, while a
scientifically-unusual double-arced aurora is documented on the right.
A meteor is highlighted between them. Other notable skylights include,
left to right, the Andromeda Galaxy, the planet Jupiter, the star Vega,
and the stars that compose the Big Dipper asterism.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Wed Dec 14 00:05:04 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 14
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA
Explanation: Why is the Moon so dusty? On Earth, rocks are weathered by
wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, the history of
constant micrometeorite bombardment has blasted away at the rocky
surface creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith. For the
Apollo astronauts and their equipment, the pervasive, fine, gritty dust
was definitely a problem
. Fifty years ago, on the lunar surface in December 1972, Apollo 17
astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of
their rover's fenders in an effort to keep the rooster tails of dust
away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals the wheel and
fender of their dust covered rover along with the ingenious application
of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape".
Tomorrow's picture: Full Moon, Full Mars
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All on Thu Dec 15 00:46:42 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 15
Full Moon, Full Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Tomas Slovinsky
Explanation: On December 8 a full Moon and a full Mars were close, both
bright and opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. In fact Mars was
occulted, passing behind the Moon when viewed from some locations
across Europe and North America. Seen from the city of Kosice in
eastern Slovakia, the lunar occultation of Mars happened just before
sunrise. The tantalizing spectacle was recorded in this telescopic
timelapse sequence of exposures. It took about an hour for the Red
Planet to disappear behind the lunar disk and then reappear as a
warm-hued full Moon, the last full Moon of 2022, sank toward the
western horizon. The next lunar occultation of bright planet Mars will
be in the new year on January 3, when the Moon is in a waxing gibbous
phase. Lunar occultations are only ever visible from a fraction of the
Earth's surface, though. The January 3 occultation of Mars will be
visible from parts of the South Atlantic, southern Africa, and the
Indian Ocean.
Tomorrow's picture: Geminid
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Fri Dec 16 00:20:30 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 16
The Geminid
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)
Explanation: Returning from beyond the Moon, on December 11 the Orion
spacecraft entered Earth's atmosphere at almost 11 kilometers per
second. That's half the speed of the grain of dust that created this
long fireball meteor when it entered the atmosphere on December 13,
near the peak of the annual Geminid meteor shower. As our fair planet
makes its yearly pass through the dust trail of mysterious asteroid
3200 Phaethon, the parallel tracks of all Geminid meteors appear to
radiate from a point in the constellation Gemini. But the twin stars of
Gemini hide just behind the trees on the left in this night skyscape
from the beautiful Blue Moon Valley, Yunnan, China. Reflected in the
still waters of the mountain lake, stars of the constellation Orion are
rising near center. Captured before moonrise, dazzling Mars is still
the brightest celestial beacon in the scene.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Dec 17 00:03:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 17
Apollo 17 VIP Site Anaglyph
Image Credit: Gene Cernan, Apollo 17, NASA; Anaglyph by Erik van
Meijgaarden
Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and check out this stereo
scene from Taurus-Littrow valley on the Moon! The color anaglyph
features a detailed 3D view of Apollo 17's Lunar Rover in the
foreground -- behind it lies the Lunar Module and distant lunar hills.
Because the world was going to be able to watch the Lunar Module's
ascent stage liftoff via the rover's TV camera, this parking place was
also known as the VIP Site. Fifty years ago, in December of 1972,
Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75
hours on the Moon, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. The
crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples, more than
from any of the other lunar landing sites. Cernan and Schmitt are still
the last to walk (or drive) on the Moon.
Tomorrow's picture: the brightest stars
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Sun Dec 18 00:45:24 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 18
25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Tragoolchitr Jittasaiyapan
Explanation: Do you know the names of some of the brightest stars? It's
likely that you do, even though some bright stars have names so old
they date back to near the beginning of written language. Many world
cultures have their own names for the brightest stars, and it is
culturally and historically important to remember them. In the interest
of clear global communication, however, the International Astronomical
Union (IAU) has begun to designate standardized star names. Featured
here in true color are the 25 brightest stars in the night sky,
currently as seen by humans, coupled with their IAU-recognized names.
Some star names have interesting meanings, including Sirius ("the
scorcher" in Latin), Vega ("falling" in Arabic), and Antares ("rival to
Mars" in Greek). You are likely even familiar with the name of at least
one star too dim to make this list: Polaris.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: interstellar tadpoles
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Mon Dec 19 01:39:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 19
The featured image shows a glowing star forming region rich in glowing
gas and dark dust. Two dusty pillars on the right resemble tadpoles.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Tadpole Nebula in Gas and Dust
Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks (Utah Desert Remote
Observatories)
Explanation: What's causing the commotion in the Tadpole Nebula? Star
formation. Dusty emission in the Tadpole Nebula, IC 410, lies about
12,000 light-years away in the northern constellation of the Charioteer
(Auriga). The cloud of glowing gas is over 100 light-years across,
sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from embedded open star cluster
NGC 1893. Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago,
bright newly formed cluster stars are seen all around the star-forming
nebula. Notable on the lower-right of the featured image are two
relatively dense streamers of material trailing away from the nebula's
central regions. Potentially sites of ongoing star formation in IC 410,
these cosmic tadpole shapes are about 10 light-years long. The image
was processed highlighting the emission from sulfur (red), hydrogen
(green), and oxygen (blue) gas -- but with the stars digitally removed.
Tomorrow's picture: Big Thor
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Tue Dec 20 00:25:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 20
The featured image shows a nebula in blue and red that looks like a
helmet. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Thor's Helmet
Image Credit & Copyright: Hannah Rochford
Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in
the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped
cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages. Heroically sized even for a
Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the
cosmic head-covering is more like an interstellar bubble, blown with a
fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center. Known
as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant
thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. NGC 2359 is
located about 15,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the
Great Overdog. This remarkably sharp image is a mixed cocktail of data
from narrowband filters, capturing not only natural looking stars but
details of the nebula's filamentary structures. The star in the center
of Thor's Helmet is expected to explode in a spectacular supernova
sometime within the next few thousand years.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: solstice sun
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Dec 21 00:12:36 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 21
Sun Halo at Sixty-three Degrees North
Image Credit & Copyright: Goran Strand
Explanation: Happy Solstice! Today is the December solstice, marking an
astronomical beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere and winter
in the north. On its yearly trek through planet Earth's skies, at this
solstice the Sun reaches its southern most declination, 23.5 degrees
south, at 21:48 UTC. About 4 days ago the Sun was near this seasonal
southern limit and so only just above the horizon at local noon over
Ostersund in central Sweden. This view looking over the far northern
lakeside city finds the midday Sun with a beautiful solar ice halo.
Naturally occurring atmospheric ice crystals can produce the
tantalizing halo displays, refracting and reflecting the sunlight
through their hexagonal geometry. Still, with the Sun low and near the
horizon in the clear sky, likely sources of the ice crystals producing
this intense halo are snow cannons. Operating at a local ski area, the
snowmaking machines create a visible plume at the top of the nearby
island Froson toward the right side of the panorama.
Tomorrow's picture: northern spiral
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Dec 22 06:17:10 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 22
NGC 1365: Majestic Island Universe
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
Explanation: Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majestic island
universe some 200,000 light-years across. Located a mere 60 million
light-years away toward the faint but heated constellation Fornax, NGC
1365 is a dominant member of the well-studied Fornax Cluster of
galaxies. This impressively sharp color image shows the intense,
reddish star forming regions near the ends of central bar and along the
spiral arms, with details of the obscuring dust lanes cutting across
the galaxy's bright core. At the core lies a supermassive black hole.
Astronomers think NGC 1365's prominent bar plays a crucial role in the
galaxy's evolution, drawing gas and dust into a star-forming maelstrom
and ultimately feeding material into the central black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: northern Saturn
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Dec 23 00:13:06 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 23
The featured image shows a black and white image with Saturn's orb
dominating the image bottom and Saturn's rings dominating the image
top. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Cassini Looks Out from Saturn
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute
Explanation: This is what Saturn looks like from inside the rings. In
2017, for the first time, NASA directed the Cassini spacecraft to swoop
between Saturn and its rings. During the dive, the robotic spacecraft
took hundreds of images showing unprecedented detail for structures in
Saturn's atmosphere. Looking back out, however, the spacecraft was also
able to capture impressive vistas. In the featured image, taken a few
hours before closest approach, Saturn's unusual northern hexagon is
seen surrounding the North Pole. Saturn's B ring is the closest
visible, while the dark Cassini Division separates B from the outer A.
A close inspection will find the two small moons that shepherd the
F-ring, the farthest ring discernable. A few months after this image
was taken -- and after more than a decade of exploration and discovery
-- the Cassini spacecraft ran low on fuel and was directed to enter
Saturn's atmosphere, where it surely melted.
Tomorrow's picture: the night before
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Dec 24 01:19:12 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 24
Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF)
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using
the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility this year
in early March. Since then the new long-period comet has brightened
substantially and is now sweeping across the northern constellation
Corona Borealis in predawn skies. It's still too dim to see without a
telescope though. But this fine telescopic image from December 19 does
show the comet's brighter greenish coma, short broad dust tail, and
long faint ion tail stretching across a 2.5 degree wide field-of-view.
On a voyage through the inner Solar System comet 2022 E3 will be at
perihelion, its closest to the Sun, in the new year on January 12 and
at perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on February 1. The
brightness of comets is notoriously unpredictable, but by then C/2022
E3 (ZTF) could become only just visible to the eye in dark night skies.
Tomorrow's picture: stars and mittens
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Dec 25 00:21:44 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 25
Geminids and the Mittens
Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Derus
Explanation: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon's annual gift to planet Earth
always arrives in December. Otherwise known as the Geminid meteor
shower, the source of the meteroid stream is dust shed along the orbit
of the mysterious asteroid. Near the December 13/14 peak of the
shower's activity, geminid meteors are captured in this night skyscape,
composited from 22 images of starry sky taken before the moon rose over
Monument Valley in the American southwest. The bright stars near the
position of the shower's radiant are the constellation Gemini's twin
stars Castor (blue) and Pollux (yellow). As Earth sweeps through the
dusty stream, the parallel meteor trails appear to radiate from a point
on the sky in Gemini due to perspective, and so the yearly shower is
named for the constellation. From the camera's perspective, this view
of three prominent buttes across Monument Valley also suggests
appropriate names for two of them. The third one is called Merrick
Butte.
Tomorrow's picture: the dragon's egg
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Dec 26 06:35:16 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 26
The featured image shows a star inside a symmetric but complex and
multi-colored nebula which is all surrounded by a faint blue nebula.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
NGC 6164: Dragon's Egg Nebula and Halo
Image Credit & Copyright: Russell Croman
Explanation: The star at the center created everything. Known as the
Dragon's Egg, this star -- a rare, hot, luminous O-type star some 40
times as massive as the Sun -- created not only the complex nebula (NGC
6164) that immediately surrounds it, but also the encompassing blue
halo. Its name is derived, in part, from the region's proximity to the
picturesque NGC 6188, known as the fighting Dragons of Ara. In another
three to four million years the massive star will likely end its life
in a supernova explosion. Spanning around 4 light-years, the nebula
itself has a bipolar symmetry making it similar in appearance to more
common planetary nebulae - the gaseous shrouds surrounding dying
sun-like stars. Also like many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164 has been
found to have an extensive, faint halo, revealed in blue in this deep
telescopic image of the region. Expanding into the surrounding
interstellar medium, the material in the blue halo was likely expelled
from an earlier active phase of the O-star. NGC 6164 lies 4,200
light-years away in the southern constellation of the Carpenter's
Square (Norma).
Tomorrow's picture: all the way around
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Dec 27 02:32:22 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 27
The featured image shows two complete circular rainbows centered on a
mountainous island. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
A Full Circle Rainbow over Norway
Image Credit & Copyright: Lukas Moesch
Explanation: Have you ever seen an entire rainbow? From the ground,
typically, only the top portion of a rainbow is visible because
directions toward the ground have fewer raindrops. From the air,
though, the entire 360-degree circle of a rainbow is more commonly
visible. Pictured here, a full-circle rainbow was captured over the
Lofoten Islands of Norway in September by a drone passing through a
rain shower. An observer-dependent phenomenon primarily caused by the
internal reflection of sunlight by raindrops, the rainbow has a full
diameter of 84 degrees. The Sun is in the exact opposite direction from
the rainbow's center. As a bonus, a second rainbow that was more faint
and color-reversed was visible outside the first.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 28 05:41:08 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 28
Messier 88
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, U. Arizona
Explanation: Charles Messier described the 88th entry in his 18th
century catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters as a spiral nebula without
stars. Of course the gorgeous M88 is now understood to be a galaxy full
of stars, gas, and dust, not unlike our own Milky Way. In fact, M88 is
one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster some 50
million light-years away. M88's beautiful spiral arms are easy to trace
in this sharp cosmic portait. The arms are lined with young blue star
clusters, pink star-forming regions, and obscuring dust lanes extending
from a yellowish core dominated by an older population of stars. Spiral
galaxy M88 spans over 100,000 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Dec 29 00:23:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 29
Horsehead and Flame
Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Close
Explanation: The Horsehead Nebula, famous celestial dark marking also
known as Barnard 33, is notched against a background glow of emission
nebulae in this sharp cosmic skyscape. About five light-years "tall"
the Horsehead lies some 1,500 light-years away in the constellation of
Orion. Within the region's fertile molecular cloud complex, the expanse
of obscuring dust has a recognizable shape only by chance from our
perspective in the Milky Way though. Orion's easternmost belt star,
bright Alnitak, is to the left of center. Energetic ultraviolet light
from Alnitak powers the glow of dusty NGC 2024, the Flame Nebula, just
below it. Completing a study in cosmic contrasts, bluish reflection
nebula NGC 2023 is below the Horsehead itself. This well-framed
telescopic field spans about 3 full moons on the sky.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Dec 30 00:53:58 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 30
Mars and the Star Clusters
Image Credit & Copyright: Gabor Balazs
Explanation: At this year's end Mars still shines brightly in planet
Earth's night as it wanders through the head-strong constellation
Taurus. Its bright yellowish hue dominates this starry field of view
that includes Taurus' alpha star Aldebaran and the Hyades and Pleiades
star clusters. While red giant Aldebaran appears to anchor the V-shape
of the Hyades at the left of the frame, Aldebaran is not a member of
the Hyades star cluster. The Hyades cluster is 151 light-years away
making it the nearest established open star cluster, but Aldebaran lies
at less than half that distance, along the same line-of-sight. At the
right, some 400 light-years distant is the open star cluster cataloged
as Messier 45, also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. In Greek
myth, the Pleiades were daughters of the astronomical titan Atlas and
sea-nymph Pleione.
Tomorrow's picture: so nice, they named it twice
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Dec 31 22:00:34 2022
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2022 December 31
Moon over Makemake
Illustration Credit: Alex H. Parker (Southwest Research Institute)
Explanation: Makemake (sounds like MAH-kay MAH-kay), second brightest
dwarf planet of the Kuiper belt, has a moon. Nicknamed MK2, Makemake's
moon reflects sunlight with a charcoal-dark surface, about 1,300 times
fainter than its parent body. Still, in 2016 it was spotted in Hubble
Space Telescope observations intended to search for faint companions
with the same technique used to find the small satellites of Pluto.
Just as for Pluto and its satellites, further observations of Makemake
and orbiting moon will measure the system's mass and density and allow
a broader understanding of the distant worlds. About 160 kilometers
(100 miles) across compared to Makemake's 1,400 kilometer diameter,
MK2's relative size and contrast are shown in this artist's vision. An
imagined scene of an unexplored frontier of the Solar System, it looks
back from a spacecraft's vantage as the dim Sun shines along the Milky
Way. Of course, the Sun is over 50 times farther from Makemake than it
is from planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: planet Earth
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jan 1 00:11:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 1
The featured image shows several streaks on a dark background with a
pale blue dot in one of the streaks. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
The Largest Rock in our Solar System
Image Credit: NASA, Voyager 1 spacecraft
Explanation: There, that dot on the right, that's the largest rock
known in our Solar System. It is larger than every known asteroid,
moon, and comet nucleus. It is larger than any other local rocky
planet. This rock is so large its gravity makes it into a large ball
that holds heavy gases near its surface. (It used to be the largest
known rock of any type until the recent discoveries of large dense
planets orbiting other stars.) The Voyager 1 spacecraft took the
featured picture -- famously called Pale Blue Dot -- of this giant
space rock in 1990 from the outer Solar System. Today, this rock starts
another orbit around its parent star, for roughly the 5 billionth time,
spinning over 350 times during each trip. Happy Gregorian Calendar New
Year to all inhabitants of this rock we call Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: planets align
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jan 2 00:09:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 2
The featured image is a wide-angle image featuring a Turkish village in
the foreground and a sky containing off of planets in our Solar System
in the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
After Sunset Planet Parade
Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)
Explanation: Look up tonight and see a whole bunch of planets. Just
after sunset, looking west, planets Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars
will all be simultaneously visible. Listed west to east, this planetary
lineup will have Venus nearest the horizon, but setting shortly after
the Sun. It doesn't matter where on Earth you live because this early
evening planet parade will be visible through clear skies all around
the globe. Taken late last month, the featured image captured all of
these planets and more: the Moon and planet Mercury were also
simultaneously visible. Below visibility were the planets Neptune and
Uranus, making this a nearly all-planet panorama. In the foreground are
hills around the small village of G÷kte÷ren, Kas, Turkey, near the
Mediterranean coast. Bright stars Altair, Fomalhaut, and Aldebaran are
also prominent, as well as the Pleiades star cluster. Venus will rise
higher in the sky at sunset as January continues, but Saturn will
descend.
Tomorrow's picture: stars align
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jan 3 01:07:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 3
The featured image shows a line of bright stars strewn diagonally
across a starfield of more dim stars. A cluster of stars is also
visible near the top left of the image. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Kemble's Cascade of Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Tommy Lease
Explanation: This line of stars is real. A little too faint to see with
the unaided eye, Kemble's Cascade of stars inspires awe when seen with
binoculars. Like the Big Dipper though, Kemble's Cascade is an
asterism, not a constellation. The asterism is visible in the northern
sky toward the long-necked constellation of the Giraffe
(Camelopardalis). This string of about 20 unrelated stars, each of
similar brightness, spans over five times the angular width of the full
moon. Stretching diagonally from the upper left to the lower right,
Kemble's Cascade was popularized last century by astronomy enthusiast
Lucian Kemble. The bright object near the top left of the image is the
relatively compact Jolly Roger open cluster of stars, officially
designated as NGC 1502.
Tomorrow's picture: big appetite
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Jan 5 00:52:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 5
Messier 45: The Daughters of Atlas and Pleione
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefan Thrun
Explanation: Hurtling through a cosmic dust cloud a mere 400
light-years away, the lovely Pleiades or Seven Sisters open star
cluster is well-known for its striking blue reflection nebulae. It lies
in the night sky toward the constellation Taurus and the Orion Arm of
our Milky Way galaxy. The sister stars are not related to the dusty
cloud though. They just happen to be passing through the same region of
space. Known since antiquity as a compact grouping of stars, Galileo
first sketched the star cluster viewed through his telescope with stars
too faint to be seen by eye. Charles Messier recorded the position of
the cluster as the 45th entry in his famous catalog of things which are
not comets. In Greek myth, the Pleiades were seven daughters of the
astronomical titan Atlas and sea-nymph Pleione. Their parents names are
included in the cluster's nine brightest stars. This well-processed,
color-calibrated telescopic image features pin-point stars and detailed
filaments of interstellar dust captured in over 9 hours of exposure. It
spans more than 20 light-years across the Pleiades star cluster.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Jan 6 00:41:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 6
Moon O'Clock 2022
Image Credit & Copyright: Niveth Kumar
Explanation: The first Full Moon of 2023 is in the sky tonight opposite
the Sun at 23:08 UTC. Big and beautiful, the Moon at its brightest
phase should be easy to spot. Still, for quick reference images
captured near the times of all the full moons of 2022 are aranged in
this dedicated astro-imaging project from Sri Lanka, planet Earth. The
day, month, and a traditional popular name for 2022's twelve full moons
are given in the chart. The apparent size of each full moon depends on
how close the full lunar phase is to perigee or apogee, the closest or
farthest point in the Moon's elliptical orbit. Like the 2022 Wolf Moon
at the 1 o'clock position, tonight's Full Moon occurs within a about
two days of apogee. But unlike in 2022, the year 2023 will have 13 full
moons that won't all fit nicely on the twelve hour clock.
Tomorrow's picture: stations in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 7 00:37:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 7
Space Stations in Low Earth Orbit
Image Credit & Copyright: Zarcos Palma
Explanation: On January 3, two space stations already illuminated by
sunlight in low Earth orbit crossed this dark predawn sky. Moving west
to east (left to right) across the composited timelapse image China's
Tiangong Space Station traced the upper trail captured more than an
hour before the local sunrise. Seen against a starry background
Tiangong passes just below the inverted Big Dipper asterism of Ursa
Major near the peak of its bright arc, and above north pole star
Polaris. But less than five minutes before, the International Space
Station had traced its own sunlit streak across the dark sky. Its trail
begins just above the W-shape outlined by the bright stars of
Cassiopeia near the northern horizon. The dramatic foreground spans an
abandoned mine at Achada do Gamo in southeastern Portugal.
Tomorrow's picture: where you come from
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Jan 8 00:49:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 8
A version of the periodic table of the elements color-coded with where
each element is thought to have originated. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
Where Your Elements Came From
Image Credit & License: Wikipedia: Cmglee; Data: Jennifer Johnson (OSU)
Explanation: The hydrogen in your body, present in every molecule of
water, came from the Big Bang. There are no other appreciable sources
of hydrogen in the universe. The carbon in your body was made by
nuclear fusion in the interior of stars, as was the oxygen. Much of the
iron in your body was made during supernovas of stars that occurred
long ago and far away. The gold in your jewelry was likely made from
neutron stars during collisions that may have been visible as
short-duration gamma-ray bursts or gravitational wave events. Elements
like phosphorus and copper are present in our bodies in only small
amounts but are essential to the functioning of all known life. The
featured periodic table is color coded to indicate humanity's best
guess as to the nuclear origin of all known elements. The sites of
nuclear creation of some elements, such as copper, are not really well
known and are continuing topics of observational and computational
research.
Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: tails of a new comet
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All on Mon Jan 9 09:27:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 9
Tails of Comet ZTF
Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Francisco Hernßndez
Explanation: Comet ZTF may become visible to the unaided eye.
Discovered early last year, this massive snowball has been brightening
as it approaches the Sun and the Earth. C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be closest
to the Sun later this week, at which time it may become visible even
without binoculars to northern observers with a clear and dark sky. As
they near the Sun, comet brightnesses are notoriously hard to predict,
though. In the featured image taken last week in front of a picturesque
star field, three blue ion tails extend to the upper right, likely the
result of a variable solar wind on ions ejected by the icy comet
nucleus. The comet's white dust tail is visible to the upper left and
much shorter. The green glow is the comet's coma, caused by glowing
carbon gas. Comet ZTF is expected to pass nearest the Earth in early
February, after which it should dim dramatically.
Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: interstellar cone
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 10
A conical interstellar dust pillar is pictured. The pillar is mostly
brownish-red but surrounded by stars. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
NGC 2264: The Cone Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Matthew Dieterich
Explanation: Stars are forming in the gigantic dust pillar called the
Cone Nebula. Cones, pillars, and majestic flowing shapes abound in
stellar nurseries where clouds of gas and dust are sculpted by
energetic winds from newborn stars. The Cone Nebula, a well-known
example, lies within the bright galactic star-forming region NGC 2264.
The featured image of the Cone was captured recently combining 24-hours
of exposure with a half-meter telescope at the El Sauce Observatory in
Chile. Located about 2,500 light-years away toward the constellation of
the Unicorn (Monoceros), the Cone Nebula's conical pillar extends about
7 light-years. The massive star NGC 2264 IRS, is the likely source of
the wind sculpting the Cone Nebula and lies off the top of the image.
The Cone Nebula's reddish veil is produced by glowing hydrogen gas.
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Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 11
A green aurora is pictured above and beyond a dark rocky arch. Faint
stars dot the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Spiral Aurora over Iceland
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini
Explanation: The scene may look like a fantasy, but it's really
Iceland. The rock arch is named Gatklettur and located on the island's
northwest coast. Some of the larger rocks in the foreground span a
meter across. The fog over the rocks is really moving waves averaged
over long exposures. The featured image is a composite of several
foreground and background shots taken with the same camera and from the
same location on the same night last November. The location was picked
for its picturesque foreground, but the timing was planned for its
colorful background: aurora. The spiral aurora, far behind the arch,
was one of the brightest seen in the astrophotographer's life. The
coiled pattern was fleeting, though, as auroral patterns waved and
danced for hours during the cold night. Far in the background were the
unchanging stars, with Earth's rotation causing them to appear to
slowly circle the sky's northernmost point near Polaris.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Jan 12 00:39:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 12
Stardust in Perseus
Image Credit & Copyright: Jack Groves
Explanation: This cosmic expanse of dust, gas, and stars covers some 6
degrees on the sky in the heroic constellation Perseus. At upper left
in the gorgeous skyscape is the intriguing young star cluster IC 348
and neighboring Flying Ghost Nebula with clouds of obscuring
interstellar dust cataloged as Barnard 3 and 4. At right, another
active star forming region NGC 1333 is connected by dark and dusty
tendrils on the outskirts of the giant Perseus Molecular Cloud, about
850 light-years away. Other dusty nebulae are scattered around the
field of view, along with the faint reddish glow of hydrogen gas. In
fact, the cosmic dust tends to hide the newly formed stars and young
stellar objects or protostars from prying optical telescopes.
Collapsing due to self-gravity, the protostars form from the dense
cores embedded in the molecular cloud. At the molecular cloud's
estimated distance, this field of view would span over 90 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 13
Young Star Cluster NGC 346
Image Credit: Science - NASA, ESA, CSA, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido
De Marchi (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA)
Processing - Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Nolan Habel (USRA), Laura Lenkic
(USRA), Laurie E. U. Chu (NASA Ames)
Explanation: The most massive young star cluster in the Small
Magellanic Cloud is NGC 346, embedded in our small satellite galaxy's
largest star forming region some 210,000 light-years distant. Of course
the massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic. Their
winds and radiation sculpt the edges of the region's dusty molecular
cloud triggering star-formation within. The star forming region also
appears to contain a large population of infant stars. A mere 3 to 5
million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the
infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. This
spectacular infrared view of NGC 346 is from the James Webb Space
Telescope's NIRcam. Emission from atomic hydrogen ionized by the
massive stars' energetic radiation as well as and molecular hydrogen
and dust in the star-forming molecular cloud is detailed in pink and
orange hues. Webb's sharp image of the young star-forming region spans
240 light-years at the distance of the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 14
Perihelion Sun 2023
Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Ward (Barden Ridge Observatory)
Explanation: Perihelion for 2023, Earth's closest approach to the Sun,
was on January 4 at 16:17 UTC. That was less than 24 hours after this
sharp image of the Sun's disk was recorded with telescope and H-alpha
filter from Sidney, Australia, planet Earth. An H-alpha filter
transmits a characteristic red light from hydrogen atoms. In views of
the Sun it emphasizes the Sun's chromosphere, a region just above the
solar photosphere or normally visible solar surface. In this H-alpha
image of the increasingly active Sun planet-sized sunspot regions are
dominated by bright splotches called plages. Dark filaments of plasma
snaking across the solar disk transition to bright prominences when
seen above the solar limb.
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic crustacean
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All on Sun Jan 15 00:19:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 15
A messy array of colorful filaments is shown in front of a field of
stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
M1: The Crab Nebula from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, J. Hester, A. Loll (ASU)
Explanation: This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The
Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova seen in 1054 AD, is filled with
mysterious filaments. The filaments are not only tremendously complex,
but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova
and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The featured
image, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, is presented in three
colors chosen for scientific interest. The Crab Nebula spans about 10
light-years. In the nebula's very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star
as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab
Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second.
Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: Moon, enhanced
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 16
Earth's Moon is pictured but shown with exaggerated details and colors.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Moon Enhanced
Image Credit & Copyright: Darya Kawa Mirza
Explanation: Our Moon doesn't really look like this. Earth's Moon,
Luna, doesn't naturally show this rich texture, and its colors are more
subtle. But this digital creation is based on reality. The featured
image is a composite of multiple images and enhanced to bring up real
surface features. The enhancements, for example, show more clearly
craters that illustrate the tremendous bombardment our Moon has been
through during its 4.6-billion-year history. The dark areas, called
maria, have fewer craters and were once seas of molten lava.
Additionally, the image colors, although based on the moon's real
composition, are changed and exaggerated. Here, a blue hue indicates a
region that is iron rich, while orange indicates a slight excess of
aluminum. Although the Moon has shown the same side to the Earth for
billions of years, modern technology is allowing humanity to learn much
more about it -- and how it affects the Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: Andromeda, unexpected
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 17
A deep image of M31, the Andromeda galaxy, shows unexpected
oxygen-glowing arcs to its left. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Unexpected Clouds Toward the Andromeda Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Yann Sainty & Marcel Drechsler
Explanation: Why are there oxygen-emitting arcs near the direction of
the Andromeda galaxy? No one is sure. The gas arcs, shown in blue, were
discovered and first confirmed by amateur astronomers just last year.
The two main origin hypotheses for the arcs are that they really are
close to Andromeda (M31), or that they are just coincidentally placed
gas filaments in our Milky Way galaxy. Adding to the mystery is that
arcs were not seen in previous deep images of M31 taken primarily in
light emitted by hydrogen, and that other, more distant galaxies have
not been generally noted as showing similar oxygen-emitting structures.
Dedicated amateurs using commercial telescopes made this discovery
because, in part, professional telescopes usually investigate angularly
small patches of the night sky, whereas these arcs span several times
the angular size of the full moon. Future observations -- both in light
emitted by oxygen and by other elements -- are sure to follow.
Tomorrow's picture: JWST lensing
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 18
Distant galaxies appear as yellow blurry dots while a few nearby bright
stars appear in white and surrounded by spikes caused by diffraction.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
MACS0647: Gravitational Lensing of the Early Universe by Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Dan Coe (STScI), Rebecca Larson (UT),
Yu-Yang Hsiao (JHU); Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI); Text: Michael
Rutkowski (Minn. St. U. Mankato)
Explanation: Gravitational lensing by the galaxy cluster MACS0647 -- in
which the massive foreground cluster distorts and lenses the light
emitted by distant background galaxies along the line of sight -- is on
vivid display here in this recent multi-color infrared image from the
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In particular, the background source
MACS0647-JD is seen to be lensed three times by the cluster. When first
discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope, MACS0647-JD was observed as
an amorphous blob. With Webb though, this single source is revealed to
be a pair or small group of galaxies. The colors of the MACS0647-JD
objects are different as well -- indicating differences potentially in
the age or dust content of these galaxies. These new images provide
rare examples of galaxies in an era only a few 100 million years after
the Big Bang.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 19
The Seagull Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Taylor
Explanation: A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a
bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its
popular moniker - The Seagull Nebula. Using narrowband image data, this
3-panel mosaic of the cosmic bird covers a 2.5 degree swath across the
plane of the Milky Way, near the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the
constellation Canis Major. Likely part of a larger shell structure
swept up by successive supernova explosions, the broad Seagull Nebula
is cataloged as Sh2-296 and IC 2177. The prominent bluish arc below and
right of center is a bow shock from runaway star FN Canis Majoris. This
complex of gas and dust clouds with other stars of the Canis Majoris
OB1 association spans over 200 light-years at the Seagull Nebula's
estimated 3,800 light-year distance.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 20
Galaxy Wars: M81 and M82
Image Credit & Copyright: Andreas Aufschnaiter
Explanation: The two dominant galaxies near center are far far away, 12
million light-years distant toward the northern constellation of the
Great Bear. On the right, with grand spiral arms and bright yellow core
is spiral galaxy M81. Also known as Bode's galaxy, M81 spans some
100,000 light-years. On the left is cigar-shaped irregular galaxy M82.
The pair have been locked in gravitational combat for a billion years.
Gravity from each galaxy has profoundly affected the other during a
series of cosmic close encounters. Their last go-round lasted about 100
million years and likely raised density waves rippling around M81,
resulting in the richness of M81's spiral arms. M82 was left with
violent star forming regions and colliding gas clouds so energetic that
the galaxy glows in X-rays. In the next few billion years, their
continuing gravitational encounters will result in a merger, and a
single galaxy will remain. This extragalactic scenario also includes
other members of the interacting M81 galaxy group with NGC 3077 below
and right of the large spiral, and NGC 2976 at upper right in the
frame. Captured under dark night skies in the Austrian Alps, the
foreground of the wide-field image is filled with integrated flux
nebulae. Those faint, dusty interstellar clouds reflect starlight above
the plane of our own Milky Way galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 21
Naked-eye Comet ZTF
Image Credit & Copyright: `scar Martyn Mesonero (Organizaci<n
Salmantina de la Astronßutica y el Espacio)
Explanation: Comet C/2022E3 (ZTF) is no longer too dim to require a
telescope for viewing. By January 19, it could just be seen with the
naked eye in this rural sky with little light pollution from a location
about 20 kilometers from Salamanca, Spain. Still, telescopic images are
needed to show any hint of the comet's pretty green coma, stubby
whitish dust tail, and long ion tail. Its faint ion tail has been
buffeted by recent solar activity. This visitor from the distant Oort
cloud rounded the Sun on January 12. and is now sweeping through stars
near the northern boundary of the constellation Bootes. Outward bound
but still growing brighter, Comet ZTF makes its closest approach on
February 2, coming to within about 2.4 light-minutes of our fair
planet.
Tomorrow's picture: in green company
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All on Sun Jan 22 01:59:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 22
A person stands on a steep snow-covered hill with their arms raised. In
the distance green aurora are visible. Past that stars are visible.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
In Green Company: Aurora over Norway
Image Credit & Copyright: Max Rive
Explanation: Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those
instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the
third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only
cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went
high in the air, patience and experience paid off, and the creative
featured image was captured as a composite from three separate
exposures. The setting is a summit of the Austnesfjorden fjord close to
the town of Svolvear on the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. The
time was early 2014. Although our Sun passed the solar minimum of its
11-year cycle only a few years ago, surface activity is picking up and
already triggering more spectacular auroras here on Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: dueling galaxies
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 23
Two spiral galaxies are shown right next to each other, with a smaller
distorted galaxy on the far left. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 274
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Mehmet Hakan
.zsarat
Explanation: Two galaxies are squaring off in Virgo and here are the
latest pictures. When two galaxies collide, the stars that compose them
usually do not. This is because galaxies are mostly empty space and,
however bright, stars only take up only a small fraction of that space.
But during the collision, one galaxy can rip the other apart
gravitationally, and dust and gas common to both galaxies does collide.
If the two galaxies merge, black holes that likely resided in each
galaxy center may eventually merge. Because the distances are so large,
the whole thing takes place in slow motion -- over hundreds of millions
of years. Besides the two large spiral galaxies, a smaller third galaxy
is visible on the far left of the featured image of Arp 274, also known
as NGC 5679. Arp 274 spans about 200,000 light years across and lies
about 400 million light years away toward the constellation of Virgo.
Night Sky Network webinar: APOD editor to review best space images of
2022
Tomorrow's picture: a world away
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All on Tue Jan 24 00:16:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 24
An illustration showing the surface of a planet that has red lava flows
and dark cliffs. A red star is seen in the background. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
LHS 475 b: Earth-Sized Exoplanet
Illustration Credit: DeepAI's Fantasy World Generator
Explanation: If you could stand on exoplanet LHS 475 b, what might you
see? No one knows for sure but pictured here is an interesting guess
made by an Earth-based artificial intelligence (AI) engine. The
existence of the exoplanet was indicated in data taken by the
Earth-orbiting TESS satellite but confirmed and further investigated
only this year by the near-Earth Sun-orbiting James Webb Space
Telescope. What is known for sure is that LHS 475 b has a mass very
similar to our Earth and closely orbits a small red star about 40 light
years away. The featured AI-illustrated guess depicts a plausibly
rugged Earth-like landscape replete with molten lava and with the
central red star rising in the distance. Webb data does not as yet
reveal, however, whether LHS 475 b has an atmosphere. One of Webb's
science objectives is to follow up previous discoveries of distant
exoplanets to better discern their potential for developing life.
Comet ZTF Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: a dark space
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From
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All on Wed Jan 25 00:11:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 25
An image of a foreboding dark nebula before a red-glowing gas
background and many bright and colorful stars. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
LDN 1622: The Boogeyman Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Joshua Carter
Explanation: To some, the dark shape looks like a mythical boogeyman.
Scientifically, Lynds' Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622 appears against a faint
background of glowing hydrogen gas only visible in long telescopic
exposures of the region. In contrast, the brighter reflection nebula
vdB 62 is more easily seen just above and to the right of center in the
featured image. LDN 1622 lies near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy,
close on the sky to Barnard's Loop, a large cloud surrounding the rich
complex of emission nebulae found in the Belt and Sword of Orion. With
swept-back outlines, the obscuring dust of LDN 1622 is thought to lie
at a similar distance, perhaps 1,500 light-years away. At that
distance, this 2-degree wide field of view would span about 60
light-years. Young stars do lie hidden within the dark expanse and have
been revealed in Spitzer Space Telescope infrared images.
Tomorrow's picture: wild and crazy
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From
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All on Thu Jan 26 00:06:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 26
Active Galaxy NGC 1275
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage, A. Fabian (University of
Cambridge, UK)
Explanation: Active galaxy NGC 1275 is the central, dominant member of
the large and relatively nearby Perseus Cluster of Galaxies.
Wild-looking at visible wavelengths, the active galaxy is also a
prodigious source of x-rays and radio emission. NGC 1275 accretes
matter as entire galaxies fall into it, ultimately feeding a
supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core. This color composite
image made from Hubble Space Telescope data recorded during 2006. It
highlights the resulting galactic debris and filaments of glowing gas,
some up to 20,000 light-years long. The filaments persist in NGC 1275,
even though the turmoil of galactic collisions should destroy them.
What keeps the filaments together? Observations indicate that the
structures, pushed out from the galaxy's center by the black hole's
activity, are held together by magnetic fields. Also known as Perseus
A, NGC 1275 spans over 100,000 light years and lies about 230 million
light years away.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 27
Comet ZTF: Orbital Plane Crossing
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: The current darling of the northern night, Comet C/2022 E3
ZTF is captured in this telescopic image from a dark sky location at
June Lake, California. Of course Comet ZTF has been growing brighter in
recent days, headed for its closest approach to Earth on February 1.
But this view was recorded on January 23, very close to the time planet
Earth crossed the orbital plane of long-period Comet ZTF. The comet's
broad, whitish dust tail is still curved and fanned out away from the
Sun as Comet ZTF sweeps along its orbit. Due to perspective near the
orbital plane crossing, components of the fanned out dust tail appear
on both sides of the comet's green tinted coma though, to lend Comet
ZTF a visually striking (left) anti-tail. Buffeted by solar activity
the comet's narrower ion tail also streams away from the coma
diagonally to the right, across the nearly three degree wide field of
view.
Tomorrow's picture: over the mountain
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From
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All on Sun Jan 29 00:02:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 29
A dark comma-shaped cloud appears in the middle of a dense field of
stars. No stars are visible through the center of the cloud. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
Barnard 68: Dark Molecular Cloud
Image Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO
Explanation: Where did all the stars go? What used to be considered a
hole in the sky is now known to astronomers as a dark molecular cloud.
Here, a high concentration of dust and molecular gas absorb practically
all the visible light emitted from background stars. The eerily dark
surroundings help make the interiors of molecular clouds some of the
coldest and most isolated places in the universe. One of the most
notable of these dark absorption nebulae is a cloud toward the
constellation Ophiuchus known as Barnard 68, pictured here. That no
stars are visible in the center indicates that Barnard 68 is relatively
nearby, with measurements placing it about 500 light-years away and
half a light-year across. It is not known exactly how molecular clouds
like Barnard 68 form, but it is known that these clouds are themselves
likely places for new stars to form. In fact, Barnard 68 itself has
been found likely to collapse and form a new star system. It is
possible to look right through the cloud in infrared light.
Postcards from the Universe 2022: APOD Year in Review
Tomorrow's picture: bright marking on the sky
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From
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All on Mon Jan 30 00:19:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 30
A ball of stars containing thousands of stars is shown with mostly
light colored stars but with some stars having vibrant colors. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
Globular Star Cluster NGC 6355 from Hubble
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, E. Noyola, R. Cohen
Explanation: Globular clusters once ruled the Milky Way. Back in the
old days, back when our Galaxy first formed, perhaps thousands of
globular clusters roamed our Galaxy. Today, there are less than 200
left. Over the eons, many globular clusters were destroyed by repeated
fateful encounters with each other or the Galactic center. Surviving
relics are older than any Earth fossil, older than any other structures
in our Galaxy, and limit the universe itself in raw age. There are few,
if any, young globular clusters left in our Milky Way Galaxy because
conditions are not ripe for more to form. The featured image shows a
Hubble Space Telescope view of 13-billion year old NGC 6355, a
surviving globular cluster currently passing near the Milky Way's
center. Globular cluster stars are concentrated toward the image center
and highlighted by bright blue stars. Most other stars in the frame are
dimmer, redder, and just coincidently lie near the direction to NGC
6355.
Tomorrow's picture: tails tales
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All on Tue Jan 31 01:10:38 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 January 31
Comet ZTF is shown high above and far beyond a row of silhouetted
trees. The top inset image shows how the comet looked through
binoculars, while the lower inset image shows how the comet looked,
last week, thought a small telescope. The lower inset image clearly
shows the comets coma, dust tail, ion tail, and a noticeable antitail.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
A Triple View of Comet ZTF
Image Credit & Copyright: Javier Caldera & Miguel Gracia
Explanation: Comet ZTF has a distinctive shape. The now bright comet
visiting the inner Solar System has been showing not only a common dust
tail, ion tail, and green gas coma, but also an uncommonly distinctive
antitail. The antitail does not actually lead the comet -- it is just
that the head of the comet is seen superposed on part of the fanned-out
and trailing dust tail. The giant dirty snowball that is Comet C/2022
E3 (ZTF) has now passed its closest to the Sun and tomorrow will pass
its closest to the Earth. The main panel of the featured triple image
shows how Comet ZTF looked last week to the unaided eye under a dark
and clear sky over Cßceres, Spain. The top inset image shows how the
comet looked through binoculars, while the lower inset shows how the
comet looked through a small telescope. The comet is now visible all
night long from northern latitudes but will surely fade from easy
observation during the next few weeks.
Comet ZTF Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: planets real and imagined
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All on Wed Feb 1 00:21:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 1
An illustration showing what it might be like to look from the seventh
planet out from the star Trappist 1. A pillar of ice and rock stands in
a snow and ice covered landscape. A star surrounded by six planets
hangs high in the sky. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
The Seventh World of Trappist-1
Illustration Credit & Copyright: Michael Carroll
Explanation: Seven worlds orbit the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. A
mere 40 light-years away, many of the exoplanets were discovered in
2016 using the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope
(TRAPPIST) located in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and later
confirmed with telescope including NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The
TRAPPIST-1 planets are likely all rocky and similar in size to Earth,
and so compose one of the largest treasure troves of terrestrial
planets ever detected around a single star. Because they orbit very
close to their faint, tiny star they could also have regions where
surface temperatures allow for the presence of ice or even liquid
water, a key ingredient for life. Their tantalizing proximity to Earth
makes them prime candidates for future telescopic explorations of the
atmospheres of potentially habitable planets. All seven exoplanets
appear in the featured illustration, which imagines a view from the
most distant known world of this system, TRAPPIST-1h, as having a rocky
landscape covered in ice. Meanwhile, in the imagined background, one of
the system's inner planets crosses in front of the dim, orange, nearly
Jupiter-sized parent star.
Astrophysicists: Browse 3,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Feb 2 00:10:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 2
Reflections on the 1970s
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern
Explanation: The 1970s are sometimes ignored by astronomers, like this
beautiful grouping of reflection nebulae in Orion - NGC 1977, NGC 1975,
and NGC 1973 - usually overlooked in favor of the substantial glow from
the nearby stellar nursery better known as the Orion Nebula. Found
along Orion's sword just north of the bright Orion Nebula complex,
these reflection nebulae are also associated with Orion's giant
molecular cloud about 1,500 light-years away, but are dominated by the
characteristic blue color of interstellar dust reflecting light from
hot young stars. In this sharp color image a portion of the Orion
Nebula appears along the bottom border with the cluster of reflection
nebulae at picture center. NGC 1977 stretches across the field just
below center, separated from NGC 1973 (above right) and NGC 1975 (above
left) by dark regions laced with faint red emission from hydrogen
atoms. Taken together, the dark regions suggest the region's popular
moniker, the Running Man Nebula. At the estimated distance of Orion's
dusty molecular cloud this running man would be about 15 light-years
across.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 3
Polaris and the Trail of Comet ZTF
Image Credit & Copyright: David Ibarra Gomez
Explanation: Stars trace concentric arcs around the North Celestial
Pole in this three hour long night sky composite, recorded with a
digital camera fixed to a tripod on January 31, near `ger, Lleida,
Spain. On that date Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was near its northernmost
declination in planet Earth's sky. That put the comet about 10 degrees
from Earth's North Celestial Pole making the comet's position
circumpolar, always above the horizon, from all locations on planet
Earth at more than 10 degrees northern latitude. In the startrail
image, the extension of Earth's axis of rotation into space is at the
left. North star Polaris traces the short, bright, concentric arc less
than a degree from the North Celestial Pole. The trail of Comet ZTF is
indicated at the right, its apparent motion mostly reflecting Earth's
rotation like the stars. But heading for its closest approach to planet
Earth on February 1, the comet is also moving significantly with
respect to the background stars. The diffuse greenish trail of Comet
ZTF is an almost concentric arc mingled with startrails as it sweeps
through the long-necked constellation Camelopardalis.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 4
NGC 2626 along the Vela Molecular Ridge
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby & Mark Hanson
Explanation: Centered in this colorful cosmic canvas, NGC 2626 is a
beautiful, bright, blue reflection nebula in the southern Milky Way.
Next to an obscuring dust cloud and surrounded by reddish hydrogen
emission from large H II region RCW 27 it lies within a complex of
dusty molecular clouds known as the Vela Molecular Ridge. NGC 2626 is
itself a cloud of interstellar dust reflecting blue light from the
young hot embedded star visible within the nebula. But astronomical
explorations reveal many other young stars and associated nebulae in
the star-forming region. NGC 2626 is about 3,200 light-years away. At
that distance this telescopic field of view would span about 30
light-years along the Vela Molecular Ridge.
Tomorrow's picture: moon by planetlight
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All on Mon Feb 6 01:20:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 6
A cluster of stars is seen in the evacuated center of a nebula of gas
and dust. Intricate dust pillars occur at both the top and bottom of
the image. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
In the Heart of the Rosette Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Lyman Insley
Explanation: In the heart of the Rosette Nebula lies a bright cluster
of stars that lights up the nebula. The stars of NGC 2244 formed from
the surrounding gas only a few million years ago. The featured image
taken in mid-January using multiple exposures and very specific colors
of Sulfur (shaded red), Hydrogen (green), and Oxygen (blue), captures
the central region in tremendous detail. A hot wind of particles
streams away from the cluster stars and contributes to an already
complex menagerie of gas and dust filaments while slowly evacuating the
cluster center. The Rosette Nebula's center measures about 50
light-years across, lies about 5,200 light-years away, and is visible
with binoculars towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros).
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: double dipper comet
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All on Tue Feb 7 00:29:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 7
The featured image shows Comet ZTF with a long tail between two famous
star asterisms: the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. The image depicts
the Little Dipper near the top of the image, and the Big Dipper near
the bottom. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
A Comet and Two Dippers
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation: Can you still see the comet? Yes. Even as C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
fades, there is still time to see it if you know where and when to
look. Geometrically, Comet ZTF has passed its closest to both the Sun
and the Earth and is now headed back to the outer Solar System. Its
orbit around the Sun has it gliding across the northern sky all month,
after passing near Polaris and both the Big and Little Dippers last
month. Pictured, Comet ZTF was photographed between the two dippers in
late January while sporting an ion tail that extended over 10 degrees.
Now below naked-eye visibility, Comet ZTF can be found with binoculars
or a small telescope and a good sky map. A good time to see the comet
over the next week is after the Sun sets -- but before the Moon rises.
The comet will move nearly in front of Mars in a few days
Comet ZTF Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: wind star
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All on Wed Feb 8 00:07:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 8
A red oval and textured nebula is seen surrounded by a faint blue glow.
A bright star is visible in the center, and many faint stars are
visible in the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Stellar Wind-Shaped Nebula RCW 58
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby & Mark Hanson; Text: Natalia
Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)
Explanation: Imagine traveling to a star about 100 times as massive as
our Sun, a million times more luminous, and with 30 times the surface
temperature. Such stars exist, and some are known as Wolf Rayet (WR)
stars, named after French astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet.
The central star in this image is WR 40 which is located toward the
constellation of Carina. Stars like WR 40 live fast and die young in
comparison with the Sun. They quickly exhaust their core hydrogen
supply, move on to fusing heavier core elements, and expand while
ejecting their outer layers via high stellar winds. In this case, the
central star WR 40 ejects the atmosphere at a speed of nearly 100
kilometers per second, and these outer layers have become the expanding
oval-shaped nebula RCW 58.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 9
Nacreous Clouds over Lapland
Image Credit & Copyright: Dennis Lehtonen
Explanation: Vivid and lustrous, wafting iridescent waves of color wash
across this skyscape from KilpisjSrvi, Finland. Known as nacreous
clouds or mother-of-pearl clouds, they are rare. But their
unforgettable appearance was captured looking south at 69 degrees north
latitude at sunset on January 24. A type of polar stratospheric cloud,
they form when unusually cold temperatures in the usually cloudless
lower stratosphere form ice crystals. Still sunlit at altitudes of
around 15 to 25 kilometers, the clouds can diffract sunlight even after
sunset and just before the dawn.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 10
ZTF meets ATLAS
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefan Bemmerl
Explanation: Fading as it races across planet Earth's northern skies
comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) shares this telescopic frame with comet C/2022 U2
(ATLAS). Captured on the night of February 6 from a garden observatory
in Germany's Bavarian Forest, the starry field of view toward the
constellation Auriga spans about 2.5 degrees. Discovered by sky survey
projects in 2022 (the Zwicky Transient Facility and the Asteroid
Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) these long-period comets are
outbound, reaching perihelion just last month. The much fainter comet
ATLAS made its closest approach to our fair planet on January 29 at a
distance of about 4.6 light-minutes, compared to a mere 2.4
light-minutes for comet ZTF on February 2. This comet ATLAS lacks the
well-developed tails of the formerly naked-eye comet ZTF. But both
comets sport greenish tinted comas, emission from diatomic carbon
molecules fluorescing in sunlight. Continuing its dash across planet
Earth's sky, the good-binocular comet ZTF will appear close to bright
planet Mars tonight.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sun Feb 12 05:10:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 12
An unremarkable red building is seen past a large parking lot. Above
them both are a bank of very unusual clouds with many nodules pointing
down. The scene is lit by sunlight from the side. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Mammatus Clouds over Nebraska
Image Credit & Copyright: Jorn Olsen Photography
Explanation: When do cloud bottoms appear like bubbles? Normally, cloud
bottoms are flat. This is because moist warm air that rises and cools
will condense into water droplets at a specific temperature, which
usually corresponds to a very specific height. As water droplets grow,
an opaque cloud forms. Under some conditions, however, cloud pockets
can develop that contain large droplets of water or ice that fall into
clear air as they evaporate. Such pockets may occur in turbulent air
near a thunderstorm. Resulting mammatus clouds can appear especially
dramatic if sunlit from the side. The mammatus clouds pictured here
were photographed over Hastings, Nebraska during 2004 June.
Tomorrow's picture: airglow chateau
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From
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All on Mon Feb 13 00:46:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 13
A deep starfield features an orange planet Mars on the left and a
green-headed Comet ZTF on the right. In the foreground is a landscape
that includes the top of a famous mountain known as the Matterhorn.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Comet ZTF and Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Donato Lioce
Explanation: No, Comet ZTF is not going to hit Mars. Nicknamed the
Green Comet for its bright green coma, C/2022 E3 (ZTF) did, however,
pass almost in front of the much-more distant planet a few days ago,
very near in time to when the featured picture was taken. The two sky
icons were here captured behind a famous Earth icon -- the Matterhorn,
a mountain in the Italian Alps with a picturesque peak. Both the
foreground and background images were taken on the same evening by the
same camera and from the same location. The comet's white dust tail is
visible to the right of the green coma, while the light blue ion tail
trails towards the top of the image. Orange Mars is well in front of
the numerous background stars as well as the dark nebula Barnard 22 to
its lower right. Although Mars remains visible in the evening sky for
the next few months, Comet ZTF has already begun to fade as it returns
to the outer Solar System.
Comet ZTF Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: heart and soul
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From
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All on Tue Feb 14 00:45:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 14
Two red emission nebulas are shown in front of a dark but colorful
starfield. The Soul Nebula is on the lower left, while the Heart Nebula
is on the upper right. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
The Heart and Soul Nebulas
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Lozano de Haro
Explanation: Is the heart and soul of our Galaxy located in Cassiopeia?
Possibly not, but that is where two bright emission nebulas nicknamed
Heart and Soul can be found. The Heart Nebula, officially dubbed IC
1805 and visible in the featured image on the upper right, has a shape
reminiscent of a classical heart symbol. The shape is perhaps fitting
for Valentine's Day. The Soul Nebula is officially designated IC 1871
and is visible on the lower left. Both nebulas shine brightly in the
red light of energized hydrogen, one of three colors shown in this
three-color montage. Light takes about 6,000 years to reach us from
these nebulas, which together span roughly 300 light years. Studies of
stars and clusters like those found in the Heart and Soul nebulas have
focused on how massive stars form and how they affect their
environment.
Tomorrow's picture: airglow chateau
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From
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All on Wed Feb 15 11:27:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 15
The sky over a picturesque chateau in France is shown featuring
colorful airglow all around. Identifiable in the background night sky
are objects that include the Orion Nebula, Sirius, Mars, and an arching
band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Airglow Sky over France
Image Credit & Copyright: Julien Looten
Explanation: This unusual sky was both familiar and unfamiliar. The
photographer's mission was to capture the arch of the familiar central
band of our Milky Way Galaxy over a picturesque medieval manor. The
surprise was that on this January evening, the foreground sky was found
glowing in a beautiful but unfamiliar manner. The striped bands are
called airglow and they result from air high in Earth's atmosphere
being excited by the Sun's light and emitting a faint light of its own.
The bands cross the entire sky -- their curved appearance is due to the
extremely wide angle of the camera lens. In the foreground lies ChCteau
de Losse in southwest France. Other familiar sky delights dot the
distant background including the bright white star Sirius, the orange
planet Mars, the blue Pleiades star cluster, the red California Nebula,
and, on the far right, the extended Andromeda Galaxy. The initial
mission was also successful: across the top of the frame is the arching
band of our Milky Way.
What if: ChatGPT rewrote this text in the style of Shakespeare, Carl
Sagan, or Scotty from Star Trek?
Tomorrow's picture: or Edgar Allen Poe
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From
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All on Thu Feb 16 00:26:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 16
The Hydra Cluster of Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi, Angus Lau, Tommy Tse
Text: ChatGPT (apologies to Edgar Allen Poe)
Explanation:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
O'er volumes of astronomy and forgotten lore,
I stumbled upon this snapshot, cosmic and eerie,
A sight that filled my heart with awe and more.
Two stars, like sentinels, anchored the foreground,
Of our Milky Way galaxy, a sight to behold,
Beyond them, a cluster of Hydra, galaxies abound,
100 million light-years away, a story to be told.
Three large galaxies, ellipticals and a spiral blue,
Dominant and grand, each 150,000 light-years wide,
But it was the overlapping pair that caught my view,
Cataloged as NGC 3314, a sight I cannot hide.
Abell 1060, the Hydra galaxy cluster's name,
One of three large galaxy clusters close to our Milky Way,
A universe bound by gravity, a celestial game,
Where clusters align over larger scales, I cannot sway.
At a distance of 100 million light-years, this snapshot's size,
1.3 million light-years across, a cosmic delight,
A momentary glimpse into the universe's guise,
But even this shall fade, and be nevermore in sight.
Tomorrow's picture: formerly 2023 CX1
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From
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All on Fri Feb 17 02:50:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 17
2023 CX1 Meteor Flash
Image Credit & Copyright: Gijs de Reijke
Explanation: While scanning the skies for near earth objects Hungarian
astronomer Krisztißn Sßrneczky first imaged the meter-sized space rock
now cataloged as 2023 CX1 on 12 February 2023 at 20:18:07 UTC. That was
about 7 hours before it impacted planet Earth's atmosphere. Its
predicted trajectory created a rare opportunity for meteor observers
and a last minute plan resulted in this spectacular image of the
fireball, captured from the Netherlands as 2023 CX1 vaporized and broke
up over northern France. Remarkably it was Sßrneczky's second discovery
of an impacting asteroid, while 2023 CX1 is only the seventh asteroid
to be detected before being successfully predicted to impact Earth. It
has recently become the third such object from which meteorites have
been recovered. This fireball was witnessed almost 10 years to the day
following the infamous Chelyabinsk Meteor flash.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sat Feb 18 00:06:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 18
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365 from Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Janice Lee (NOIRLab) - Processing: Alyssa
Pagan (STScI)
Explanation: A mere 56 million light-years distant toward the southern
constellation Fornax, NGC 1365 is an enormous barred spiral galaxy
about 200,000 light-years in diameter. That's twice the size of our own
barred spiral Milky Way. This sharp image from the James Webb Space
Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals stunning details of
this magnificent spiral in infrared light. Webb's field of view
stretches about 60,000 light-years across NGC 1365, exploring the
galaxy's core and bright newborn star clusters. The intricate network
of dusty filaments and bubbles is created by young stars along spiral
arms winding from the galaxy's central bar. Astronomers suspect the
gravity field of NGC 1365's bar plays a crucial role in the galaxy's
evolution, funneling gas and dust into a star-forming maelstrom and
ultimately feeding material into the active galaxy's central,
supermassive black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: seven siblings from WISE
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From
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All on Sun Feb 19 00:06:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 19
The field of filamentary dust is shown with different sections showing
different colors. Stars dot the background. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
Seven Dusty Sisters in Infrared
Image Credit: NASA, WISE, IRSA, Processing & Copyright : Francesco
Antonucci
Explanation: Is this really the famous Pleiades star cluster? Known for
its iconic blue stars, the Pleiades is shown here in infrared light
where the surrounding dust outshines the stars. Here three infrared
colors have been mapped into visual colors (R=24, G=12, B=4.6 microns).
The base images were taken by NASA's orbiting Wide Field Infrared
Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft. Cataloged as M45 and nicknamed the
Seven Sisters, the Pleiades star cluster is by chance situated in a
passing dust cloud. The light and winds from the massive Pleiades stars
preferentially repel smaller dust particles, causing the dust to become
stratified into filaments, as seen. The featured image spans about 20
light years at the distance of the Pleiades, which lies about 450 light
years distant toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus).
Tomorrow's picture: stars and streaks
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From
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All on Mon Feb 20 02:37:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 20
A ball of yellow stars is seen to the right of blue-glowing gas
filaments. Other blue filaments and foreground stars cover the frame.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
NGC 1850: Not Found in the Milky Way
Image Credit: NASA, ESA and P. Goudfrooij (STScI); Processing: M. H.
.zsarat (T³rkiye Astronomi Dernegi)
Explanation: There is nothing like this ball of stars in our Milky Way
Galaxy. This is surprising because, at first glance, this featured
image by the Hubble Space Telescope suggests that star cluster NGC
1850's size and shape are reminiscent of the many ancient globular star
clusters which roam our own Milky Way Galaxy's halo. But NGC 1850's
stars are all too young, making it a type of star cluster with no known
counterpart in the Milky Way. Moreover, NGC 1850 is also a double star
cluster, with a second, compact cluster of stars visible here just to
the right of the large cluster's center. Stars in the large cluster are
estimated to be 50 million years young, while stars in the compact
cluster are younger still, with an age of about 4 million years. A mere
168,000 light-years distant, NGC 1850 is located near the outskirts of
the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy. The glowing gas filaments across the
image left, like supernova remnants in our own galaxy, testify to
violent stellar explosions and indicate that short-lived massive stars
have recently been present in the region.
Tomorrow's picture: double falls
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From
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All on Tue Feb 21 00:22:24 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 21
A comet with a green head and extended tails is seen above a high water
fall. In the night sky field just above the falls, an orange dot -- the
star Kochab -- is visible. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Comet ZTF over Yosemite Falls
Image Credit & Copyright: Tara Mostofi
Explanation: They are both falling. The water in Yosemite Falls,
California, USA, is falling toward the Earth. Comet ZTF is falling
toward the Sun. This double cosmic cascade was captured late last month
as fading Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) had just passed its closest to planet
Earth. The orange star just over the falls is Kochab. With the
exception of a brief encounter with a black bear, the featured image
was a well-planned composite of a moonlit-foreground and long-duration
background exposures - all designed to reconstruct a deep version of an
actual single sight. Although Comet ZTF is now fading as it glides back
to the outer Solar System, its path is determined by gravity and so it
can be considered to still be falling toward the Sun -- but backwards.
Comet ZTF Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: a surprisingly busy sun
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From
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All on Wed Feb 22 00:51:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 22
The Sun is pictured in a color that allows high detail. The large
orange ball has several bright streaks and a carpet-like texture.
Several prominences are visible around the edges. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Our Increasingly Active Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Mehmet Erg³n
Explanation: Our Sun is becoming a busy place. Only two years ago, the
Sun was emerging from a solar minimum so quiet that months would go by
without even a single sunspot. In contrast, already this year and well
ahead of schedule, our Sun is unusually active, already nearing solar
activity levels seen a decade ago during the last solar maximum. Our
increasingly active Sun was captured two weeks ago sporting numerous
interesting features. The image was recorded in a single color of light
called Hydrogen Alpha, color-inverted, and false colored. Spicules
carpet much of the Sun's face. The brightening towards the Sun's edges
is caused by increased absorption of relatively cool solar gas and
called limb darkening. Just outside the Sun's disk, several
scintillating prominences protrude, while prominences on the Sun's face
are known as filaments and show as light streaks. Magnetically tangled
active regions are both dark and light and contain cool sunspots. As
our Sun's magnetic field winds toward solar maximum over the next few
years, whether the Sun's high activity will continue to increase is
unknown.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Feb 23 01:47:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 23
Arp 78: Peculiar Galaxy in Aries
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis
Explanation: Peculiar spiral galaxy Arp 78 is found within the
boundaries of the head strong constellation Aries. Some 100 million
light-years beyond the stars and nebulae of our Milky Way galaxy, the
island universe is an enormous 200,000 light-years across. Also known
as NGC 772, it sports a prominent, outer spiral arm in this detailed
cosmic portrait. Tracking along sweeping dust lanes and lined with
young blue star clusters, Arp 78's overdeveloped spiral arm is
pumped-up by galactic-scale gravitational tides. Interactions with its
brightest companion galaxy, the more compact NGC 770 seen above and
right of the larger spiral, are likely responsible. Embedded in faint
star streams revealed in the deep telescopic exposure, NGC 770's fuzzy,
elliptical appearance contrasts nicely with spiky foreground Milky Way
stars in matching yellowish hues.
Tomorrow's picture: beyond Jones-Emberson 1
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From
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All on Fri Feb 24 01:21:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 24
Jones-Emberson 1
Image Credit & Copyright: Serge Brunier, Jean-Frantois Bax, David
Vernet, C2PU/OCA
Explanation: Planetary nebula Jones-Emberson 1 is the death shroud of a
dying Sun-like star. It lies some 1,600 light-years from Earth toward
the sharp-eyed constellation Lynx. About 4 light-years across, the
expanding remnant of the dying star's atmosphere was shrugged off into
interstellar space, as the star's central supply of hydrogen and then
helium for fusion was finally depleted after billions of years. Visible
near the center of the planetary nebula is what remains of the stellar
core, a blue-hot white dwarf star. Also known as PK 164 +31.1, the
nebula is faint and very difficult to glimpse at a telescope's
eyepiece. But this deep broadband image combining 22 hours of exposure
time does show it off in exceptional detail. Stars within our own Milky
Way galaxy as well as background galaxies across the universe are
scattered through the clear field of view. Ephemeral on the cosmic
stage, Jones-Emberson 1 will fade away over the next few thousand
years. Its hot, central white dwarf star will take billions of years to
cool.
Tomorrow's picture: moonset
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All on Sat Feb 25 00:20:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 25
Crescent Moon Occultation
Image Credit & Copyright: Fefo Bouvier
Explanation: On February 22, a young Moon shared the western sky at
sunset with bright planets Venus and Jupiter along the ecliptic plane.
The beautiful celestial conjunction was visible around planet Earth.
But from some locations Jupiter hid for a while, occulted by the
crescent lunar disk. The Solar System's ruling gas giant was captured
here just before it disappeared behind the the Moon's dark edge, seen
over the Ryo de la Plata at Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. In the
serene river and skyscape Venus is not so shy, shining brightly closer
to the horizon through the fading twilight. Next week Venus and Jupiter
will appear even closer in your evening sky.
Tomorrow's picture: Saturn's Iapetus
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sun Feb 26 00:05:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 26
An unusual two-toned ball is pictured. The ball, Saturn's moon Iapetus,
has many craters and an unusual ridge running along its equator that
makes it look like a walnut. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Saturn's Iapetus: Moon with a Strange Surface
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, SSI, Cassini Imaging Team
Explanation: What would make a moon look like a walnut? A strange ridge
that circles Saturn's moon Iapetus's equator, visible near the bottom
of the featured image, makes it appear similar to a popular edible nut.
The origin of the ridge remains unknown, though, with hypotheses
including ice that welled up from below, a ring that crashed down from
above, and structure left over from its formation perhaps 100 million
years ago. Also strange is that about half of Iapetus is so dark that
it can nearly disappear when viewed from Earth, while the rest is,
reflectively, quite bright. Observations show that the degree of
darkness of the terrain is strangely uniform, as if a dark coating was
somehow recently applied to an ancient and highly cratered surface.
Last, several large impact basins occur around Iapetus, with a
400-kilometer wide crater visible near the image center, surrounded by
deep cliffs that drop sharply to the crater floor. The featured image
was taken by the Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft during a flyby of
Iapetus at the end of 2004.
Tomorrow's picture: dawn before dawn
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From
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All on Mon Feb 27 00:32:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 27
A person is seen sitting on a rock under an unusual sky. In the sky
above is light diffuse band extending down to the horizon that goes
through two bright dots, Jupiter and Venus. The Pleiades star cluster
is visible above them. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Zodiacal Ray with Venus and Jupiter
Image Credit & Copyright: Ruslan Merzlyakov (astrorms)
Explanation: What's causing that unusual ray of light extending from
the horizon? Dust orbiting the Sun. At certain times of the year, a
band of sun-reflecting dust from the inner Solar System appears
prominently after sunset or before sunrise and is called zodiacal
light. The dust was emitted mostly from faint Jupiter-family comets and
slowly spirals into the Sun. The featured HDR image, acquired in
mid-February from the Sierra Nevada National Park in Spain, captures
the glowing band of zodiacal light going right in front of the bright
evening planets Jupiter (upper) and Venus (lower). Emitted from well
behind the zodiacal light is a dark night sky that prominently includes
the Pleiades star cluster. Jupiter and Venus are slowly switching
places in the evening sky, and just in the next few days nearing their
closest angular approach.
Tomorrow's picture: temple moon
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From
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All on Tue Feb 28 00:43:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 February 28
A picture of the remnant pillars of Poseiden is shown, an ancient Greek
Temple. In the middle of the ruins, far in the distance, is a crescent
Moon. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Crescent Moon Beyond Greek Temple
Image Credit & Copyright: Elias Chasiotis
Explanation: Why is a thin crescent moon never seen far from a horizon?
Because the only geometry that gives a thin crescent lunar phase occurs
when the Moon appears close to the Sun in the sky. The crescent is not
caused by the shadow of the Earth, but by seeing only a small part of
the Moon directly illuminated by the Sun. Moreover, the thickest part
of the crescent always occurs in the direction of the Sun. In the
evening, a thin crescent Moon will set shortly after the Sun and not be
seen for the rest of the night. Alternatively, in the morning, a
crescent Moon will rise shortly before the Sun after not being seen for
most of the night. Pictured two weeks ago, a crescent moon was captured
near the horizon, just before sunrise, far behind remnants of the
ancient Temple of Poseidon in Greece.
Tomorrow's picture: flaming comet
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From
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All on Wed Mar 1 01:50:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 1
Pictured are two red nebulas on the far left and center, and a comet
complete with a green coma and a long blue ion tail on the far right.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Flaming Star Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Thomas R÷ell
Explanation: Is star AE Aurigae on fire? No. Even though AE Aurigae is
named the Flaming Star and the surrounding nebula IC 405 is named the
Flaming Star Nebula, and even though the nebula appears to some like a
swirling flame, there is no fire. Fire, typically defined as the rapid
molecular acquisition of oxygen, happens only when sufficient oxygen is
present and is not important in such high-energy, low-oxygen
environments such as stars. The bright star AE Aurigae occurs near the
center of the Flaming Star Nebula and is so hot it glows blue, emitting
light so energetic it knocks electrons away from surrounding gas. When
a proton recaptures an electron, light is emitted, as seen in the
surrounding emission nebula. Captured here three weeks ago, the Flaming
Star Nebula is visible near the composite image's center, between the
red Tadpole Nebula on the left and blue-tailed Comet ZTF on the right.
The Flaming Star Nebula lies about 1,500 light years distant, spans
about 5 light years, and is visible with a small telescope toward the
constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga).
Tomorrow's picture: disturbing galaxies
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All on Thu Mar 2 00:37:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 2
Unraveling NGC 3169
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby & Mark Hanson
Explanation: Spiral galaxy NGC 3169 looks to be unraveling like a ball
of cosmic yarn. It lies some 70 million light-years away, south of
bright star Regulus toward the faint constellation Sextans. Wound up
spiral arms are pulled out into sweeping tidal tails as NGC 3169 (left)
and neighboring NGC 3166 interact gravitationally. Eventually the
galaxies will merge into one, a common fate even for bright galaxies in
the local universe. Drawn out stellar arcs and plumes are clear
indications of the ongoing gravitational interactions across the deep
and colorful galaxy group photo. The telescopic frame spans about 20
arc minutes or about 400,000 light-years at the group's estimated
distance, and includes smaller, bluish NGC 3165 at the right. NGC 3169
is also known to shine across the spectrum from radio to X-rays,
harboring an active galactic nucleus that is the site of a supermassive
black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Mar 3 06:22:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 3
RCW 86: Historical Supernova Remnant
Image Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA, T.A. Rector (Univ.of
Alaska/NSFCÇÖs NOIRLab),
J. Miller (Gemini Obs./NSFCÇÖs NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSFCÇÖs
NOIRLab)
Explanation: In 185 AD, Chinese astronomers recorded the appearance of
a new star in the Nanmen asterism. That part of the sky is identified
with Alpha and Beta Centauri on modern star charts. The new star was
visible to the naked-eye for months, and is now thought to be the
earliest recorded supernova. This deep telescopic view reveals the
wispy outlines of emission nebula RCW 86, just visible against the
starry background, understood to be the remnant of that stellar
explosion. Captured by the wide-field Dark Energy Camera operating at
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, the image traces the
full extent of a ragged shell of gas ionized by the still expanding
shock wave. Space-based images indicate an abundance of the element
iron in RCW 86 and the absence of a neutron star or pulsar within the
remnant, suggesting that the original supernova was Type Ia. Unlike the
core collapse supernova explosion of a massive star, a Type Ia
supernova is a thermonuclear detonation on a white dwarf star that
accretes material from a companion in a binary star system. Near the
plane of our Milky Way galaxy and larger than the full moon on the sky
this supernova remnant is too faint to be seen by eye though. RCW 86 is
some 8,000 light-years distant and around 100 light-years across.
Tomorrow's picture: 10 days of Venus and Jupiter
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All on Sun Mar 5 00:24:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 5
Two bright objects are pictured very near each other in night sky
filled with stars. A beach is in the foreground, with some lit
structures visible across the water. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Jupiter and Venus over Italy
Image Credit & Copyright: Giovanni Tumino
Explanation: What are those two bright spots? Planets. A few days ago,
the two brightest planets in the night sky passed within a single
degree of each other in what is termed a conjunction. Visible just
after sunset in much of the world, the two bright spots were Jupiter
(left) and Venus (right). The featured image was taken near closest
approach from Cirica, Sicily, Italy. The week before, Venus was rising
higher in the sunset sky to meet the dropping Jupiter. Now they have
switched places. Of course, Venus remains much closer to both the Sun
and the Earth than Jupiter -- the apparent closeness between the
planets in the sky of Earth was only angular. You can still see the
popular pair for an hour or so after sunset this month although they
continue to separate, and Jupiter continues to set earlier each night.
Jupiter & Venus Conjunction Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: balancing planets
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All on Mon Mar 6 00:19:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 6
Two bright spots are seen on either side of a person standing on a hill
who appears to be holding one or both of them. A starry sky appears in
the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Jupiter and Venus from Earth
Image Credit & Copyright: Marek Nikodem (PPSAE)
Explanation: It was visible around the world. The sunset conjunction of
Jupiter and Venus in 2012 was visible almost no matter where you lived
on Earth. Anyone on the planet with a clear western horizon at sunset
could see them. Pictured here in 2012, a creative photographer traveled
away from the town lights of Szubin, Poland to image a near closest
approach of the two planets. The bright planets were then separated
only by three degrees and his daughter struck a humorous pose. A faint
red sunset still glowed in the background. Jupiter and Venus are
together again this month after sunset, passing within a degree of each
other about a week ago.
Jupiter & Venus Conjunction Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: name that galaxy
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Mar 7 00:33:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 7
A galaxy is pictured that appears mostly blue and white with a
prominent bar across its center. The galaxy is the LMC, and thousands
of dim stars from our Milky Way, in the foreground, complete the frame.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Deep Field: The Large Magellanic Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas
Observatory, TWAN)
Explanation: Is this a spiral galaxy? No. Actually, it is the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the largest satellite galaxy of our own Milky
Way Galaxy. The LMC is classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy because
of its normally chaotic appearance. In this deep and wide exposure,
however, the full extent of the LMC becomes visible. Surprisingly,
during longer exposures, the LMC begins to resemble a barred spiral
galaxy. The Large Magellanic Cloud lies only about 180,000 light-years
distant towards the constellation of the Dolphinfish (Dorado). Spanning
about 15,000 light-years, the LMC was the site of SN1987A, the
brightest and closest supernova in modern times. Together with the
Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), the LMC can be seen in Earth's southern
hemisphere with the unaided eye.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: artificially bright
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Mar 8 00:39:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 8
A flattened map of the Earth is shown illuminated only by how bright
the night sky is. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Artificial Night Sky Brightness
Image Credit: Data: JPSS Satellites; Processing: David J. Lorenz
Explanation: Where have all the dim stars gone? From many places on the
Earth including major cities, the night sky has been reduced from a
fascinating display of thousands of stars to a diffuse glow through
which only a few stars are visible. The featured map indicates the
relative amount of light pollution that occurs across the Earth. The
cause of the pollution is artificial light reflecting off molecules and
aerosols in the atmosphere. Parts of the Eastern United States and
Western Europe colored red, for example, have an artificial night sky
glow over ten times that of the natural sky. In any area marked orange
or red, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy is no longer visible.
The International Dark Sky Association suggests common types of
fixtures that provide relatively little amounts of light pollution.
Light Up Your Internal Night Sky: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Mar 10 00:23:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 10
Orion and the Running Man
Image Credit & Copyright: Abraham Jones
Explanation: Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like The Great
Nebula in Orion. Visible as a faint celestial smudge to the naked-eye,
the nearest large star-forming region sprawls across this sharp
telescopic image, recorded on a cold January night in dark skies from
West Virginia, planet Earth. Also known as M42, the Orion Nebula's
glowing gas surrounds hot, young stars. About 40 light-years across, it
lies at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1,500
light-years away within the same spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy as
the Sun. Along with dusty bluish reflection nebula NGC 1977 and friends
near the top of the frame, the eye-catching nebulae represent only a
small fraction of our galactic neighborhood's wealth of star-forming
material. Within the well-studied stellar nursery, astronomers have
also identified what appear to be numerous infant solar systems.
Tomorrow's picture: 3D Bennu
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All on Sat Mar 11 00:14:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 11
3D Bennu
Image Credit: NASA, GSFC, U. Arizona - Stereo Image Copyright: Patrick
Vantuyne
Explanation: Put on your red/blue glasses and float next to asteroid
101955 Bennu. Shaped like a spinning toy top with boulders littering
its rough surface, the tiny Solar System world is about one Empire
State Building (less than 500 meters) across. Frames used to construct
this 3D anaglyph were taken by PolyCam on the OSIRIS_REx spacecraft on
December 3, 2018 from a distance of about 80 kilometers. With a sample
from the asteroid's rocky surface on board, OSIRIS_REx departed Bennu's
vicinity in May of 2021 and is now enroute to planet Earth. The robotic
spacecraft is scheduled to return the sample to Earth this September.
Tomorrow's picture: mysteries of the sponge moon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sun Mar 12 00:15:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 12
An oblong moon is shown that appears sponge like and features many odd
craters. Close inspection shows that the bottoms of these craters are
covered with a dark material. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Saturn's Hyperion: A Moon with Odd Craters
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, SSI, Cassini Imaging Team
Explanation: What lies at the bottom of Hyperion's strange craters? To
help find out, the robot Cassini spacecraft that once orbited Saturn
swooped past the sponge-textured moon and took images of unprecedented
detail. A six-image mosaic from the 2005 pass, featured here in
scientifically assigned colors, shows a remarkable world strewn with
strange craters and an odd, sponge-like surface. At the bottom of most
craters lies some type of unknown dark reddish material. This material
appears similar to that covering part of another of Saturn's moons,
Iapetus, and might sink into the ice moon as it better absorbs warming
sunlight. Hyperion is about 250 kilometers across, rotates chaotically,
and has a density so low that it likely houses a vast system of caverns
inside.
Tomorrow's picture: tree colors
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Mon Mar 13 01:46:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 13
A grassy hill is seen topped by a small tree. The tree appears to be at
the end of a bright and colorful rainbow. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
Rainbow Tree
Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Houck
Explanation: What lies at the end of a rainbow? Something different for
everyone. For the photographer taking this picture, for example, one
end of the rainbow ended at a tree. Others nearby, though, would likely
see the rainbow end somewhere else. The reason is because a rainbow's
position depends on the observer. The center of a rainbow always
appears in the direction opposite the Sun, but that direction lines up
differently on the horizon from different locations. This rainbow's arc
indicates that its center is about 40 degrees to the left and slightly
below the horizon, while the Sun is well behind the camera and just
above the horizon. Reflections and refractions of sunlight from
raindrops in a distant storm in the direction of the rainbow are what
causes the colorful bands of light. This single exposure image was
captured in early January near Knight's Ferry, California, USA.
Tomorrow's picture: Soul of the night
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All on Tue Mar 14 00:42:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 14
A red tinged nebula is shown in front of a starfield. Dust structures
appear around the nebula's edge, and stars are also seen near the
nebula's center. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
W5: The Soul Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Jos+¬ Jim+¬nez (Astromet)
Explanation: Stars are forming in the Soul of the Queen of Aethopia.
More specifically, a large star forming region called the Soul Nebula
can be found in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, whom
Greek mythology credits as the vain wife of a King who long ago ruled
lands surrounding the upper Nile river. Also known as Westerhout 5
(W5), the Soul Nebula houses several open clusters of stars, ridges and
pillars darkened by cosmic dust, and huge evacuated bubbles formed by
the winds of young massive stars. Located about 6,500 light years away,
the Soul Nebula spans about 100 light years and is usually imaged next
to its celestial neighbor the Heart Nebula (IC 1805). The featured
image is a composite of exposures made in different colors: red as
emitted by hydrogen gas, yellow as emitted by sulfur, and blue as
emitted by oxygen.
Tomorrow's picture: planets converge
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All on Wed Mar 15 00:19:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 15
Two bright objects appear in a sky over a hill. On the hill, the
silhouettes of several people are visible, including a person looking
though a telescope and what appears to be two children looking upward.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Jupiter and Venus Converge over Germany
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Luy (Trier Observatory)
Explanation: This was a sky to show the kids. Early this month the two
brightest planets in the night sky, Jupiter and Venus, appeared to
converge. At their closest, the two planets were separated by only
about the angular width of the full moon. The spectacle occurred just
after sunset and was seen and photographed all across planet Earth. The
displayed image was taken near to the time of closest approach from
Wiltingen, Germany, and features the astrophotographer, spouse, and
their two children. Of course, Venus remains much closer to both the
Sun and the Earth than Jupiter -- the apparent closeness between the
planets in the sky of Earth was only angular. Jupiter and Venus have
passed and now appear increasingly far apart. Similar planetary
convergence opportunities will eventually arise. In a few months, for
example, Mars and Venus will appear to congregate just as the Sun sets.
Jupiter & Venus Conjunction Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Thu Mar 16 00:03:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 16
Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri
Image Credit & Copyright: Neil Corke, Heaven's Mirror Observatory
Explanation: Globular star cluster Omega Centauri, also known as NGC
5139, is 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is packed with about 10
million stars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150
light-years in diameter. It's the largest and brightest of 200 or so
known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.
Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and
composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different
stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In
fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with
the Milky Way. Omega Centauri's red giant stars (with a yellowish hue)
are easy to pick out in this sharp, color telescopic view.
Tomorrow's picture: serpentine
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sat Mar 18 01:55:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 18
Wolf-Rayet 124
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team
Explanation: Driven by powerful stellar winds, expanding shrouds of gas
and dust frame hot, luminous star Wolf-Rayet 124 in this sharp infrared
view. The eye-catching 6-spike star pattern is characteristic of
stellar images made with the 18 hexagonal mirrors of the James Webb
Space Telescope. About 15,000 light-years distant toward the pointed
northern constellation Sagitta, WR 124 has over 30 times the mass of
the Sun. Produced in a brief and rarely spotted phase of massive star
evolution in the Milky Way, this star's turbulent nebula is nearly 6
light-years across. It heralds WR 124's impending stellar death in a
supernova explosion. Formed in the expanding nebula, dusty interstellar
debris that survives the supernova will influence the formation of
future generations of stars.
Tomorrow's picture: Mayan Milky Way
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All on Sun Mar 19 00:36:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 19
A grand Mayan Pyramids is shown below a starry sky highlighted by the
band of the Milky Way and the planets Saturn and Jupiter. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Fedez
Explanation: To see the feathered serpent descend the Mayan pyramid
requires exquisite timing. You must visit El Castillo -- in Mexico's
Yucat+ín Peninsula -- near an equinox. Then, during the late afternoon
if the sky is clear, the pyramid's own shadows create triangles that
merge into the famous illusion of a slithering viper. Also known as the
Temple of Kukulkan, the impressive step-pyramid stands 30 meters tall
and 55 meters wide at the base. Built up as a series of square terraces
by the pre-Columbian civilization between the 9th and 12th century, the
structure can be used as a calendar and is noted for astronomical
alignments. The featured composite image was captured in 2019 with
Jupiter and Saturn straddling the diagonal central band of our Milky
Way galaxy. Tomorrow marks another equinox -- not only at Temple of
Kukulc+ín, but all over planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: expanding supernova
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Mar 20 01:43:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 20
M1: The Expanding Crab Nebula
Video Credit & Copyright: Detlef Hartmann
Explanation: Are your eyes good enough to see the Crab Nebula expand?
The Crab Nebula is cataloged as M1, the first on Charles Messier's
famous list of things which are not comets. In fact, the Crab is now
known to be a supernova remnant, an expanding cloud of debris from the
explosion of a massive star. The violent birth of the Crab was
witnessed by astronomers in the year 1054. Roughly 10 light-years
across today, the nebula is still expanding at a rate of over 1,000
kilometers per second. Over the past decade, its expansion has been
documented in this stunning time-lapse movie. In each year from 2008 to
2022, an image was produced with the same telescope and camera from a
remote observatory in Austria. The sharp, processed frames even reveal
the dynamic energetic emission surrounding the rapidly spinning pulsar
at the center. The Crab Nebula lies about 6,500 light-years away toward
the constellation of the Bull (Taurus).
Tomorrow's picture: beautiful dust
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Mar 21 01:13:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 21
A star field strewn with bunches of brown dust is pictured. In the
center is a bright area of light brown dust, and in the center of that
is a bright region of star formation. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Dark Nebulae and Star Formation in Taurus
Image Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander
Explanation: Can dust be beautiful? Yes, and it can also be useful. The
Taurus molecular cloud has several bright stars, but it is the dark
dust that really draws attention. The pervasive dust has waves and
ripples and makes picturesque dust bunnies, but perhaps more
importantly, it marks regions where interstellar gas is dense enough to
gravitationally contract to form stars. In the image center is a light
cloud lit by neighboring stars that is home not only to a famous
nebula, but to a very young and massive famous star. Both the star, T
Tauri, and the nebula, Hind's Variable Nebula, are seen to vary
dramatically in brightness -- but not necessarily at the same time,
adding to the mystery of this intriguing region. T Tauri and similar
stars are now generally recognized to be Sun-like stars that are less
than a few million years old and so still in the early stages of
formation. The featured image spans about four degrees not far from the
Pleiades star cluster, while the featured dust field lies about 400
light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: an unusually distant swirl
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From
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All on Wed Mar 22 01:07:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 22
The Andromeda Galaxy is shown in great detail. Red nebulas, blue stars,
and dark dust are all seen in a swirl around the galaxy's bright
center. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Abdullah Al-Harbi
Explanation: How far can you see? The most distant object easily
visible to the unaided eye is M31, the great Andromeda Galaxy, over two
million light-years away. Without a telescope, even this immense spiral
galaxy appears as an unremarkable, faint, nebulous cloud in the
constellation Andromeda. But a bright white nucleus, dark winding dust
lanes, luminous blue spiral arms, and bright red emission nebulas are
recorded in this stunning fifteen-hour telescopic digital mosaic of our
closest major galactic neighbor. But how do we know this spiral nebula
is really so far away? This question was central to the famous
Shapley-Curtis debate of 1920. M31's great distance was determined in
the 1920s by observations that resolved individual stars that changed
their brightness in a way that gave up their true distance. The result
proved that Andromeda is just like our Milky Way Galaxy -- a conclusion
making the rest of the universe much more vast than had ever been
previously imagined.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Mar 23 11:45:38 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 23
Spiral Galaxy NGC 2841
Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Marinoni
Explanation: A mere 46 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC
2841 can be found in planet Earth's night sky toward the northern
constellation of Ursa Major. This sharp image centered on the gorgeous
island universe also captures spiky foreground Milky Way stars and more
distant background galaxies within the same telescopic field of view.
It shows off the bright nucleus of NGC 2841, along with its inclined
galactic disk, and faint outer regions. Dust lanes, small star-forming
regions, and young star clusters are embedded in the galaxy's patchy,
tightly wound spiral arms. In contrast, many other spirals exhibit
broader, sweeping arms with large star-forming regions. NGC 2841 has a
diameter of over 150,000 light-years, making it even larger than our
own Milky Way. X-ray images suggest that extreme outflows from giant
stars and stellar explosions create plumes of hot gas extending into a
halo around NGC 2841.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Mar 24 00:32:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 24
Outbound Comet ZTF
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri
Explanation: Former darling of the northern sky Comet C/2022E3 (ZTF)
has faded. During its closest approach to our fair planet in early
February Comet ZTF was a mere 2.3 light-minutes distant. Then known as
the green comet, this visitor from the remote Oort Cloud is now nearly
13.3 light-minutes away. In this deep image, composed of exposures
captured on March 21, the comet still sports a broad, whitish dust tail
and greenish tinted coma though. Not far on the sky from Orion's bright
star Rigel, Comet ZTF shares the field of view with faint, dusty
nebulae and distant background galaxies. The telephoto frame is crowded
with Milky Way stars toward the constellation Eridanus. The influence
of Jupiter's gravity on the comet's orbit as ZTF headed for the inner
solar system, may have set the comet on an outbound journey, never to
return.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Mon Mar 27 08:51:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 27
Multi-colored aurora are seen above an unusual stone gateway, the first
of several similar gateways seen in the distance. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Aurora Over Arctic Henge
Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier
Explanation: Reports of powerful solar flares started a seven-hour
quest north to capture modern monuments against an aurora-filled sky.
The peaks of iconic Arctic Henge in Raufarh++fn in northern Iceland were
already aligned with the stars: some are lined up toward the exact
north from one side and toward exact south from the other. The featured
image, taken after sunset late last month, looks directly south, but
since the composite image covers so much of the sky, the north star
Polaris is actually visible at the very top of the frame. Also visible
are familiar constellations including the Great Bear (Ursa Major) on
the left, and the Hunter (Orion) on the lower right. The quest was
successful. The sky lit up dramatically with bright and memorable
auroras that shimmered with amazing colors including red, pink, yellow,
and green -- sometimes several at once.
Tomorrow's picture: green flash flash flash
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All on Tue Mar 28 00:17:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 28
A distant sunset is seen between an orange sky and dark clouds. A close
look at the Sun shows it is topped with several green strips, each
known as a green flash. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
A Multiple Green Flash Sunset
Image Credit & Copyright: T. Slovinsk+' & P. Hor+ílek (IoP Opava); CTIO,
NOIRLab, NSF, AURA
Explanation: Yes, but can your green flash do this? A green flash at
sunset is a rare event that many Sun watchers pride themselves on
having seen. Once thought to be a myth, a green flash is now
understood to occur when the Earth's atmosphere acts like both a prism
and a lens. Different atmospheric layers create altitude-variable
refraction that takes light from the top of the Sun and disperses its
colors, creates two images, and magnifies it in just the right way to
make a thin sliver appear green just before it disappears. Pictured,
though, is an even more unusual sunset. From the high-altitude Cerro
Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile one day last April, the Sun
was captured setting beyond an atmosphere with multiple distinct
thermal layers, creating several mock images of the Sun. This time
and from this location, many of those layers produced a green flash
simultaneously. Just seconds after this multiple-green-flash event was
caught by two well-surprised astrophotographers, the Sun set below the
clouds.
Tomorrow's picture: dolphin vs cloud
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All on Wed Mar 29 01:12:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 29
A star field is shown with ragged red clouds on the far left and a thin
blue cloud with the outline similar to the head of a dolphin to the
right. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Sh2-308: A Dolphin Shaped Star Bubble
Image Credit & Copyright: Aleix Roig (AstroCatInfo)
Explanation: Which star created this bubble? It wasn't the bright star
on the bubble's right. And it also wasn't a giant space dolphin. It was
the star in the blue nebula's center, a famously energetic Wolf-Rayet
star. Wolf-Rayet stars in general have over 20 times the mass of our
Sun and expel fast particle winds that can create iconic looking
nebulas. In this case, the resulting star bubble spans over 60 light
years, is about 70,000 years old, and happens to look like the head of
a dolphin. Named Sh2-308 and dubbed the Dolphin-Head Nebula, the gas
ball lies about 5,000 light years away and covers as much sky as the
full moon -- although it is much dimmer. The nearby red-tinged clouds
on the left of the featured image may owe their glow and shape to
energetic light emitted from the same Wolf-Rayet star.
Tomorrow's picture: celestial thingy
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Thu Mar 30 00:10:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 30
NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad
Image Credit & Copyright: Matias Tomasello
Explanation: The delightful Dark Doodad Nebula drifts through southern
skies, a tantalizing target for binoculars toward the small
constellation Musca, The Fly. The dusty cosmic cloud is seen against
rich starfields just south of the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern
Cross. Stretching for about 3 degrees across the center of this
telephoto field of view, the Dark Doodad is punctuated near its
southern tip (upper right) by yellowish globular star cluster NGC 4372.
Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy, a background
object some 20,000 light-years away and only by chance along our
line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad. The Dark Doodad's well defined
silhouette belongs to the Musca molecular cloud, but its better known
alliterative moniker was first coined by astro-imager and writer Dennis
di Cicco in 1986 while observing Comet Halley from the Australian
outback. The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distant and over 30
light-years long.
Tomorrow's picture: tantalizing Titan
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All on Fri Mar 31 00:03:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 March 31
Seeing Titan
Image Credit: VIMS Team, U. Arizona, U. Nantes, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Shrouded in a thick atmosphere, Saturn's largest moon
Titan really is hard to see. Small particles suspended in the upper
atmosphere cause an almost impenetrable haze, strongly scattering light
at visible wavelengths and hiding Titan's surface features from prying
eyes. But Titan's surface is better imaged at infrared wavelengths
where scattering is weaker and atmospheric absorption is reduced.
Arrayed around this visible light image (center) of Titan are some of
the clearest global infrared views of the tantalizing moon so far. In
false color, the six panels present a consistent processing of 13 years
of infrared image data from the Visual and Infrared Mapping
Spectrometer (VIMS) on board the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn
from 2004 to 2017. They offer a stunning comparison with Cassini's
visible light view. NASA's revolutionary rotorcraft mission to Titan is
due to launch in 2027.
Tomorrow's picture: seriously
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All on Sat Apr 1 00:29:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 1
NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Rolland, Martin Pugh
Explanation: Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern
constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) Volans. Located about 50
million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a
pronounced central bar give it a hook-shaped appearance in this deep
colorful image, with spiky foreground stars scattered across the
telescopic field of view. The image also reveals the distant galaxy's
obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming
regions surrounding a core of yellowish light from an older population
of stars. But the star forming regions seem more concentrated along the
drawn-out (upper right) spiral arm. The distorted structure is likely
the result of an ancient close encounter with the smaller galaxy seen
near the top left of the frame. The two interacting galaxies are
separated by about 150,000 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC
2442.
Tomorrow's picture: Messier 57
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All on Sun Apr 2 00:22:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 2
A colorful oval nebula is shown star field is shown in a sparse
starfield. Fainter red nebulosity surrounds the bright oval. A
relatively bright star is seen in the oval's center. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
M57: The Ring Nebula from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Judy
Schmidt
Explanation: It was noticed hundreds of years ago by stargazers who
could not understand its unusual shape. It looked like a ring on the
sky. Except for the rings of Saturn, the Ring Nebula (M57) may be the
most famous celestial circle. We now know what it is, and that its
iconic shape is due to our lucky perspective. The recent mapping of the
expanding nebula's 3-D structure, based in part on this clear Hubble
image,indicates that the nebula is a relatively dense, donut-like ring
wrapped around the middle of an (American) football-shaped cloud of
glowing gas. Our view from planet Earth looks down the long axis of the
football, face-on to the ring. Of course, in this well-studied example
of a planetary nebula, the glowing material does not come from planets.
Instead, the gaseous shroud represents outer layers expelled from the
dying, once sun-like star, now a tiny pinprick of light seen at the
nebula's center. Intense ultraviolet light from the hot central star
ionizes atoms in the gas. The Ring Nebula is about one light-year
across and 2,500 light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: the beasts at the center of our galaxy
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All on Mon Apr 3 00:56:44 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 3
A false-color yellow-on red radio image of our Galactic Center shows
yellow radio-emitting arcs above streaks and a bright cocoon that
contains our Galaxy's central black hole. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
The Galactic Center Radio Arc
Image Credit: Ian Heywood (Oxford U.), SARAO;
Explanation: What causes this unusual curving structure near the center
of our Galaxy? The long parallel rays slanting across the top of the
featured radio image are known collectively as the Galactic Center
Radio Arc and point out from the Galactic plane. The Radio Arc is
connected to the Galactic Center by strange curving filaments known as
the Arches. The bright radio structure at the bottom right surrounds a
black hole at the Galactic Center and is known as Sagittarius A*. One
origin hypothesis holds that the Radio Arc and the Arches have their
geometry because they contain hot plasma flowing along lines of a
constant magnetic field. Images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
appear to show this plasma colliding with a nearby cloud of cold gas.
Tomorrow's picture: from inner mars
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All on Tue Apr 4 00:15:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 4
A large orange volcano is pictured on Mars from above. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Olympus Mons: Largest Volcano in the Solar System
Image Credit: ESA, DLR, FU Berlin, Mars Express; Processing & CC BY 2.0
License: Andrea Luck
Explanation: The largest volcano in our Solar System is on Mars.
Although three times higher than Earth's Mount Everest, Olympus Mons
will not be difficult for humans to climb because of the volcano's
shallow slopes and Mars' low gravity. Covering an area greater than the
entire Hawaiian volcano chain, the slopes of Olympus Mons typically
rise only a few degrees at a time. Olympus Mons is an immense shield
volcano, built long ago by fluid lava. A relatively static surface
crust allowed it to build up over time. Its last eruption is thought to
have been about 25 million years ago. The featured image was taken by
the European Space Agency's robotic Mars Express spacecraft currently
orbiting the Red Planet.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Wed Apr 5 01:34:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 5
Rubin's Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, B. Holwerda (University of Louisville)
Explanation: In this Hubble Space Telescope image the bright, spiky
stars lie in the foreground toward the heroic northern constellation
Perseus and well within our own Milky Way galaxy. In sharp focus beyond
is UGC 2885, a giant spiral galaxy about 232 million light-years
distant. Some 800,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way's
diameter of 100,000 light-years or so, it has around 1 trillion stars.
That's about 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way. Part of an
investigation to understand how galaxies can grow to such enormous
sizes, UGC 2885 was also part of An Interesting Voyage and astronomer
Vera Rubin's pioneering study of the rotation of spiral galaxies. Her
work was the first to convincingly demonstrate the dominating presence
of dark matter in our universe.
Tomorrow's picture: methalox
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All on Thu Apr 6 00:05:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 6
Terran 1 Burns Methalox
Image Credit: Relativity / John Kraus
Explanation: Relativity's Terran 1 Rocket is mostly 3D-printed. It
burns a cryogenic rocket fuel composed of liquid methane and liquid
oxygen (methalox). In this close-up of a Terran 1 launch on the night
of March 22 from Cape Canaveral, icy chunks fall through the stunning
frame as intense blue exhaust streams from its nine Aeon 1 engines. In
a largely successful flight the inovative rocket achieved main engine
cutoff and stage separation but fell short of orbit after an anomaly at
the beginning of its second stage flight. Of course this Terran 1
rocket was never intended to travel to Mars. Still, the methane and
liquid oxygen components of its methalox fuel can be made solely from
materials found on the Red Planet. Methalox manufactured on Mars could
be used as fuel for rockets returning to planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: Rigel wide
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All on Fri Apr 7 00:17:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 7
Rigel Wide
Image Credit: Rheinhold Wittich
Explanation: Brilliant, blue, supergiant star Rigel marks the foot of
Orion the Hunter in planet Earth's night. Designated Beta Orionis, it's
at the center of this remarkably deep and wide field of view. Rigel's
blue color indicates that it is much hotter than its rival supergiant
in Orion the yellowish Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), though both stars
are massive enough to eventually end their days as core collapse
supernovae. Some 860 light-years away, Rigel is hotter than the Sun too
and extends to about 74 times the solar radius. That's about the size
of the orbit of Mercury. In the 10 degree wide frame toward the nebula
rich constellation, the Orion Nebula is at the upper left. To the right
of Rigel and illuminated by its brilliant blue starlight lies the dusty
Witch Head Nebula. Rigel is part of a multiple star system, though its
companion stars are much fainter.
Tomorrow's picture: medieval times
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From
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All on Sat Apr 8 00:19:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 8
A spiral galaxy is shown with spiral arms dominated by blue stars and
with a bright central swirl that itself looks like a spiral galaxy.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
M100: A Grand Design Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Majestic on a truly cosmic scale, M100 is appropriately
known as a grand design spiral galaxy. It is a large galaxy of over 100
billion stars with well-defined spiral arms that is similar to our own
Milky Way Galaxy. One of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster of
galaxies, M100 (alias NGC 4321) is 56 million light-years distant
toward the constellation of Berenice's Hair (Coma Berenices). This
Hubble Space Telescope image of M100 was taken with the Wide Field
Camera 3 and accentuates bright blue star clusters and intricate
winding dust lanes which are hallmarks of this class of galaxies.
Studies of variable stars in M100 have played an important role in
determining the size and age of the Universe.
Tomorrow's picture: big egg
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From
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All on Sun Apr 9 00:42:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 9
The Egg Nebula in Polarized Light
Image Credit: Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA), W. Sparks (STScI) &
R. Sahai (JPL), NASA
Explanation: Where is the center of the Egg Nebula? Emerging from a
cosmic egg, the star in the center of the Egg Nebula is casting away
shells of gas and dust as it slowly transforms itself into a white
dwarf star. The Egg Nebula is a rapidly evolving pre- planetary nebula
spanning about one light year. It lies some 3,000 light-years away
toward the northern constellation Cygnus. Thick dust blocks the center
star from view, while the dust shells farther out reflect light from
this star. Light vibrating in the plane defined by each dust grain, the
central star, and the observer is preferentially reflected, causing an
effect known as polarization. Measuring the orientation of the
polarized light for the Egg Nebula gives clues to location of the
hidden source. Taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys
in 2002, this image is rendered in artifical "Easter-Egg" colors coded
to highlight the orientation of polarization.
Tomorrow's picture: big chicken
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From
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All on Mon Apr 10 00:50:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 10
A bright gaseous nebula is pictured in front of a star field. To some,
the outline of the nebula make it look like a running chicken. Dark
knots of dust are seen near the bright nebula's center. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
IC 2944: The Running Chicken Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern
Explanation: To some, it looks like a giant chicken running across the
sky. To others, it looks like a gaseous nebula where star formation
takes place. Cataloged as IC 2944, the Running Chicken Nebula spans
about 100 light years and lies about 6,000 light years away toward the
constellation of the Centaur (Centaurus). The featured image, shown in
scientifically assigned colors, was captured recently in a 16-hour
exposure over three nights. The star cluster Collinder 249 is visible
embedded in the nebula's glowing gas. Although difficult to discern
here, several dark molecular clouds with distinct shapes can be found
inside the nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: almost north
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From
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All on Tue Apr 11 01:12:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 11
A bright star is seen in field of dimmer stars and pervasive
light-brown dust. The star is the North Star: Polaris. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
North Star: Polaris and Surrounding Dust
Image Credit & Copyright: Javier Zayaz
Explanation: Why is Polaris called the North Star? First, Polaris is
the nearest bright star toward the north spin axis of the Earth.
Therefore, as the Earth turns, stars appear to revolve around Polaris,
but Polaris itself always stays in the same northerly direction --
making it the North Star. Since no bright star is near the south spin
axis of the Earth, there is currently no bright South Star. Thousands
of years ago, Earth's spin axis pointed in a slightly different
direction so that Vega was the North Star. Although Polaris is not the
brightest star on the sky, it is easily located because it is nearly
aligned with two stars in the cup of the Big Dipper. Polaris is near
the center of the eight-degree wide featured image, a digital composite
of hundreds of exposures that brings out faint gas and dust of the
Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN) all over the frame as well as the globular
star cluster NGC 188 on the far left. The surface of Cepheid Polaris
slowly pulsates, causing the famous star to change its brightness by a
few percent over the course of a few days.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Wed Apr 12 02:04:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 12
NGC 206 and the Star Clouds of Andromeda
Image Credit & Copyright: Howard Trottier
Explanation: The large stellar association cataloged as NGC 206 is
nestled within the dusty arms of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy along
with the galaxy's pinkish star-forming regions. Also known as M31, the
spiral galaxy is a mere 2.5 million light-years away. NGC 206 is found
right of center in this sharp and detailed close-up of the southwestern
extent of Andromeda's disk. The bright, blue stars of NGC 206 indicate
its youth. In fact, its youngest massive stars are less than 10 million
years old. Much larger than the open or galactic clusters of young
stars in the disk of our Milky Way galaxy, NGC 206 spans about 4,000
light-years. That's comparable in size to the giant stellar nurseries
NGC 604 in nearby spiral M33 and the Tarantula Nebula in the Large
Magellanic Cloud.
Tomorrow's picture: intergalactic wanderer
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All on Thu Apr 13 00:59:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 13
NGC 2419: Intergalactic Wanderer
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, S. Larsen et al.
Explanation: Stars of the globular cluster NGC 2419 are packed into
this Hubble Space Telescope field of view toward the mostly stealthy
constellation Lynx. The two brighter spiky stars near the edge of the
frame are within our own galaxy. NGC 2419 itself is remote though, some
300,000 light-years away. In comparison, the Milky Way's satellite
galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, is only about 160,000 light-years
distant. Roughly similar to other large globular star clusters like
Omega Centauri, NGC 2419 is intrinsically bright, but appears faint
because it is so far away. Its extreme distance makes it difficult to
study and compare its properties with other globular clusters that roam
the halo of our Milky Way galaxy. Sometimes called "the Intergalactic
Wanderer", NGC 2419 really does seem to have come from beyond the Milky
Way. Measurements of the cluster's motion through space suggest it once
belonged to the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy, another small
satellite galaxy being disrupted by repeated encounters with the much
larger Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Sat Apr 15 00:40:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 15
When Z is for Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)
Explanation: A composite of images captured about a week apart from mid
August 2022 through late March 2023, this series traces the retrograde
motion of ruddy-colored Mars. Progressing from lower right to upper
left Mars makes a Z-shaped path as it wanders past the Pleiades and
Hyades star clusters, through the constellation Taurus in planet
Earth's night sky. Seen about every two years, Mars doesn't actually
reverse the direction of its orbit to trace out the Z-shape though.
Instead, the apparent backwards or retrograde motion with respect to
the background stars is a reflection of the orbital motion of Earth
itself. Retrograde motion can be seen each time Earth overtakes and
laps planets orbiting farther from the Sun, the Earth moving more
rapidly through its own relatively close-in orbit. High in northern
hemisphere skies the Red Planet was opposite the Sun and at its closest
and brightest on December 8, near the center of the frame. Seen close
to Mars, a popular visitor to the inner Solar System, comet ZTF (C/2022
E3), was also captured on two dates, February 10 and February 16.
Tomorrow's picture: winging it
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From
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All on Sun Apr 16 00:16:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 16
An elongated colorful nebula is shown elongated horizontally and
pinched in the middle. In the very center is a bright source. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula
Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA; Processing: Judy
Schmidt
Explanation: Are stars better appreciated for their art after they die?
Actually, stars usually create their most artistic displays as they
die. In the case of low-mass stars like our Sun and M2-9 pictured here,
the stars transform themselves from normal stars to white dwarfs by
casting off their outer gaseous envelopes. The expended gas frequently
forms an impressive display called a planetary nebula that fades
gradually over thousands of years. M2-9, a butterfly planetary nebula
2100 light-years away shown in representative colors, has wings that
tell a strange but incomplete tale. In the center, two stars orbit
inside a gaseous disk 10 times the orbit of Pluto. The expelled
envelope of the dying star breaks out from the disk creating the
bipolar appearance. Much remains unknown about the physical processes
that cause and shape planetary nebulae.
Tomorrow's picture: lightning elves
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From
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All on Mon Apr 17 01:03:24 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 17
A large red ring is seen high above a landscape that has sparse clouds
and a foreground building. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
ELVES Lightning over Italy
Image Credit & Copyright: Valter Binotto
Explanation: What's that red ring in the sky? Lightning. The most
commonly seen type of lightning involves flashes of bright white light
between clouds. Over the past 50 years, though, other types of
upper-atmospheric lightning have been confirmed, including red sprites
and blue jets. Less well known and harder to photograph is a different
type of upper atmospheric lightning known as ELVES. ELVES are thought
to be created when an electromagnetic pulse shoots upward from charged
clouds and impacts the ionosphere, causing nitrogen molecules to glow.
The red ELVES ring pictured had a radius of about 350 km and was
captured in late March about 100 kilometers above Ancona, Italy. Years
of experience and ultra-fast photography were used to capture this
ELVES -- which lasted only about 0.001 second.
Tomorrow's picture: moon shadow, moon shadow
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From
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All on Tue Apr 18 00:21:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 18
A map of the USA is shown with the path of the greatest darkness of two
solar eclipses shown in dark colors. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Map of Total Solar Eclipse Path in 2024 April
Image Credit: NASA, Science Visualization Studio
Explanation: Would you like to see a total eclipse of the Sun? If so,
do any friends or relatives live near the path of next April's eclipse?
If yes again, then you might want to arrange a well-timed visit. Next
April 8, the path of a total solar eclipse will cross North America
from western Mexico to eastern Canada, entering the USA in southern
Texas and exiting in northern Maine. All of North America will
experience the least a partial solar eclipse. Featured here is a map of
the path of totality. Many people who have seen a total solar eclipse
tell stories about it for the rest of their lives. As a warmup, an
annular solar eclipse will be visible later this year -- in
mid-October.
Tomorrow's picture: snow sky surprise
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From
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All on Wed Apr 19 01:39:06 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 19
Two people dressed in red coats are standing on a snowy landscape with
bare trees. Above, many aurorae of different colors appear, with some
stars visible in the background. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Auroral Storm over Lapland
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN)
Explanation: On some nights the sky is the best show in town. On this
night, auroras ruled the sky, and the geomagnetic storm that created
this colorful sky show originated from an increasingly active Sun.
Surprisingly, since the approaching solar CME the day before had missed
the Earth, it was not expected that this storm would create auroras. In
the foreground, two happily surprised aurora hunters contemplate the
amazing and rapidly changing sky. Regardless of forecasts, though,
auroras were reported in the night skies of Earth not only in the far
north, but as far south as New Mexico, USA. As captured in a wide-angle
image above Saariselk+ñ in northern Finnish Lapland, a bright aurora was
visible with an unusually high degree of detail, range of colors, and
breadth across the sky. The vivid yellow, green, red and purple auroral
colors are caused by oxygen and nitrogen atoms high in Earth's
atmosphere reacting to incoming electrons.
Open Science: Browse 3,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Apr 20 00:45:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 20
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
resolution version available.
The Dark Seahorse in Cepheus
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Herman
Explanation: Spanning light-years, this suggestive shape known as the
Seahorse Nebula appears in silhouette against a rich, luminous
background of stars. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of
Cepheus, the dusty, obscuring clouds are part of a Milky Way molecular
cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150
(B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th
century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low mass stars are
forming within, but their collapsing cores are only visible at long
infrared wavelengths. Still, the colorful stars of Cepheus add to this
pretty, galactic skyscape.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Apr 21 01:59:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 21
Solar Eclipse from Western Australia
Image Credit & Copyright: Gwena+½l Blanck
Explanation: Along a narrow path that mostly avoided landfall, the
shadow of the New Moon raced across planet Earth's southern hemisphere
on April 20 to create a rare annular-total or hybrid solar eclipse. A
mere 62 seconds of totality could be seen though, when the dark central
lunar shadow just grazed the North West Cape, a peninsula in western
Australia. From top to bottom these panels capture the beginning,
middle, and end of that fleeting total eclipse phase. At start and
finish, solar prominences and beads of sunlight stream past the lunar
limb. At mid-eclipse the central frame reveals the sight only easily
visible during totality and most treasured by eclipse chasers, the
magnificent corona of the active Sun. Of course eclipses tend to come
in pairs. On May 5, the next Full Moon will just miss the dark inner
part of Earth's shadow in a penumbral lunar eclipse.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sat Apr 22 00:55:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 22
NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus
Image Credit: Science - NASA, ESA, STScI, Processing - Varun Bajaj
(STScI),
Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Jennifer Mack (STScI)
Explanation: In visible light NGC 1333 is seen as a reflection nebula,
dominated by bluish hues characteristic of starlight reflected by
interstellar dust. A mere 1,000 light-years distant toward the heroic
constellation Perseus, it lies at the edge of a large, star-forming
molecular cloud. This Hubble Space Telescope close-up frames a region
just over 1 light-year wide at the estimated distance of NGC 1333. It
shows details of the dusty region along with telltale hints of
contrasty red emission from Herbig-Haro objects, jets and shocked
glowing gas emanating from recently formed stars. In fact, NGC 1333
contains hundreds of stars less than a million years old, most still
hidden from optical telescopes by the pervasive stardust. The chaotic
environment may be similar to one in which our own Sun formed over 4.5
billion years ago. Hubble's stunning image of the stellar nursery was
released to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the space telescope's
launch.
Watch: Planet Earth's annual Lyrid Meteor Shower
Tomorrow's picture: cloudy day
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From
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All on Sun Apr 23 06:45:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 23
A thin gray funnel cloud is pictured connecting water at the bottom to
a cloud near the top. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
A Waterspout in Florida
Image Credit & Copyright: Joey Mole
Explanation: What's happening over the water? Pictured here is one of
the better images yet recorded of a waterspout, a type of tornado that
occurs over water. Waterspouts are spinning columns of rising moist air
that typically form over warm water. Waterspouts can be as dangerous as
tornadoes and can feature wind speeds over 200 kilometers per hour.
Some waterspouts form away from thunderstorms and even during
relatively fair weather. Waterspouts may be relatively transparent and
initially visible only by an unusual pattern they create on the water.
The featured image was taken in 2013 July near Tampa Bay, Florida. The
Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida is arguably the most active
area in the world for waterspouts, with hundreds forming each year.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: space brain
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From
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All on Mon Apr 24 06:11:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 24
A nearly spherical but stringy nebula is shown against a starry
background. The nebula is colored blue and red. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Medulla Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Kimberly Sibbald
Explanation: What powers this unusual nebula? CTB-1 is the expanding
gas shell that was left when a massive star toward the constellation of
Cassiopeia exploded about 10,000 years ago. The star likely detonated
when it ran out of elements near its core that could create stabilizing
pressure with nuclear fusion. The resulting supernova remnant,
nicknamed the Medulla Nebula for its brain-like shape, still glows in
visible light by the heat generated by its collision with confining
interstellar gas. Why the nebula also glows in X-ray light, though,
remains a mystery. One hypothesis holds that an energetic pulsar was
co-created that powers the nebula with a fast outwardly moving wind.
Following this lead, a pulsar has recently been found in radio waves
that appears to have been expelled by the supernova explosion at over
1000 kilometers per second. Although the Medulla Nebula appears as
large as a full moon, it is so faint that it took many hours of
exposure with a telescope in Seven Persons, Alberta, Canada to create
the featured image.
Tomorrow's picture: lunar triomuphe
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From
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All on Tue Apr 25 00:36:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 25
A dark rectangular building is seen across a green field with colorful
aurora, mostly red, seen in the background sky. Past the aurora, the
sky is also filled with stars. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Northern Lights over Southern Europe
Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Cordero
Explanation: Did you see an aurora over the past two nights? Many
people who don't live in Earth's far north did. Reports of aurora came
in not only from northern locales in the USA as Alaska, but as far
south as Texas and Arizona. A huge auroral oval extended over Europe
and Asia, too. Pictured, an impressively red aurora was captured last
night near the town of C+íceres in central Spain. Auroras were also
reported in parts of southern Spain. The auroras resulted from a strong
Coronal Mass Event (CME) that occurred on the Sun a few days ago.
Particles from the CME crossed the inner Solar System before colliding
with the Earth's magnetosphere. From there, electrons and protons
spiraled down the Earth's northern magnetic field lines and collided
with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere, causing picturesque
auroral glows. Our unusually active Sun may provide future
opportunities to see the northern lights in southern skies.
Tomorrow's picture: lunar triomuphe
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Wed Apr 26 06:33:38 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 26
A nearly full Moon is seen through the famous Arc de Triomphi with
trees and cars lining the foreground. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
The Moon through the Arc de Triomphe
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Zanarello
Explanation: Was this a lucky shot? Although many amazing photographs
are taken by someone who just happened to be in the right place at the
right time, this image took skill and careful planning. First was the
angular scale: if you shoot too close to the famous Arc de Triomphe in
Paris, France, the full moon will appear too small. Conversely, if you
shoot from too far away, the moon will appear too large and not fit
inside the Arc. Second is timing: the Moon only appears centered inside
the Arc for small periods of time -- from this distance less than a
minute. Other planned features include lighting, relative brightness,
height, capturing a good foreground, and digital processing. And yes,
there is some luck involved -- for example, the sky must be clear. This
time, the planning was successful, bringing two of humanity's most
famous icons photographically together for all to enjoy.
Today's adventure link: Click "Paris" (above)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Apr 27 02:56:06 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 27
The Tarantula Nebula from SuperBIT
Image Credit: SuperBIT, NASA
Explanation: The Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus, is more
than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant star forming region
within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 160
thousand light-years away, it's the largest, most violent star forming
region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies. The cosmic arachnid
is near the center of this spectacular image taken during the flight of
SuperBIT (Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope), NASA's
balloon-borne 0.5 meter telescope now floating near the edge of space.
Within the well-studied Tarantula (NGC 2070), intense radiation,
stellar winds and supernova shocks from the central young cluster of
massive stars, cataloged as R136, energize the nebular glow and shape
the spidery filaments. Around the Tarantula are other star forming
regions with young star clusters, filaments, and blown-out
bubble-shaped clouds. SuperBIT's wide field of view spans over 2
degrees or 4 full moons in the southern constellation Dorado.
Tomorrow's picture: alpha camel leopard
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From
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All on Fri Apr 28 00:14:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 28
Runaway Star Alpha Camelopardalis
Image Credit: Andr+¬ Vilhena
Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas, runaway star
Alpha Camelopardalis has produced this graceful arcing bow wave or bow
shock. The massive supergiant star moves at over 60 kilometers per
second through space, compressing the interstellar material in its
path. At the center of this nearly 6 degree wide view, Alpha Cam is
about 25-30 times as massive as the Sun, 5 times hotter (30,000
kelvins), and over 500,000 times brighter. About 4,000 light-years away
in the long-necked constellation Camelopardalis, the star also produces
a strong stellar wind. Alpha Cam's bow shock stands off about 10
light-years from the star itself. What set this star in motion?
Astronomers have long thought that Alpha Cam was flung out of a nearby
cluster of young hot stars due to gravitational interactions with other
cluster members or perhaps by the supernova explosion of a massive
companion star.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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From
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All on Sat Apr 29 01:04:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 29
Solar Eclipse from a Ship
Image Credit: Fred Espenak
Explanation: Along a narrow path that mostly avoided landfall, the
shadow of the New Moon raced across planet Earth's southern hemisphere
on April 20 to create a rare annular-total or hybrid solar eclipse.
From the Indian Ocean off the coast of western Australia, ship-borne
eclipse chasers were able to witness 62 seconds of totality though
while anchored near the centerline of the total eclipse track. This
ship-borne image of the eclipse captures the active Sun's magnificent
outer atmosphere or solar corona streaming into space. A composite of
11 exposures ranging from 1/2000 to 1/2 second, it records an extended
range of brightness to follow details of the corona not quite visible
to the eye during the total eclipse phase. Of course eclipses tend to
come in pairs. On May 5, the next Full Moon will just miss the dark
inner part of Earth's shadow in a penumbral lunar eclipse.
Total Solar Eclipse of 2023 April Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: subtle Saturnian moon
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From
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All on Sun Apr 30 00:05:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 April 30
An oblong moon is shown in very muted colors, appearing almost gray.
The background is deep space and completely dark at this short exposure
time. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Saturn's Moon Helene in Color
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SSI; Processing: Daniel Mach+í-ìek
Explanation: Although its colors may be subtle, Saturn's moon Helene is
an enigma in any light. The moon was imaged in unprecedented detail in
2012 as the robotic Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn swooped to
within a single Earth diameter of the diminutive moon. Although
conventional craters and hills appear, the above image also shows
terrain that appears unusually smooth and streaked. Planetary
astronomers are inspecting these detailed images of Helene to glean
clues about the origin and evolution of the 30-km across floating
iceberg. Helene is also unusual because it circles Saturn just ahead of
the large moon Dione, making it one of only four known Saturnian moons
to occupy a gravitational well known as a stable Lagrange point.
Tomorrow's picture: stars with colors
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From
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All on Mon May 1 00:40:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 1
The featured image shows the northern part of the Great Carina Nebula
featuring the Gabriela Mistral Nebula as well as other nebulae and star
clusters. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Carina Nebula North
Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Taylor
Explanation: The Great Carina Nebula is home to strange stars and
iconic nebulas. Named for its home constellation, the huge star-forming
region is larger and brighter than the Great Orion Nebula but less well
known because it is so far south -- and because so much of humanity
lives so far north. The featured image shows in great detail the
northernmost part of the Carina Nebula. On the bottom left is the
Gabriela Mistral Nebula consisting of an emission nebula of glowing gas
(IC 2599) surrounding the small open cluster of stars (NGC 3324). Above
the image center is the larger star cluster NGC 3293, while to its
right is the emission nebula Loden 153. The most famous occupant of the
Carina Nebula, however, is not shown. Off the image to the lower right
is the bright, erratic, and doomed star known as Eta Carinae -- a star
once one of the brightest stars in the sky and now predicted to explode
in a supernova sometime in the next few million years.
Tomorrow's picture: unusually flat mars
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From
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All on Tue May 2 00:55:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 2
A view of Mars from the Curiosity rover on Mars is pictured in black
and white. Many rocks and hills are visible, with a hill containing
many unusually flat rocks visible on the right. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Flat Rock Hills on Mars
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS; Processing: Neville
Thompson
Explanation: Why are there so many flat rocks on Mars? Some views of
plains and hills on Mars show many rocks that are unusually flat when
compared to rocks on Earth. One reason for this is a process that is
common to both Mars and Earth: erosion. The carbon-dioxide wind on Mars
can act like sandpaper when it blows around gritty Martian sand. This
sand can create differential erosion, smoothing over some rocks, while
wearing down the tops of other long-exposed stones. The featured image
capturing several hills covered with flat-topped rocks was taken last
month by NASA's Curiosity Rover on Mars. This robotic rover has now
been rolling across Mars for ten years and has helped uncover many
details of the wet and windy past of Earth's planetary neighbor. After
taking this and other images, Curiosity carefully navigated stones and
slippery sand to climb up Marker Band Valley.
Tomorrow's picture: black hole galaxy
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From
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All on Wed May 3 01:18:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 3
A long duration image of the unusual galaxy Centaurus A. The galaxy
appears as a light oval with a complex dark dust lane running across
its center. A starfield surrounds the galaxy. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Centaurus A: A Peculiar Island of Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi, Angus Lau & Tommy Tse; Text:
Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)
Explanation: Galaxies are fascinating. In galaxies, gravity alone holds
together massive collections of stars, dust, interstellar gas, stellar
remnants and dark matter. Pictured is NGC 5128, better known as
Centaurus A. Cen A is the fifth brightest galaxy on the sky and is
located at a distance of about 12 million light years from Earth. The
warped shape of Cen A is the result of a merger between an elliptical
and a spiral galaxy. Its active galactic nucleus harbors a supermassive
black hole that is about 55 million times more massive than our Sun.
This central black hole ejects a fast jet visible in both radio and
X-ray light. Filaments of the jet are visible in red in the upper left.
New observations by the Event Horizon Telescope have revealed a
brightening of the jet only towards its edges -- but for reasons that
are currently unknown and an active topic of research.
At NASA it's: Black Hole Week
Tomorrow's picture: black hole revisited
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All on Thu May 4 00:14:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 4
The Galaxy, the Jet, and a Famous Black Hole
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Explanation: Bright elliptical galaxy Messier 87 (M87) is home to the
supermassive black hole captured in 2017 by planet Earth's Event
Horizon Telescope in the first ever image of a black hole. Giant of the
Virgo galaxy cluster about 55 million light-years away, M87 is the
large galaxy rendered in blue hues in this infrared image from the
Spitzer Space telescope. Though M87 appears mostly featureless and
cloud-like, the Spitzer image does record details of relativistic jets
blasting from the galaxy's central region. Shown in the inset at top
right, the jets themselves span thousands of light-years. The brighter
jet seen on the right is approaching and close to our line of sight.
Opposite, the shock created by the otherwise unseen receding jet lights
up a fainter arc of material. Inset at bottom right, the historic black
hole image is shown in context, at the center of giant galaxy and
relativistic jets. Completely unresolved in the Spitzer image, the
supermassive black hole surrounded by infalling material is the source
of enormous energy driving the relativistic jets from the center of
active galaxy M87. The Event Horizon Telescope image of M87 has now
been enhanced to reveal a sharper view of the famous supermassive black
hole.
At NASA: Black Hole Week
Tomorrow's picture: ShadowCam
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All on Sat May 6 00:51:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 6
Twilight in a Flower
Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile
Explanation: Transformed into the petals of a flower, 16 exposures show
the passage of day into night in this creative timelapse skyscape.
Start at the top and move counterclockwise to follow consecutive
moments as the twilight sky turns an ever darker blue and night
blossoms. Each exposure was recorded on the evening of April 22,
calculated to maintain a consistent balance of light and color. Close
to the western horizon on that date, a crescent Moon and Venus are the
two brightest celestial beacons. Petal to petal the pair spiral closer
to the flower's center. In silhouette around the center of the twilight
flower are Sicily's megalithic rocks of Argimusco.
Tomorrow's picture: the helix
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All on Sun May 7 00:16:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 7
A colorful circular nebula is shown that is beige in the center, red
further out, and gas violet rings even further out. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Helix Nebula from CFHT
Image Credit: CFHT, Coelum, MegaCam, J.-C. Cuillandre (CFHT) & G. A.
Anselmi (Coelum)
Explanation: Will our Sun look like this one day? The Helix Nebula is
one of brightest and closest examples of a planetary nebula, a gas
cloud created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The outer
gasses of the star expelled into space appear from our vantage point as
if we are looking down a helix. The remnant central stellar core,
destined to become a white dwarf star, glows in light so energetic it
causes the previously expelled gas to fluoresce. The Helix Nebula,
given a technical designation of NGC 7293, lies about 700 light-years
away towards the constellation of the Water Bearer (Aquarius) and spans
about 2.5 light-years. The featured picture was taken with the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) located atop a dormant volcano in
Hawaii, USA. A close-up of the inner edge of the Helix Nebula shows
complex gas knots of unknown origin.
Tomorrow's picture: dancing galaxy
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All on Mon May 8 00:08:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 8
A majestic spiral galaxy is shown with spirals of bright blue stars,
bright red nebulae, and dark dust. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
The Spanish Dancer Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit: ESA, NASA, Hubble; Processing: Detlev Odenthal
Explanation: If not perfect, then this spiral galaxy is at least one of
the most photogenic. An island universe containing billions of stars
and situated about 40 million light-years away toward the constellation
of the Dolphinfish (Dorado), NGC 1566 presents a gorgeous face-on view.
Classified as a grand design spiral, NGC 1566 shows two prominent and
graceful spiral arms that are traced by bright blue star clusters and
dark cosmic dust lanes. Numerous Hubble Space Telescope images of NGC
1566 have been taken to study star formation, supernovas, and the
spiral's unusually active center. Some of these images, stored online
in the Hubble Legacy Archive, were freely downloaded, combined, and
digitally processed by an industrious amateur to create the featured
image. NGC 1566's flaring center makes the spiral one of the closest
and brightest Seyfert galaxies, likely housing a central supermassive
black hole wreaking havoc on surrounding stars and gas.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: screens of Earth
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All on Wed May 10 00:11:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 10
A person in silhouette looks out over a desert punctuated by unusual
rock formations. High above is a colorful sky including the band of our
Milky Way Galaxy and the Rho Ophiuchi star clouds. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Milky Way over Egyptian Desert
Image Credit & Copyright: Amr Abdelwahab
Explanation: For ten years the stargazer dreamed of taking a picture
like this. The dreamer knew that the White Desert National Park in
Egypt's Western Desert is a picturesque place hosting numerous chalk
formations sculpted into surreal structures by a sandy wind. The
dreamer knew that the sky above could be impressively dark on a clear
moonless night, showing highlights such as the central band of our
Milky Way Galaxy in impressive color and detail. So the dreamer invited
an even more experienced astrophotographer to spend three weeks
together in the desert and plan the composite images that needed to be
taken and processed to create the dream image. Over three days in
mid-March, the base images were taken, all with the same camera and
from the same location. The impressive result is featured here, with
the dreamer -- proudly wearing a traditional Bedouin galabyia --
pictured in the foreground.
Tomorrow's picture: Rocannon's sun
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All on Thu May 11 00:21:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 6
Fomalhaut's Dusty Debris Disk
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Processing: Andr+ís G+ísp+ír (Univ. of
Arizona), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Science: A. G+ísp+ír (Univ. of Arizona)
et al.
Explanation: Fomalhaut is a bright star, a 25 light-year voyage from
planet Earth in the direction of the constellation Piscis Austrinus.
Astronomers first noticed Fomalhaut's excess infrared emission in the
1980s. Space and ground-based telescopes have since identified the
infrared emission's source as a disk of dusty debris surrounding the
hot, young star related to the ongoing formation of a planetary system.
But this sharp infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope's
MIRI camera reveals details of Fomalhaut's debris disk never before
seen, including a large dust cloud in the outer ring that is possible
evidence for colliding bodies, and an inner dust disk and gap likely
shaped and maintained by embedded but unseen planets. An image scale
bar in au or astronomical units, the average Earth-Sun distance,
appears at the lower left. Fomalhaut's outer circumstellar dust ring
lies at about twice the distance of our own Solar System's Kuiper Belt
of small icy bodies and debris beyond the orbit of Neptune.
Tomorrow's picture: Halley dust
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All on Sat May 13 00:23:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 13
Apollo 17: The Crescent Earth
Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA; Restoration - Toby Ord
Explanation: Our fair planet sports a curved, sunlit crescent against
the black backdrop of space in this stunning photograph. From the
unfamiliar perspective, the Earth is small and, like a telescopic image
of a distant planet, the entire horizon is completely within the field
of view. Enjoyed by crews on board the International Space Station,
only much closer views of the planet are possible from low Earth orbit.
Orbiting the planet once every 90 minutes, a spectacle of clouds,
oceans, and continents scrolls beneath them with the partial arc of the
planet's edge in the distance. But this digitally restored image
presents a view so far only achieved by 24 humans, Apollo astronauts
who traveled to the Moon and back again between 1968 and 1972. The
original photograph, AS17-152-23420, was taken by the homeward bound
crew of Apollo 17, on December 17, 1972. For now it is the last picture
of Earth from this planetary perspective taken by human hands.
Tomorrow's picture: free space
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From
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All on Sun May 14 02:26:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 14
An astronaut is seen hovering over the Earth. In the top part of the
image, the astronaut is seen against the darkness of space. In the
lower part of the image, the Earth is bright blue with white clouds.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
To Fly Free in Space
Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B
Explanation: What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100
meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce
McCandless II was living the dream -- floating farther out than anyone
had ever been before. Guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU),
astronaut McCandless, pictured, was floating free in space. During
Space Shuttle mission 41-B in 1984, McCandless and fellow NASA
astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience such an
"untethered space walk". The MMU worked by shooting jets of nitrogen
and was used to help deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over
140 kilograms, an MMU is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is
weightless when drifting in orbit. The MMU was later replaced with the
SAFER backpack propulsion unit.
Tomorrow's picture: red eagle
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From
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All on Mon May 15 01:02:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 15
A deep image of the Eagle Nebula in many scientifically assigned
colors. The area around the nebula appears red, but the center is blue
with unusual pillars visible. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
M16: Eagle Nebula Deep Field
Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Lacroce
Explanation: From afar, the whole thing looks like an eagle. A closer
look at the Eagle Nebula, however, shows the bright region is actually
a window into the center of a larger dark shell of dust. Through this
window, a brightly-lit workshop appears where a whole open cluster of
stars is being formed. In this cavity, tall pillars and round globules
of dark dust and cold molecular gas remain where stars are still
forming. Already visible are several young bright blue stars whose
light and winds are burning away and pushing back the remaining
filaments and walls of gas and dust. The Eagle emission nebula, tagged
M16, lies about 6500 light years away, spans about 20 light-years, and
is visible with binoculars toward the constellation of the Serpent
(Serpens). This picture involved long and deep exposures and combined
three specific emitted colors emitted by sulfur (colored as yellow),
hydrogen (red), and oxygen (blue).
Tomorrow's picture: sun streamers
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From
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All on Tue May 16 00:49:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 16
A deep image of the Sun's surrounding corona during the April 2023
total solar eclipse. The central disk is dark and many bright and
complex rays are seen extending out. A few hot pink filaments can be
seen just around the Sun's edge. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Total Eclipse: The Big Corona
Image Credit & Copyright: Reinhold Wittich
Explanation: Most photographs don't adequately portray the magnificence
of the Sun's corona. Seeing the corona first-hand during a total solar
eclipse is unparalleled. The human eye can adapt to see coronal
features and extent that average cameras usually cannot. Welcome,
however, to the digital age. The featured image digitally combined
short and long exposures taken in Exmouth, Australia that were
processed to highlight faint and extended features in the corona during
the total solar eclipse that occurred in April of 2023. Clearly visible
are intricate layers and glowing caustics of an ever changing mixture
of hot gas and magnetic fields in the Sun's corona. Looping prominences
appear bright pink just past the Sun's edge. Images taken seconds
before and after the total eclipse show glimpses of the background Sun
known as Baily's Beads and diamond ring effect. The next total solar
eclipse will cross North America in April of 2024.
Total Solar Eclipse of 2023 April Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: sun bridge
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From
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All on Wed May 17 00:41:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 17
Dark spots against a yellow background are shown. When viewed in
detail, a light bridge crosses the largest spot, while the yellow
background appears composed of small, irregularly shaped components.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Sunspot with Light Bridge
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Johnston
Explanation: Why would a small part of the Sun appear slightly dark?
Visible is a close-up picture of sunspots, depressions on the Sun's
surface that are slightly cooler and less bright than the rest of the
Sun. The Sun's complex magnetic field creates these cool regions by
inhibiting hot material from entering the spots. Sunspots can be larger
than the Earth and typically last for about a week. Part of active
region AR 3297 crossing the Sun in early May, the large lower sunspot
is spanned by an impressive light bridge of hot and suspended solar
gas. This high-resolution picture also shows clearly that the Sun's
surface is a bubbling carpet of separate cells of hot gas. These cells
are known as granules. A solar granule is about 1000 kilometers across
and lasts for only about 15 minutes.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: star debris
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Thu May 18 03:43:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 18
WR 134 Ring Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks
Explanation: Made with narrowband filters, this cosmic snapshot covers
a field of view about the size of the full Moon within the boundaries
of the constellation Cygnus. It highlights the bright edge of a
ring-like nebula traced by the glow of ionized sulfur, hydrogen, and
oxygen gas. Embedded in the region's interstellar clouds of gas and
dust, the complex, glowing arcs are sections of bubbles or shells of
material swept up by the wind from Wolf-Rayet star WR 134, brightest
star near the center of the frame. Distance estimates put WR 134 about
6,000 light-years away, making the frame over 50 light-years across.
Shedding their outer envelopes in powerful stellar winds, massive
Wolf-Rayet stars have burned through their nuclear fuel at a prodigious
rate and end this final phase of massive star evolution in a
spectacular supernova explosion. The stellar winds and final supernovae
enrich the interstellar material with heavy elements to be incorporated
in future generations of stars.
Tomorrow's picture: curly spiral galaxy
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All on Fri May 19 00:30:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 19
Curly Spiral Galaxy M63
Image Credit & Copyright: Sophie Paulin, Jens Unger, Jakob Sahner
Explanation: A bright spiral galaxy of the northern sky, Messier 63 is
nearby, about 30 million light-years distant toward the loyal
constellation Canes Venatici. Also cataloged as NGC 5055, the majestic
island universe is nearly 100,000 light-years across, about the size of
our own Milky Way. Its bright core and majestic spiral arms lend the
galaxy its popular name, The Sunflower Galaxy. This exceptionally deep
exposure also follows faint, arcing star streams far into the galaxy's
halo. Extending nearly 180,000 light-years from the galactic center,
the star streams are likely remnants of tidally disrupted satellites of
M63. Other satellite galaxies of M63 can be spotted in the remarkable
wide-field image, including faint dwarf galaxies, which could
contribute to M63's star streams in the next few billion years.
Tomorrow's picture: Galileo's Europa
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All on Sat May 20 11:35:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 20
Galileo's Europa
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SETI Institute, Cynthia Phillips,
Marty Valenti
Explanation: Looping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the
Galileo spacecraft recorded stunning views of Europa and uncovered
evidence that the moon's icy surface likely hides a deep, global ocean.
Galileo's Europa image data has been remastered here, with improved
calibrations to produce a color image approximating what the human eye
might see. Europa's long curving fractures hint at the subsurface
liquid water. The tidal flexing the large moon experiences in its
elliptical orbit around Jupiter supplies the energy to keep the ocean
liquid. But more tantalizing is the possibility that even in the
absence of sunlight that process could also supply the energy to
support life, making Europa one of the best places to look for life
beyond Earth. What kind of life could thrive in a deep, dark,
subsurface ocean? Consider planet Earth's own extreme shrimp.
Tomorrow's picture: almost alien
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From
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All on Sun May 21 01:02:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 21
An usual looking creature is pictured which may appear alien but is
actually a Earth-dwelling tardigrade. The tardigrade has no apparent
eyes, a light brown body, a circular gear-like snout, and claws at the
end of its numerous feet. The tardigrade is seen perched on green moss.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Tardigrade in Moss
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicole Ottawa & Oliver Meckes / Eye of
Science / Science Source Images
Explanation: Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on
Earth, the tardigrade might be the best candidate. That's because
tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or
water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above
the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well
above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous
radiations. The far-ranging survivability of these extremophiles was
tested in 2011 outside an orbiting space shuttle. Tardigrades are so
durable partly because they can repair their own DNA and reduce their
body water content to a few percent. Some of these miniature
water-bears almost became extraterrestrials in 2011 when they were
launched toward to the Martian moon Phobos, and again in 2021 when they
were launched toward Earth's own moon, but the former launch failed,
and the latter landing crashed. Tardigrades are more common than humans
across most of the Earth. Pictured here in a color-enhanced electron
micrograph, a millimeter-long tardigrade crawls on moss.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: sea blue sky
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From
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All on Mon May 22 00:05:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 22
A sprawling spiral galaxy is pictured with a new bright spot visible
near the image bottom. This spot is a recently discovered supernova. A
roll-over image shows the same galaxy in an image taken the previous
month without the new supernova spot. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Supernova Discovered in Nearby Spiral Galaxy M101
Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks
Explanation: A nearby star has exploded and humanity's telescopes are
turning to monitor it. The supernova, dubbed SN 2023ixf, was discovered
by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki three days ago and subsequently
located on automated images from the Zwicky Transient Facility two days
earlier. SN 2023ixf occurred in the photogenic Pinwheel Galaxy M101,
which, being only about 21 million light years away, makes it the
closest supernova seen in the past five years, the second closest in
the past 10 years, and the second supernova found in M101 in the past
15 years. Rapid follow up observations already indicate that SN 2023ixf
is a Type II supernova, an explosion that occurs after a massive star
runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses. The featured image shows home
spiral galaxy two days ago with the supernova highlighted, while the
roll-over image shows the same galaxy a month before. SN 2023ixf will
likely brighten and remain visible to telescopes for months. Studying
such a close and young Type II supernova may yield new clues about
massive stars and how they explode.
Tomorrow's picture: just above jupiter
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From
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All on Tue May 23 00:22:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 23
The cloud tops of Jupiter are pictured in a closeup flyby of the Juno
spacecraft. A big white oval cloud is visible in the foreground, while
many swirls of many muted colors are visible trailing behind. A dark
night sky is in the background. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Jupiter's Swirls from Juno
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing & License: Kevin
M. Gill
Explanation: Big storms are different on Jupiter. On Earth, huge
hurricanes and colossal cyclones are centered on regions of low
pressure, but on Jupiter, it is the high-pressure, anti-cyclone storms
that are the largest. On Earth, large storms can last weeks, but on
Jupiter they can last years. On Earth, large storms can be as large as
a country, but on Jupiter, large storms can be as large as planet
Earth. Both types of storms are known to exhibit lightning. The
featured image of Jupiter's clouds was composed from images and data
captured by the robotic Juno spacecraft as it swooped close to the
massive planet in August 2020. A swirling white oval is visible
nearby, while numerous smaller cloud swirls extend into the distance.
On Jupiter, light-colored clouds are usually higher up than dark
clouds. Despite their differences, studying storm clouds on distant
Jupiter provides insights into storms and other weather patterns on
familiar Earth.
Surf the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: double occultation
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Wed May 24 10:17:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 24
A dark mountain lies in the center with an observatory building
sporting two telescope domes. The background sky appears dark blue.
Behind the center of the observatory is part of a crescent moon, with
an unusual bright spot to its upper left. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
Observatory Aligned with Moon Occulting Jupiter
Image Credit & Copyright: Rick Whitacre; Text: Natalia Lewandowska
(SUNY Oswego)
Explanation: Sometimes we witness the Moon moving directly in front of
-- called occulting -- one of the planets in our Solar System. Earlier
this month that planet was Jupiter. Captured here was the moment when
Jupiter re-appeared from behind the surface of our Moon. The Moon was
in its third quarter, two days before the dark New Moon. Now, our Moon
is continuously half lit by the Sun, but when in its third quarter,
relatively little of that half can be seen from the Earth. Pictured,
the Moon itself was aligned behind the famous Lick Observatory in
California, USA, on the summit of Mount Hamilton. Coincidentally, Lick
enabled the discovery of a moon of Jupiter: Amalthea, the last visually
detected moon of Jupiter after Galileo's observations.
Gallery: Moon Occults Jupiter in 2023 May: Notable Submissions to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: in a cat's eye
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All on Thu May 25 00:43:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 25
Cat's Eye Wide and Deep
Image Credit & Copyright: Jean-Fran+ºois Bax, Guillaume Gruntz
Explanation: The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known
planetary nebulae in the sky. Its more familiar outlines are seen in
the brighter central region of the nebula in this impressive wide-angle
view. But this wide and deep image combining data from two telescopes
also reveals its extremely faint outer halo. At an estimated distance
of 3,000 light-years, the faint outer halo is over 5 light-years
across. Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in the life of a sun-like star. More recently, some planetary nebulae
are found to have halos like this one, likely formed of material
shrugged off during earlier episodes in the star's evolution. While the
planetary nebula phase is thought to last for around 10,000 years,
astronomers estimate the age of the outer filamentary portions of this
halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years. Visible on the right, some 50
million light-years beyond the watchful planetary nebula, lies spiral
galaxy NGC 6552.
Tomorrow's picture: Virgo Cluster Galaxies
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From
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All on Fri May 26 02:17:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 26
Virgo Cluster Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Abdullah Alharbi
Explanation: Galaxies of the Virgo Cluster are scattered across this
nearly 4 degree wide telescopic field of view. About 50 million
light-years distant, the Virgo Cluster is the closest large galaxy
cluster to our own local galaxy group. Prominent here are Virgo's
bright elliptical galaxies Messier catalog, M87 at bottom center, and
M84 and M86 (top to bottom) near top left. M84 and M86 are recognized
as part of Markarian's Chain, a visually striking line-up of galaxies
on the left side of this frame. Near the middle of the chain lies an
intriguing interacting pair of galaxies, NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, known
to some as Markarian's Eyes. Of course giant elliptical galaxy M87
dominates the Virgo cluster. It's the home of a super massive black
hole, the first black hole ever imaged by planet Earth's Event Horizon
Telescope.
Tomorrow's picture: Crescent Neptune and Triton
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All on Sat May 27 01:56:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 27
The picture shows the planet Neptune and its moon Triton, both in
crescent phases, as captured by the passing Voyager 2 spacecraft in
1989. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Crescent Neptune and Triton
Image Credit: NASA, Voyager 2
Explanation: Gliding through the outer Solar System, in 1989 the
Voyager 2 spacecraft looked toward the Sun to find this view of most
distant planet Neptune and its moon Triton together in a crescent
phase. The elegant image of ice-giant planet and largest moon was taken
from behind just after Voyager's closest approach. It could not have
been taken from Earth because the most distant planet never shows a
crescent phase to sunward eyes. Heading for the heliopause and beyond,
the spacecraft's parting vantage point also robs Neptune of its
familiar blue hue.
Tomorrow's picture: an unexpected moon
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All on Sun May 28 01:50:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 28
A pair of asteroids are shown with a large, elongated and cratered one
on the left and a much smaller one on the far right. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Ida and Dactyl: Asteroid and Moon
Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Mission
Explanation: This asteroid has a moon. The robot spacecraft Galileo on
route to Jupiter in 1993 encountered and photographed two asteroids
during its long interplanetary voyage. The second minor planet it
photographed, 243 Ida, was unexpectedly discovered to have a moon. The
tiny moon, Dactyl, is only about 1.6 kilometers across and seen as a
small dot on the right of the sharpened featured image. In contrast,
the potato-shaped Ida is much larger, measuring about 60 kilometers
long and 25 km wide. Dactyl is the first moon of an asteroid ever
discovered -- now many asteroids are known to have moons. The names Ida
and Dactyl are from Greek mythology.
Tomorrow's picture: sea blue sky
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From
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All on Mon May 29 00:53:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 29
A shoreline glowing with blue bioluminescent plankton is shown, with a
stand of trees in the distance. Above all is a starry sky which
includes red nebulae and the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Milky Way over a Turquoise Wonderland
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Hor+ílek / Institute of Physics in Opava,
Sovena Jani
Explanation: What glows there? The answer depends: sea or sky? In the
sea, the unusual blue glow is bioluminescence. Specifically, the
glimmer arises from Noctiluca scintillans, single-celled plankton
stimulated by the lapping waves. The plankton use their glow to startle
and illuminate predators. This mid-February display on an island in the
Maldives was so intense that the astrophotographer described it as a
turquoise wonderland. In the sky, by contrast, are the more familiar
glows of stars and nebulas. The white band rising from the
artificially-illuminated green plants is created by billions of stars
in the central disk of our Milky Way Galaxy. Also visible in the sky is
the star cluster Omega Centauri, toward the left, and the famous
Southern Cross asterism in the center. Red-glowing nebulas include the
bright Carina Nebula, just right of center, and the expansive Gum
Nebula on the upper right.
Tomorrow's picture: nebular bell
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Tue May 30 00:34:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 30
An expansive interstellar gas cloud is shown with an orange interior
and outer blue filaments. Many stars are visible in the dark
background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
M27: The Dumbbell Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick A. Cosgrove
Explanation: Is this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. The
first hint of our Sun's future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At
that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not
to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now
known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, one of the
brightest planetary nebulae on the sky and visible with binoculars
toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula). It takes light about
1000 years to reach us from M27, featured here in colors emitted by
sulfur (red), hydrogen (green) and oxygen (blue). We now know that in
about 6 billion years, our Sun will shed its outer gases into a
planetary nebula like M27, while its remaining center will become an
X-ray hot white dwarf star. Understanding the physics and significance
of M27 was well beyond 18th century science, though. Even today, many
things remain mysterious about planetary nebulas, including how their
intricate shapes are created.
Tomorrow's picture: watch a galaxy form
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Wed May 31 00:22:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 May 31
Simulation: A Disk Galaxy Forms
Video Credit: TNG Collaboration, MPCDF, FAS Harvard U.; Music: World's
Sunrise (YouTube: Jimena Contreras)
Explanation: How did we get here? We know that we live on a planet
orbiting a star orbiting a galaxy, but how did all of this form? Since
our universe moves too slowly to watch, faster-moving computer
simulations are created to help find out. Specifically, this featured
video from the IllustrisTNG collaboration tracks gas from the early
universe (redshift 12) until today (redshift 0). As the simulation
begins, ambient gas falls into and accumulates in a region of
relatively high gravity. After a few billion years, a well-defined
center materializes from a strange and fascinating cosmic dance. Gas
blobs -- some representing small satellite galaxies -- continue to fall
into and become absorbed by the rotating galaxy as the present epoch is
reached and the video ends. For the Milky Way Galaxy, however, big
mergers may not be over -- recent evidence indicates that our large
spiral disk Galaxy will collide and coalesce with the slightly larger
Andromeda spiral disk galaxy in the next few billion years.
Open Science: Browse 3,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: recycling a star
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Jun 1 12:16:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 1
Recycling Cassiopeia A
Image Credit: X-ray - NASA, CXC, SAO; Optical - NASA,STScI
Explanation: Massive stars in our Milky Way Galaxy live spectacular
lives. Collapsing from vast cosmic clouds, their nuclear furnaces
ignite and create heavy elements in their cores. After a few million
years, the enriched material is blasted back into interstellar space
where star formation can begin anew. The expanding debris cloud known
as Cassiopeia A is an example of this final phase of the stellar life
cycle. Light from the explosion which created this supernova remnant
would have been first seen in planet Earth's sky about 350 years ago,
although it took that light about 11,000 years to reach us. This
false-color image, composed of X-ray and optical image data from the
Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, shows the still
hot filaments and knots in the remnant. It spans about 30 light-years
at the estimated distance of Cassiopeia A. High-energy X-ray emission
from specific elements has been color coded, silicon in red, sulfur in
yellow, calcium in green and iron in purple, to help astronomers
explore the recycling of our galaxy's star stuff. Still expanding, the
outer blast wave is seen in blue hues. The bright speck near the center
is a neutron star, the incredibly dense, collapsed remains of the
massive stellar core.
Tomorrow's picture: massive galaxy
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From
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All on Fri Jun 2 00:09:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 2
Messier 101
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CFHT, NOAO;
Acknowledgement - K.Kuntz (GSFC), F.Bresolin (U.Hawaii), J.Trauger
(JPL), J.Mould (NOAO), Y.-H.Chu (U. Illinois)
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is one of the last
entries in Charles Messier's famous catalog, but definitely not one of
the least. About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous,
almost twice the size of our own Milky Way. M101 was also one of the
original spiral nebulae observed by Lord Rosse's large 19th century
telescope, the Leviathan of Parsontown. Assembled from 51 exposures
recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 20th and 21st centuries,
with additional data from ground based telescopes, this mosaic spans
about 40,000 light-years across the central region of M101 in one of
the highest definition spiral galaxy portraits ever released from
Hubble. The sharp image shows stunning features of the galaxy's face-on
disk of stars and dust along with background galaxies, some visible
right through M101 itself. Also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, M101 lies
within the boundaries of the northern constellation Ursa Major, about
25 million light-years away.
Tomorrow's picture: Portrait of Charon
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From
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All on Sat Jun 3 00:33:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 3
Charon: Moon of Pluto
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research
Institute, U.S. Naval Observatory
Explanation: A darkened and mysterious north polar region known to some
as Mordor Macula caps this premier high-resolution view. The portrait
of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, was captured by New Horizons near the
spacecraft's closest approach on July 14, 2015. The combined blue, red,
and infrared data was processed to enhance colors and follow variations
in Charon's surface properties with a resolution of about 2.9
kilometers (1.8 miles). A stunning image of Charon's Pluto-facing
hemisphere, it also features a clear view of an apparently
moon-girdling belt of fractures and canyons that seems to separate
smooth southern plains from varied northern terrain. Charon is 1,214
kilometers (754 miles) across. That's about 1/10th the size of planet
Earth but a whopping 1/2 the diameter of Pluto itself, and makes it the
largest satellite relative to its parent body in the Solar System.
Still, the moon appears as a small bump at about the 1 o'clock position
on Pluto's disk in the grainy, negative,telescopic picture inset at
upper left. That view was used by James Christy and Robert Harrington
at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff to discover Charon in June
of 1978.
Tomorrow's picture: look beyond
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From
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All on Sun Jun 4 01:30:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 4
A black and white line drawing depicts a person peering outside of a
spherical room into a greater universe. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Color the Universe
Image Credit: Unknown, possibly C. Flammarion
Explanation: Wouldn't it be fun to color in the universe? If you think
so, please accept this famous astronomical illustration as a
preliminary substitute. You, your friends, your parents or children,
can print it out or even color it digitally. While coloring, you might
be interested to know that even though this illustration has appeared
in numerous places over the past 100 years, the actual artist remains
unknown. Furthermore, the work has no accepted name -- can you think of
a good one? The illustration, first appearing in a book by Camille
Flammarion in 1888, is frequently used to show that humanity's present
concepts are susceptible to being supplanted by greater truths.
Tomorrow's picture: a nebular trifecta
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All on Mon Jun 5 00:45:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 5
A bright red gaseous nebula is pictures with three dark dust lanes
meeting in the center. The top of the nebula appears blue. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
In the Center of the Trifid Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh
Explanation: What's happening at the center of the Trifid Nebula? Three
prominent dust lanes that give the Trifid its name all come together.
Mountains of opaque dust appear near the bottom, while other dark
filaments of dust are visible threaded throughout the nebula. A single
massive star visible near the center causes much of the Trifid's glow.
The Trifid, cataloged as M20, is only about 300,000 years old, making
it among the youngest emission nebulas known. The star forming nebula
lies about 9,000 light years away toward the constellation of the
Archer (Sagittarius). The region pictured here spans about 20 light
years.
Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: planet killer
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Jun 6 00:37:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 6
Star Eats Planet
Illustrative Video Credit: K. Miller & R. Hurt (Caltech, IPAC)
Explanation: ItCÇÖs the end of a world as we know it. Specifically, the
Sun-like star ZTF SLRN-2020 was seen eating one of its own planets.
Although many a planet eventually dies by spiraling into their central
star, the 2020 event, involving a Jupiter-like planet, was the first
time it was seen directly. The star ZTF SLRN-2020 lies about 12,000
light years from the Sun toward the constellation of the Eagle
(Aquila). In the featured animated illustration of the incident, the
gas planet's atmosphere is first pictured being stripped away as it
skims along the outskirts of the attracting star. Some of the planet's
gas is absorbed into the star's atmosphere, while other gas is expelled
into space. By the video's end, the planet is completely engulfed and
falls into the star's center, causing the star's outer atmosphere to
briefly expand, heat up, and brighten. One day, about eight billion
years from now, planet Earth may spiral into our Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: ring galaxy ring
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All on Thu Jun 8 23:17:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 8
Elephant's Trunk and Caravan
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cannistra (StarryWonders)
Explanation: Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the
Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission region and young
star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of
Cepheus. Seen on the left the cosmic elephant's trunk, also known as
vdB 142, is over 20 light-years long. This detailed telescopic view
features the bright swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar
dust and gas that abound in the region. But the dark, tendril-shaped
clouds contain the raw material for star formation and hide protostars
within. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396
complex
covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. This
rendition spans a 1 degree wide field of view though, about the angular
size of 2 full moons. Of course the dark shapes below and to the right
of the outstretched Elephant's Trunk, are known to some as The Caravan.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Jun 9 00:54:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 9
Pandora's Cluster of Galaxies
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ivo Labbe (Swinburne), Rachel Bezanson
(University of Pittsburgh), Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Explanation: This deep field mosaicked image presents a stunning view
of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 from the James Webb Space Telescope's
NIRCam. Also dubbed Pandora's Cluster, Abell 2744 itself appears to be
a ponderous merger of three different massive galaxy clusters some 3.5
billion light-years away toward the constellation Sculptor. Dominated
by dark matter, the mega-cluster warps and distorts the fabric of
spacetime, gravitationally lensing even more distant objects. Redder
than the Pandora cluster galaxies many of the lensed sources are very
distant galaxies in the early Universe, stretched and distorted into
arcs. Of course distinctive diffraction spikes mark foreground Milky
Way stars. At the Pandora Cluster's estimated distance this cosmic box
spans about 6 million light-years. But don't panic. You can explore the
tantalizing region in a 2 minute video tour.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Jun 10 01:04:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 10
Mars and the Beehive
Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri
Explanation: This month, bright Mars and brilliant Venus are the
prominent celestial beacons in planet Earth's western skies after
sunset. Wandering through the constellation Cancer the Crab, the Red
Planet was captured here on the evening of June 3 near the stars of
open cluster Messier 44. Recognized since antiquity this nearby,
naked-eye star cluster is also known as the Praesepe or the Beehive
cluster. A swarm of stars all much younger than the Sun, the Beehive
cluster is a mere 600 light-years distant. Seen with a yellowish hue,
Mars is about 17 light-minutes away. On June 12/13 Venus will take its
turn posing next to the stars of the Beehive cluster. But the dazzling
light of Venus will make the Beehive stars difficult to see by eye
alone.
Tomorrow's picture: the spectrum of the Sun
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Sun Jun 11 00:21:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 11
A rainbow of the Sun's colors is shown from deep red on the upper left
to deep blue on the lower right. Some horizontal lines have gaps that
appear dark where some colors are missing. the image. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Sun and Its Missing Colors
Image Credit: Nigel Sharp (NSF), FTS, NSO, KPNO, AURA, NSF
Explanation: Here are all the visible colors of the Sun, produced by
passing the Sun's light through a prism-like device. The spectrum was
created at the McMath-Pierce Solar Observatory and shows, first off,
that although our white-appearing Sun emits light of nearly every
color, it appears brightest in yellow-green light. The dark patches in
the featured spectrum arise from gas at or above the Sun's surface
absorbing sunlight emitted below. Since different types of gas absorb
different colors of light, it is possible to determine what gasses
compose the Sun. Helium, for example, was first discovered in 1870 on a
solar spectrum and only later found here on Earth. Today, the majority
of spectral absorption lines have been identified - but not all.
Tomorrow's picture: largest satellites
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All on Mon Jun 12 00:13:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 12
A crescent moon is shown against blue background. Many craters are
visible in great detail. To the upper left appears some kind of small
machine which is actually the International Space Station also in orbit
around the Earth. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
The Largest Satellites of Earth
Image Credit & Copyright: Tianyao Yang
Explanation: WhatCÇÖs that near the Moon? ItCÇÖs the International Space
Station (ISS). Although the ISS may appear to be physically near the
Moon, it is not CÇö it is physically near the Earth. In low Earth orbit
and circulating around our big blue marble about every 90 minutes, the
ISS was captured photographically as it crossed nearly in front of the
Moon. The Moon, itself in a month-long orbit around the Earth, shows a
crescent phase as only a curving sliver of its Sun-illuminated half is
visible from the Earth. The featured image was taken in late March from
Shanghai, China and shows not only details of Earth's largest
human-made satellite, but details of the cratered and barren surface of
Earth's largest natural satellite. Over the next few years, humanity is
planning to send more people and machines to the Moon than ever before.
Tomorrow's picture: another two
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Jun 13 07:52:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 13
Moons Across Jupiter
Image Credit: NASA; ESA, JPL, Cassini Imaging Team, SSI; Processing:
Kevin M. Gill
Explanation: Jupiter's moons circle Jupiter. The featured video depicts
Europa and Io, two of Jupiter's largest moons, crossing in front of the
grand planet's Great Red Spot, the largest known storm system in our
Solar System. The video was composed from images taken by the robotic
Cassini spacecraft as it passed Jupiter in 2000, on its way to Saturn.
The two moons visible are volcanic Io, in the distance, and icy Europa.
In the time-lapse video, Europa appears to overtake Io, which is odd
because Io is closer to Jupiter and moves faster. The explanation is
that the motion of the fast Cassini spacecraft changes the camera
location significantly during imaging. Jupiter is currently being
visited by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft, while ESA's Jupiter Icy
Moons Explorer (JUICE), launched in April, is enroute.
Tomorrow's picture: interstellar predator
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Wed Jun 14 00:25:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 14
A dark brown cloud that appears similar to a shark is seen against a
background filled with stars and less prominent blue-shaded nebulas.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Shark Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Stephen Kennedy
Explanation: There is no sea on Earth large enough to contain the Shark
nebula. This predator apparition poses us no danger as it is composed
only of interstellar gas and dust. Dark dust like that featured here is
somewhat like cigarette smoke and created in the cool atmospheres of
giant stars. After being expelled with gas and gravitationally
recondensing, massive stars may carve intricate structures into their
birth cloud using their high energy light and fast stellar winds as
sculpting tools. The heat they generate evaporates the murky molecular
cloud as well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and glow red.
During disintegration, we humans can enjoy imagining these great clouds
as common icons, like we do for water clouds on Earth. Including
smaller dust nebulae such as Lynds Dark Nebula 1235 and Van den Bergh
149 & 150, the Shark nebula spans about 15 light years and lies about
650 light years away toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia
(Cepheus).
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Thu Jun 15 00:11:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 15
M15: Dense Globular Star Cluster
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Ehsan
Ebrahimian
Explanation: Messier 15 is an immense swarm of over 100,000 stars. A 13
billion year old relic of the early formative years of our galaxy it's
one of about 170 globular star clusters that still roam the halo of the
Milky Way. Centered in this sharp reprocessed Hubble image, M15 lies
some 35,000 light-years away toward the constellation Pegasus. Its
diameter is about 200 light-years, but more than half its stars are
packed into the central 10 light-years or so, making one of the densest
concentrations of stars known. Hubble-based measurements of the
increasing velocities of M15's central stars are evidence that a
massive black hole resides at the center of the dense cluster. M15 is
also known to harbour a planetary nebula. Called Pease 1 (aka PN Ps 1),
it can be seen in this image as a small blue blob below and just right
of center.
Tomorrow's picture: when time lapses
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All on Fri Jun 16 01:02:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 16
Sunset to Sunrise over the Baltic Sea
Image Credit & Copyright: Bernd Pr++schold (TWAN)
Explanation: This serene view from the coast of Sweden looks across the
Baltic sea and compresses time, presenting the passage of one night in
a single photograph. From sunset to sunrise, moonlight illuminates the
creative sea and skyscape. Fleeting clouds, fixed stars, and flowing
northern lights leave their traces in planet Earth's sky. To construct
the timelapse image, 3296 video frames were recorded on the night of
June's Full Moon between 7:04pm and 6:35am local time. As time
progresses from left to right, a single column of pixels was taken from
the corresponding individual frame and combined in sequence into a
single digital image 3296 pixels wide.
Happy Birthday APOD
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sat Jun 17 00:18:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 17
Planet Earth at Night II
Video Credit: NASA, Gateway to Astronaut Photography, ISS Expedition
53; Music: The Low Seas (The 126ers)
Explanation: Recorded during 2017, timelapse sequences from the
International Space Station are compiled in this serene video of planet
Earth at Night. Fans of low Earth orbit can start by enjoying the view
as green and red aurora borealis slather up the sky. The night scene
tracks from northwest to southeast across North America, toward the
Gulf of Mexico and the Florida coast. A second sequence follows
European city lights, crosses the Mediterranean Sea, and passes over a
bright Nile river in northern Africa. Seen from the orbital outpost,
erratic flashes of lightning appear in thunder storms below and stars
rise above the planet's curved horizon through a faint atmospheric
airglow. Of course, from home you can always check out the vital signs
of Planet Earth Now.
Tomorrow's picture: How many sides does northern Saturn have?
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sun Jun 18 00:15:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 18
Saturn's north pole is shown with vibrant false colors. The outer
boundary appears as a rounded hexagon. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Saturn's Northern Hexagon
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, JPL, SSI, Cassini Imaging Team
Explanation: Why would clouds form a hexagon on Saturn? Nobody is sure.
Originally discovered during the Voyager flybys of Saturn in the 1980s,
nobody has ever seen anything like it anywhere else in the Solar
System. Acquiring its first sunlit views of far northern Saturn in late
2012, the Cassini spacecraft's wide-angle camera recorded this
stunning, false-color image of the ringed planet's north pole. The
composite of near-infrared image data results in red hues for low
clouds and green for high ones, giving the Saturnian cloudscape a vivid
appearance. This and similar images show the stability of the hexagon
even 20+ years after Voyager. Movies of Saturn's North Pole show the
cloud structure maintaining its hexagonal structure while rotating.
Unlike individual clouds appearing like a hexagon on Earth, the Saturn
cloud pattern appears to have six well defined sides of nearly equal
length. Four Earths could fit inside the hexagon. Beyond the cloud tops
at the upper right, arcs of the planet's eye-catching rings are tinted
bright blue.
Tomorrow's picture: space tornado
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From
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All on Mon Jun 19 00:15:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 19
The center of the Lagoon Nebula is pictured in false colors. Toward the
center left, dark dust swirls around glowing gas and bright stars.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Busy Center of the Lagoon Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: Francisco Javier Pobes
Serrano
Explanation: The center of the Lagoon Nebula is a whirlwind of
spectacular star formation. Visible near the image center, at least two
long funnel-shaped clouds, each roughly half a light-year long, have
been formed by extreme stellar winds and intense energetic starlight. A
tremendously bright nearby star, Herschel 36, lights the area. Vast
walls of dust hide and redden other hot young stars. As energy from
these stars pours into the cool dust and gas, large temperature
differences in adjoining regions can be created generating shearing
winds which may cause the funnels. This picture, spanning about 15
light years, combines images taken in four colors by the orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope. The Lagoon Nebula, also known as M8, lies about
5000 light years distant toward the constellation of the Archer
(Sagittarius).
Tomorrow's picture: large galactic bird
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From
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All on Tue Jun 20 00:06:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 20
Two identical images are shown side by side. On each, a silhouette of a
person holding a long stick is shown standing on a rock before the sea.
Above the person, running diagonally, is the central band of our Milky
Way Galaxy. On the right image, a type of bird called a Nandu is shown
in outline. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The +æand+| in the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Fefo Bouvier; Line Drawing: Alfonso Rosso
Explanation: Have you seen the bird in the Milky Way? Beyond the man in
the Moon, the night sky is filled with stories, and cultures throughout
history have projected some of their most enduring legends onto the
stars and dust above. Generations of people see these celestial icons,
hear their associated stories, and pass them down. Pictured here is not
only a segment of the central band of our Milky Way galaxy, but,
according to folklore of several native peoples of Uruguay, the outline
of a great bird called +æand+|. Furthermore, +æand+|'s footprint is
associated with the Southern Cross asterism. In the foreground, in
silhouette, is a statue of Mar+¡a Micaela Guyunusa, an indigenous woman
of the Charr+|a people who lived in the 1800s and endures as a symbol of
colonial resistance. The composite image was taken in mid-April in Cabo
Polonio, Uruguay, with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.
Tomorrow's picture: the way of the Sun
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Wed Jun 21 00:13:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 21
The Sun's path is shown while setting in multiple exposures over three
separate days. The top path was taken during a summer solstice, the
middle path during an equinox, and the lower path during a winter
solstice. The foreground shows grass and some rocks and trees. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
Three Sun Paths
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace & Giuseppe De Don+á
Explanation: Does the Sun follow the same path every day? No. The Sun's
path changes during the year, tracing a longer route during the summer
than the winter. Pictured here, the Sun's arc was captured from noon to
sunset on three days, from highest in the sky to lowest: summer
solstice, equinox, and winter solstice. The images were taken near
Gatto Corvino Village in Sicily, Italy in 2020 and 2021. The path and
time the Sun spends in the sky is more important in determining the
season than how close the Earth is to the Sun. In fact, the Earth is
closest to the Sun in January, during northern winter. Today is a
solstice, so today the Sun is taking its longest path of the year
across the sky in Earth's northern hemisphere, but the shortest path in
the southern hemisphere.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Thu Jun 22 00:38:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 22
Stars and Dust across Corona Australis
Image Credit & Copyright: Alessandro Cipolat Bares
Explanation: Cosmic dust clouds cross a rich field of stars in this
telescopic vista near the northern boundary of Corona Australis, the
Southern Crown. Part of a sprawling molecular cloud complex this star
forming region is a mere 500 light-years away. That's about one third
the distance of the more famous stellar nursery known as the Orion
Nebula. The 2 degree wide frame would span 15 light-years at the
clouds' estimated distance. Mixed with bright nebulosities the dust
clouds effectively block light from more distant background stars in
the Milky Way and obscure from view embedded stars still in the process
of formation. Large dark nebula Bernes 157 is on the left. To its right
are a group of pretty reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727,
6729, and IC 4812. Their characteristic blue color is produced as light
from hot stars is reflected by the cosmic dust. The more compact NGC
6729 surrounds young variable star R Coronae Australis. Just below it,
filamentary arcs and loops are identified as Herbig Haro objects
associated with energetic newborn stars. In fact, at the heart of this
area lies the Coronet Cluster, one of the nearest and most active star
forming regions.
Tomorrow's picture: the condor galaxy
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All on Fri Jun 23 00:15:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 23
Giant Galaxies in Pavo
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby, Observatorio El Sauce
Explanation: Over 500,000 light years across, NGC 6872 (top right) is a
truly enormous barred spiral galaxy, at least 5 times the size of our
own very large Milky Way. The appearance of this giant galaxy's
distorted and stretched out spiral arms suggests the magnificent wings
of a giant bird. Of course its popular moniker is the Condor galaxy. It
lies about 200 million light-years distant toward the southern
constellation Pavo, the Peacock. Lined with star-forming regions, the
distorted spiral arms are due to NGC 6872's gravitational interaction
with the nearby smaller galaxy IC 4970, seen just above the giant
galaxy's core. The Pavo galaxy group's dominant giant elliptical
galaxy, NGC 6876 is below and left of the soaring Condor galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Jun 24 01:00:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 24
3D Ingenuity
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, ASU
Explanation: The multicolor, stereo imaging Mastcam-Z on the
Perseverance rover zoomed in to capture this 3D close-up (get out your
red/blue glasses) of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter on mission sol 45.
That's Earth-date 2021 April 5. Casting a shadow on the Martian
surface, Ingenuity is standing alone on its four landing legs next to
the rover's wheel tracks. The experimental helicopter's solar panel,
charging batteries that keep it warm through the cold Martian nights
and power its flight, sits just above Ingenuity's two 1.2 meter (4
foot) long counter-rotating blades. Thirteen sols later, on April 19,
Ingenuity became the first aircraft to perform powered, controlled
flight on another planet. It has since gone on to complete more than 50
flights through the thin atmosphere of Mars.
Tomorrow's picture: Jovian lightning
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From
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All on Sun Jun 25 00:39:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 25
A large swirling cloud on Jupiter is shown with a bright green spot
near its top. The cloud is surrounded by other less descript parts of
Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Lightning on Jupiter
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing & License: Kevin
M. Gill
Explanation: Does lightning occur only on Earth? No. Spacecraft in our
Solar System have detected lightning on other planets, including Mars,
Jupiter and Saturn, and lightning is likely on Venus, Uranus, and
Neptune. Lightning is a sudden rush of electrically charged particles
from one location to another. On Earth, drafts of colliding ice and
water droplets usually create lightning-generating charge separation,
but what happens on Jupiter? Images and data from NASA's
Jupiter-orbiting Juno spacecraft bolster previous speculation that
Jovian lightning is also created in clouds containing water and ice. In
the featured Juno photograph, an optical flash was captured in a large
cloud vortex near Jupiter's north pole. During the next few months,
Juno will perform several close sweeps over Jupiter's night side,
likely allowing the robotic probe to capture more data and images of
Jovian lightning.
Tomorrow's picture: mountains below venus
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All on Mon Jun 26 13:09:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 26
An orange sky hovers above snow-covered mountains. A blurry line
divides the orange sky from a darker sky. In the foreground are hills
and a house. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Belt of Venus over Mount Everest
Image Credit & Copyright: Soumyadeep Mukherjee
Explanation: You've surely seen it, but you might not have noticed it.
During a cloudless twilight, just before sunrise or after sunset, part
of the atmosphere above the horizon appears slightly dark and
off-color. Called the Belt of Venus, this transitional band between the
dark eclipsed sky and the bright day sky can be seen most prominently
in the direction opposite the Sun. Straight above, blue sky is normal
sunlight reflecting off the atmosphere, while near the horizon the
clear sky can appear more orange or red. In the Belt of Venus, the
atmosphere reflects more light from the setting (or rising) Sun and so
appears more red. Featured here, the Belt of Venus was photographed
over several Himalayan mountains including, second from the right,
Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. Although usually not
mentioned, the belt is frequently caught by accident in other
photographs.
Tomorrow's picture: ultraviolet red planet
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Jun 27 00:39:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 27
MAVEN's Ultraviolet Mars
Image Credit: MAVEN, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics,
Univ. Colorado, NASA
Explanation: These two global views of Mars were captured at
ultraviolet wavelengths, beyond the spectrum visible to human eyes.
Recorded by the MAVEN spacecraft's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph
instrument in July 2022 (left) and January 2023, three otherwise
invisible ultraviolet bands are mapped into red, green, and blue
colors. That color scheme presents the Red Planet's surface features in
shades of tan and green. Haze and clouds appear white or blue, while
high altitude ozone takes on a dramatic purple hue. On the left, Mars'
south polar ice cap is in brilliant white at the bottom but shrinking
during the southern hemisphere's summer season. On the right, the
northern hemisphere's polar region is seen shrouded in clouds and
atmospheric ozone. Known to some as the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
EvolutioN spacecraft, MAVEN has been exploring Mars' tenuous upper
atmosphere, ionosphere, and its interactions with the Sun and solar
wind since 2014.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxies away
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All on Wed Jun 28 01:09:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 28
Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Emmanuel Astronomono
Explanation: Unlike most entries in Charles Messier's famous catalog of
deep sky objects, M24 is not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.
It's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allows a
view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral arm of our Milky
Way galaxy. Direct your gaze through this gap with binoculars or small
telescope and you are looking through a window over 300 light-years
wide at stars some 10,000 light-years or more from Earth. Sometimes
called the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, M24's luminous stars fill this
gorgeous starscape. Covering over 3 degrees or the width of 6 full
moons in the constellation Sagittarius, the telescopic field of view
includes dark markings B92 and B93 near center, along with other clouds
of dust and glowing nebulae toward the center of the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Thu Jun 29 02:52:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 29
The illustration shows the beams from pulsars around the image and a
pair of merging black holes on the upper left. A grid depicting the
warping of spacetime by passing gravitational waves spreads across the
image center. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
A Message from the Gravitational Universe
Illustration Credit: NANOGrav Physics Frontier Center; Text: Natalia
Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)
Explanation: Monitoring 68 pulsars with very large radio telescopes,
the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves
(NANOGrav) has uncovered evidence for the gravitational wave (GW)
background by carefully measuring slight shifts in the arrival times of
pulses. These shifts are correlated between different pulsars in a way
that indicates that they are caused by GWs. This GW background is
likely due to hundreds of thousands or even millions of supermassive
black hole binaries. Teams in Europe, Asia and Australia have also
independently reported their results today. Previously, the LIGO and
Virgo detectors have detected higher-frequency GWs from the merging of
individual pairs of massive orbiting objects, such as stellar-mass
black holes. The featured illustration highlights this
spacetime-shaking result by depicting two orbiting supermassive black
holes and several of the pulsars that would appear to have slight
timing shifts. The imprint these GWs make on spacetime itself is
illustrated by a distorted grid.
Open Science: Browse 3,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: asteroid day
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All on Fri Jun 30 00:26:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 June 30
A dark background is filled with many light-blue ellipses. Toward the
center, near circles that are labelled as the orbits of the inner
planets of our Solar System are drawn. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Orbits of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids
Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech
Explanation: Are asteroids dangerous? Some are, but the likelihood of a
dangerous asteroid striking the Earth during any given year is low.
Because some past mass extinction events have been linked to asteroid
impacts, however, humanity has made it a priority to find and catalog
those asteroids that may one day affect life on Earth. Pictured here
are the orbits of the over 1,000 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids
(PHAs). These documented tumbling boulders of rock and ice are over 140
meters across and will pass within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth --
about 20 times the distance to the Moon. Although none of them will
strike the Earth in the next 100 years -- not all PHAs have been
discovered, and past 100 years, many orbits become hard to predict.
Were an asteroid of this size to impact the Earth, it could raise
dangerous tsunamis, for example. To investigate Earth-saving
strategies, NASA successfully tested the Double Asteroid Redirection
Test (DART) mission last year. Of course, rocks and ice bits of much
smaller size strike the Earth every day, usually pose no danger, and
sometimes create memorable fireball and meteor displays.
Today is: Asteroid Day Tomorrow's picture: three galaxies
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Sat Jul 1 02:16:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 1
Three Galaxies in Draco
Image Credit & Copyright: David Vernet , Jean-Fran+ºois Bax , Serge
Brunier, OCA/C2PU
Explanation: This tantalizing trio of galaxies sometimes called the
Draco Group, is located in the northern constellation of (you guessed
it) Draco, the Dragon. From left to right are face-on spiral NGC 5985,
elliptical galaxy NGC 5982, and edge-on spiral NGC 5981, all found
within this single telescopic field of view that spans a little more
than the width of the full moon. While the group is far too small to be
a galaxy cluster, and has not been catalogued as a compact galaxy
group, the three galaxies all do lie roughly 100 million light-years
from planet Earth. Not as well known as other tight groupings of
galaxies, the contrast in visual appearance still makes this triplet an
attractive subject for astroimagers. On close examination with
spectrographs, the bright core of striking spiral NGC 5985 shows
prominent emission in specific wavelengths of light, prompting
astronomers to classify it as a Seyfert, a type of active galaxy. This
impressively deep exposure hints at a faint dim halo along with
sharp-edged shells surrounding elliptical NGC 5982, evidence of past
galactic mergers. It also reveals many even more distant background
galaxies.
Tomorrow's picture: over and under
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sun Jul 2 00:11:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 2
A long vertical image shows a band of the night sky from horizon at the
bottom to the opposite horizon -- at the image top. A person stands on
a snow covered landscape with the central band of the Milky Way running
between horizons. Each horizon is lit by red, yellow, and green
auroras. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica
Image Credit & Copyright: LI Hang
Explanation: It was one of the better skies of this long night. In
parts of Antarctica, not only is it winter, but the Sun can spend weeks
below the horizon. At China's Zhongshan Station, people sometimes
venture out into the cold to photograph a spectacular night sky. The
featured image from one such outing was taken in mid-July of 2015, just
before the end of this polar night. Pointing up, the wide angle lens
captured not only the ground at the bottom, but at the top as well. In
the foreground, a colleague is taking pictures. In the distance, a
spherical satellite receiver and several windmills are visible.
Numerous stars dot the night sky, including Sirius and Canopus. Far in
the background, stretching overhead from horizon to horizon, is the
central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Even further in the distance,
visible as extended smudges near the top, are the Large and Small
Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies near our huge Milky Way Galaxy.
Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: venus beyond blue
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Jul 3 02:08:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 3
Planet Venus is pictured in ultraviolet light. The spherical planet
appears circular in tan colors with hints of blue. Complex cloud
patterns are evident. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Venus in Ultraviolet from Akatsuki
Image Credit & Copyright: JAXA, Planet-C Project Team; h/t: Mehmet
Hakan +ûzsara+º
Explanation: Why is Venus so different from Earth? To help find out,
Japan launched the robotic Akatsuki spacecraft which entered orbit
around Venus late in 2015 after an unplanned five-year adventure around
the inner Solar System. Even though Akatsuki was past its original
planned lifetime, the spacecraft and instruments were operating so well
that much of its original mission was reinstated. Also known as the
Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki's instruments investigated unknowns
about Earth's sister planet, including whether volcanoes are still
active, whether lightning occurs in the dense atmosphere, and why wind
speeds greatly exceed the planet's rotation speed. In the featured
image taken by Akatsuki's UVI camera, the day-side of Venus is seen
shown with planet-scale V-shaped cloud pattern. The image displays
three ultraviolet colors and indicates a dip in the relative abundance
of sulfur dioxide shown in faint blue. Analyses of Akatsuki images and
data has shown, among other discoveries, that Venus has equatorial jet
similar to Earth's jet stream.
Tomorrow's picture: sudden sky surprise
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From
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All on Tue Jul 4 00:13:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 4
Planet Venus is pictured in ultraviolet light. The spherical planet
appears circular in tan colors with hints of blue. Complex cloud
patterns are evident. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall
Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier
Explanation: It seemed like the sky exploded. The original idea was to
photograph an aurora over a waterfall. After waiting for hours under
opaque clouds, though, hope was running out. Others left. Then,
unexpectedly, the clouds moved away. Suddenly, particles from a large
solar magnetic storm were visible impacting the Earth's upper
atmosphere with full effect. The night sky filled with colors and
motion in a thrilling auroral display. Struggling to steady the camera
from high Earthly winds, the 34 exposures that compose the featured
image were taken. The resulting featured composite image shows the
photogenic Godafoss (Go+#afoss) waterfall in northern Iceland in front
of a very active aurora in late February. The solar surface explosion
that expelled the energetic particles occurred a few days before. Our
Sun is showing an impressive amount of surface activity as it
approaches solar maximum, indicating that more impressive auroras are
likely to appear in Earth's northern and southern sky over the next few
years.
Tomorrow's picture: very large map
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Jul 5 01:08:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 5
A map of the observable universe is illustrated in a wedge with the the
Earth on the bottom and the universe fanning out above. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
A Map of the Observable Universe
Image Credit & Copyright: B. M+¬nard & N. Shtarkman; Data: SDSS, Planck,
JHU, Sloan, NASA, ESA
Explanation: What if you could see out to the edge of the observable
universe? You would see galaxies, galaxies, galaxies, and then, well,
quasars, which are the bright centers of distant galaxies. To expand
understanding of the very largest scales that humanity can see, a map
of the galaxies and quasars found by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey from
2000 to 2020 -- out to near the edge of the observable universe -- has
been composed. Featured here, one wedge from this survey encompasses
about 200,000 galaxies and quasars out beyond a look-back time of 12
billion years and cosmological redshift 5. Almost every dot in the
nearby lower part of the illustration represents a galaxy, with redness
indicating increasing redshift and distance. Similarly, almost every
dot on the upper part represents a distant quasar, with blue-shaded
dots being closer than red. Clearly shown among many discoveries,
gravity between galaxies has caused the nearby universe to condense and
become increasingly more filamentary than the distant universe.
More Detailed Maps: Related to Today's APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Jul 6 01:08:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 6
Fireworks vs Supermoon
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Seeley
Explanation: On July 4, an almost Full Moon rose in planet Earth's
evening skies. Also known as a Buck Moon, the full lunar phase (full on
July 3 at 11:39 UTC) was near perigee, the closest point in the Moon's
almost monthly orbit around planet Earth. That qualified this July's
Full Moon as a supermoon, the first of four supermoons in 2023. Seen
from Cocoa Beach along Florida's Space Coast on July 4, any big,
bright, beautiful Full Moon would still have to compete for attention
though. July's super-moonrise was captured here against a
super-colorful fireworks display.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Jul 7 01:04:44 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 7
The Double Cluster in Perseus
Image Credit & Copyright: M+Ñrten Frosth
Explanation: This pretty starfield spans about three full moons (1.5
degrees) across the heroic northern constellation of Perseus. It holds
the famous pair of open star clusters, h and Chi Persei. Also cataloged
as NGC 869 (top) and NGC 884, both clusters are about 7,000 light-years
away and contain stars much younger and hotter than the Sun. Separated
by only a few hundred light-years, the clusters are both 13 million
years young based on the ages of their individual stars, evidence that
they were likely a product of the same star-forming region. Always a
rewarding sight in binoculars, the Double Cluster is even visible to
the unaided eye from dark locations.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Jul 8 00:15:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 8
Stickney Crater
Image Credit: HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA
Explanation: Stickney Crater, the largest crater on the martian moon
Phobos, is named for Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall, mathematician and
wife of astronomer Asaph Hall. Asaph Hall discovered both the Red
Planet's moons in 1877. Over 9 kilometers across, Stickney is nearly
half the diameter of Phobos itself, so large that the impact that
blasted out the crater likely came close to shattering the tiny moon.
This enhanced-color image of Stickney and surroundings was recorded by
the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as it passed
within some six thousand kilometers of Phobos in March of 2008. Even
though the surface gravity of asteroid-like Phobos is less than
1/1000th Earth's gravity, streaks suggest loose material slid down
inside the crater walls over time. Light bluish regions near the
crater's rim could indicate a relatively freshly exposed surface. The
origin of the curious grooves along the surface is mysterious but may
be related to tidal stresses experienced by close-orbiting Phobos or
the crater-forming impact itself.
Tomorrow's picture: doomed star
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All on Mon Jul 10 01:19:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 10
A busy star formation region is shown highlighted by red glowing clouds
and dark ominously-shaped dust. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Stars, Dust and Nebula in NGC 6559
Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block, Telescope Live
Explanation: When stars form, pandemonium reigns. A textbook case is
the star forming region NGC 6559. Visible in the featured image are red
glowing emission nebulas of hydrogen, blue reflection nebulas of dust,
dark absorption nebulas of dust, and the stars that formed from them.
The first massive stars formed from the dense gas will emit energetic
light and winds that erode, fragment, and sculpt their birthplace. And
then they explode. The resulting morass can be as beautiful as it is
complex. After tens of millions of years, the dust boils away, the gas
gets swept away, and all that is left is a bare open cluster of stars.
Tomorrow's picture: sun spotted
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jul 11 00:14:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 11
Our Sun is pictured with hundreds of dark sunspots. The image is
actually a composite of all of the sunspots visible during the first
half of this year. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Sunspots on an Active Sun
Image Credit: NASA, SDO; Processing & Copyright: +Penol +Panl-#
Explanation: Why is our Sun so active now? No one is sure. An increase
in surface activity was expected because our Sun is approaching solar
maximum in 2025. However, last month our Sun sprouted more sunspots
than in any month during the entire previous 11-year solar cycle -- and
even dating back to 2002. The featured picture is a composite of images
taken every day from January to June by NASA's Solar Dynamic
Observatory. Showing a high abundance of sunspots, large individual
spots can be tracked across the Sun's disk, left to right, over about
two weeks. As a solar cycle continues, sunspots typically appear closer
to the equator. Sunspots are just one way that our Sun displays surface
activity -- another is flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that
expel particles out into the Solar System. Since these particles can
affect astronauts and electronics, tracking surface disturbances is of
more than aesthetic value. Conversely, solar activity can have very
high aesthetic value -- in the Earth's atmosphere when they trigger
aurora.
Tomorrow's picture: star bar with rings
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All on Wed Jul 12 00:56:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 12
A spiral galaxy is shown with a yellow center, blue rings and spiral
arms, and dark brown and red dust. The surrounding dark field contains
both local stars and more distant galaxies. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
Rings and Bar of Spiral Galaxy NGC 1398
Image Credit: Mark Hanson; Data: Mike Selby
Explanation: Why do some spiral galaxies have a ring around the center?
Spiral galaxy NGC 1398 not only has a ring of pearly stars, gas and
dust around its center, but a bar of stars and gas across its center,
and spiral arms that appear like ribbons farther out. The featured deep
image from Observatorio El Sauce in Chile shows the grand spiral galaxy
in impressive detail. NGC 1398 lies about 65 million light years
distant, meaning the light we see today left this galaxy when dinosaurs
were disappearing from the Earth. The photogenic galaxy is visible with
a small telescope toward the constellation of the Furnace (Fornax). The
ring near the center is likely an expanding density wave of star
formation, caused either by a gravitational encounter with another
galaxy, or by the galaxy's own gravitational asymmetries.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Jul 13 00:32:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 13
Webb's Rho Ophiuchi
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (STScI),
Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Explanation: A mere 390 light-years away, Sun-like stars and future
planetary systems are forming in the Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud
complex, the closest star-forming region to our fair planet. The James
Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam peered into the nearby natal chaos to
capture this infrared image at an inspiring scale. The spectacular
cosmic snapshot was released to celebrate the successful first year of
Webb's exploration of the Universe. The frame spans less than a
light-year across the Rho Ophiuchi region and contains about 50 young
stars. Brighter stars clearly sport Webb's characteristic pattern of
diffraction spikes. Huge jets of shocked molecular hydrogen blasting
from newborn stars are red in the image, with the large, yellowish
dusty cavity carved out by the energetic young star near its center.
Near some stars in the stunning image are shadows cast by their
protoplanetary disks.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Jul 14 01:10:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 14
Comet C/2023 E1 ATLAS near Perihelion
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) was just spotted in March, another
comet found by the NASA funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert
System. On July 1 this Comet ATLAS reached perihelion, its closest
approach to the Sun. Shortly afterwards the telescopic comet was
captured in this frame sporting a pretty greenish coma and faint,
narrow ion tail against a background of stars in the far northern
constellation Ursa Minor. This comet's closest approach to Earth is
still to come though. On August 18 this visitor to the inner Solar
System will be a mere 3 light-minutes or so from our fair planet. Based
on its inclination to the ecliptic plane and orbital period of about 85
years C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) is considered a Halley-type comet.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sat Jul 15 00:41:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 15
Webb's First Deep Field
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam
Explanation: This stunning infrared image was released one year ago as
the James Webb Space Telescope began its exploration of the cosmos. The
view of the early Universe toward the southern constellation Volans was
achieved in 12.5 hours of exposure with Webb's NIRCam instrument. Of
course the stars with six spikes are well within our own Milky Way.
Their diffraction pattern is characteristic of Webb's 18 hexagonal
mirror segments operating together as a single 6.5 meter diameter
primary mirror. The thousands of galaxies flooding the field of view
are members of the distant galaxy cluster SMACS0723-73, some 4.6
billion light-years away. Luminous arcs that seem to infest the deep
field are even more distant galaxies though. Their images are distorted
and magnified by the dark matter dominated mass of the galaxy cluster,
an effect known as gravitational lensing. Analyzing light from two
separate arcs below the bright spiky star, Webb's NIRISS instrument
indicates the arcs are both images of the same background galaxy. And
that galaxy's light took about 9.5 billion years to reach the James
Webb Space Telescope.
Tomorrow's picture: view with a thrill
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sun Jul 16 00:23:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 16
A person is seen facing away, standing on a peak. Other mountain peaks
surround them. City lights are seen in towns and along roads below.
Stars in the night sky are above. The band of the Milky Way galaxy
slants down from the upper left. A bright green meteor streak slants
down from above. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicholas Roemmelt (Venture Photography)
Explanation: Now this was a view with a thrill. From Mount Tschirgant
in the Alps, you can see not only nearby towns and distant Tyrolean
peaks, but also, weather permitting, stars, nebulas, and the band of
the Milky Way Galaxy. What made the arduous climb worthwhile this
night, though, was another peak -- the peak of the 2018 Perseids Meteor
Shower. As hoped, dispersing clouds allowed a picturesque sky-gazing
session that included many faint meteors, all while a carefully
positioned camera took a series of exposures. Suddenly, a thrilling
meteor -- bright and colorful -- slashed down right next to the nearly
vertical band of the Milky Way. As luck would have it, the camera
caught it too. Therefore, a new image in the series was quickly taken
with one of the sky-gazers posing on the nearby peak. Later, all of the
images were digitally combined.
Tomorrow's picture: liberating carbon
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All on Tue Jul 18 00:07:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 18
A mountaintop is shown covered by brush. Across the horizon are several
telescopes. Behind the mountaintop is a deep exposure of the sky
showing the central band of our Milky Way galaxy and several well-known
stars and nebulas. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Milky Way above La Palma Observatory
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcin Rosadzi+äski
Explanation: What's happening in the night sky? To help find out,
telescopes all over the globe will be pointing into deep space.
Investigations will include trying to understand the early universe,
finding and tracking Earth-menacing asteroids, searching for planets
that might contain extra-terrestrial life, and monitoring stars to help
better understand our Sun. The featured composite includes foreground
and background images taken in April from a mountaintop on La Palma
island in the Canary Islands of Spain. Pictured, several telescopes
from the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory are shown in front of a
dark night sky. Telescopes in the foreground include, left to right,
Magic 1, Galileo, Magic 2, Gran Canarian, and LST. Sky highlights in
the background include the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy, the
constellations of Sagittarius, Ophiuchus and Scorpius, the red-glowing
Eagle and Lagoon Nebulas, and the stars Alrami and Antares. Due to
observatories like this, humanity has understood more about our night
sky in the past 100 years than ever before in all of human history.
Tomorrow's picture: beyond the birds
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All on Wed Jul 19 00:03:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 19
A rocket is seen after lift-off with a long smoke plume. The rocket is
captured against a blue sky and has gone through a cloud deck. In the
foreground is an empty tan-colored field. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
Chandrayaan-3 Launches to the Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Sruthi Suresh (Space Group)
Explanation: Birds don't fly this high. Airplanes don't go this fast.
The Statue of Liberty weighs less. No species other than human can even
comprehend what is going on, nor could any human just a millennium ago.
The launch of a rocket bound for space is an event that inspires awe
and challenges description. Pictured here last week, the Indian Space
Research Organization's LVM3 rocket blasted off from the Satish Dhawan
Space Centre on Sriharikota Island, India. From a standing start, the
600,000+ kilogram rocket ship lifted the massive Chandrayaan-3 off the
Earth. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is scheduled to reach the Moon in late
August and land a robotic rover near the lunar South Pole. Rockets
bound for space are now launched from somewhere on Earth every few
days.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Thu Jul 20 00:09:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 20
M64: The Black Eye Galaxy Close Up
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Jonathan Lodge
Explanation: This magnificent spiral galaxy is Messier 64, often called
the Black Eye Galaxy or the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy for its dark-lidded
appearance in telescopic views. The spiral's central region, about
7,400 light-years across, is pictured in this reprocessed image from
the Hubble Space Telescope. M64 lies some 17 million light-years
distant in the otherwise well-groomed northern constellation Coma
Berenices. The enormous dust clouds partially obscuring M64's central
region are laced with young, blue star clusters and the reddish glow of
hydrogen associated with star forming regions. But imposing clouds of
dust are not this galaxy's only peculiar feature. Observations show
that M64 is actually composed of two concentric, counter-rotating
systems. While all the stars in M64 rotate in the same direction as the
interstellar gas in the galaxy's central region, gas in the outer
regions, extending to about 40,000 light-years, rotates in the opposite
direction. The dusty eye and bizarre rotation are likely the result of
a billion year old merger of two different galaxies.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Jul 21 00:08:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 21
Galactic Cirrus: Mandel Wilson 9
Image Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Rodrigues Santos
Explanation: The combined light of stars along the Milky Way are
reflected by these cosmic dust clouds that soar 300 light-years or so
above the plane of our galaxy. Known to some as integrated flux nebulae
and commonly found at high galactic latitudes, the dusty galactic
cirrus clouds are faint. But they can be traced over large regions of
the sky toward the North and South Galactic poles. Along with the
reflection of starlight, studies indicate the dust clouds produce a
faint reddish luminescence as interstellar dust grains convert
invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Also capturing
nearby Milky Way stars and distant background galaxies, this remarkably
deep, wide-field image explores a complex of faint galactic cirrus
known as Mandel Wilson 9. It spans over three degrees across planet
Earth's skies toward the far southern constellation Apus.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Jul 23 02:34:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 23
An old and corroded mechanism is shown fronted by a large wheel. The
mechanism has patches of tan and brown color but it is mostly green.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Antikythera Mechanism
Image Credit & License: Marsyas, Wikipedia
Explanation: It does what? No one knew that 2,000 years ago, the
technology existed to build such a device. The Antikythera mechanism,
pictured, is now widely regarded as the first computer. Found at the
bottom of the sea aboard a decaying Greek ship, its complexity prompted
decades of study, and even today some of its functions likely remain
unknown. X-ray images of the device, however, have confirmed that a
main function of its numerous clock-like wheels and gears is to create
a portable, hand-cranked, Earth-centered, orrery of the sky, predicting
future star and planet locations as well as lunar and solar eclipses.
The corroded core of the Antikythera mechanism's largest gear is
featured, spanning about 13 centimeters, while the entire mechanism was
33 centimeters high, making it similar in size to a large book.
Recently, modern computer modeling of missing components is allowing
for the creation of a more complete replica of this surprising ancient
machine.
Tomorrow's picture: rainbow meteor
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Jul 24 08:42:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 24
A bright colorful streak crossed the image center, which wisps of
colorful gas extending out. In the background is a dark starfield.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Chemicals Glow as a Meteor Disintegrates
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Kleinburger
Explanation: Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye usually
cannot discern many colors, cameras often can. Pictured here is a
fireball, a disintegrating meteor that was not only one of the
brightest the photographer has ever seen, but colorful. The meteor was
captured by chance in mid-July with a camera set up on Hochkar Mountain
in Austria to photograph the central band of our Milky Way galaxy. The
radiant grit, likely cast off by a comet or asteroid long ago, had the
misfortune to enter Earth's atmosphere. Colors in meteors usually
originate from ionized chemical elements released as the meteor
disintegrates, with blue-green typically originating from magnesium,
calcium radiating violet, and nickel glowing green. Red, however,
typically originates from energized nitrogen and oxygen in the Earth's
atmosphere. This bright meteoric fireball was gone in a flash -- less
than a second -- but it left a wind-blown ionization trail that
remained visible for almost a minute.
Tomorrow's picture: X-ray eagle
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Jul 25 05:55:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 25
Pillars of gas and dark dust extend diagonally from the bottom left to
the upper right. Bright X-ray sources are superimposed as bright dots
around the image. Infrared dust glows behind the pillars. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
The Eagle Nebula with X-ray Hot Stars
Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-Newton; IR:
JWST: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI, Spitzer: NASA/JPL/CalTech; Visible: Hubble:
NASA/ESA/STScI, ESO; Image Processing: L. Frattare, J. Major, N. Wolk,
and K. Arcand
Explanation: What do the famous Eagle Nebula star pillars look like in
X-ray light? To find out, NASA's orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory
peered in and through these interstellar mountains of star formation.
It was found that in M16 the dust pillars themselves do not emit many
X-rays, but a lot of small-but-bright X-ray sources became evident.
These sources are shown as bright dots on the featured image which is a
composite of exposures from Chandra (X-rays), XMM (X-rays), JWST
(infrared), Spitzer (infrared), Hubble (visible), and the VLT
(visible). What stars produce these X-rays remains a topic of research,
but some are hypothesized to be hot, recently-formed, low-mass stars,
while others are thought to be hot, older, high-mass stars. These X-ray
hot stars are scattered around the frame -- the previously identified
Evaporating Gaseous Globules (EGGS) seen in visible light are not
currently hot enough to emit X-rays.
Tomorrow's picture: undersea overhead
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Jul 26 16:51:38 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 26
A sprawling nebula is pictured with gold tinted gas covering the top,
blue, the middle, and dark brown the bottom. Stars cover the frame but
are most prominent near the bottom. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
IC 4628: The Prawn Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern
Explanation: South of Antares, in the tail of the nebula-rich
constellation Scorpius, lies emission nebula IC 4628. Nearby hot,
massive stars, millions of years young, irradiate the nebula with
invisible ultraviolet light, stripping electrons from atoms. The
electrons eventually recombine with the atoms to produce the visible
nebular glow, dominated by the red emission of hydrogen. At an
estimated distance of 6,000 light-years, the region shown is about 250
light-years across, spanning over three full moons on the sky. The
nebula is also cataloged as Gum 56 for Australian astronomer Colin
Stanley Gum, but seafood-loving deep sky-enthusiasts might know this
cosmic cloud as the Prawn Nebula. The graceful color image is a new
astronomical composition taken over several nights in April from Rio
Hurtado, Chile.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxies in the river
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Jul 27 00:21:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 27
Galaxies in the River
Image Credit & License: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA; R. Colombari, M.
Zamani & D. de Martin (NSFCÇÖs NOIRLab)
Explanation: Large galaxies grow by eating small ones. Even our own
galaxy engages in a sort of galactic cannibalism, absorbing small
galaxies that are too close and are captured by the Milky Way's
gravity. In fact, the practice is common in the universe and
illustrated by this striking pair of interacting galaxies from the
banks of the southern constellation Eridanus, The River. Located over
50 million light years away, the large, distorted spiral NGC 1532 is
seen locked in a gravitational struggle with dwarf galaxy NGC 1531, a
struggle the smaller galaxy will eventually lose. Seen nearly edge-on,
spiral NGC 1532 spans about 100,000 light-years. The merging galaxies
are captured in this sharp image from the Dark Energy Camera mounted on
the National Science FoundationCÇÖs Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro
Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The NGC 1532/1531 pair is
thought to be similar to the well-studied system of face-on spiral and
small companion known as M51.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Jul 28 01:49:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 28
Young Stars, Stellar Jets
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Explanation: High-speed outflows of molecular gas from a pair of
actively forming young stars shine in infrared light, revealing
themselves in this NIRcam image from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Cataloged as HH (Herbig-Haro) 46/47, the young stars are lodged within
a dark nebula that is largely opaque when viewed in visible light. The
pair lie at the center of the prominent reddish diffraction spikes in
the NIRcam image. Their energetic stellar jets extend for nearly a
light-year, burrowing into the dark interstellar material. A
tantalizing object to explore with Webb's infrared capabilities, this
young star system is relatively nearby, located only some 1,140
light-years distant in the nautical constellation Vela.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Jul 29 01:08:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 29
Apollo 11: Catching Some Sun
Image Credit: Apollo 11, NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague)
Explanation: Bright sunlight glints as long dark shadows mark this
image of the surface of the Moon. It was taken fifty-four years ago,
July 20, 1969, by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk
on the lunar surface. Pictured is the mission's lunar module, the
Eagle, and spacesuited lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin is
unfurling a long sheet of foil also known as the Solar Wind Composition
Experiment. Exposed facing the Sun, the foil trapped particles
streaming outward in the solar wind, catching a sample of material from
the Sun itself. Along with moon rocks and lunar soil samples, the solar
wind collector was returned for analysis in earthbound laboratories.
Tomorrow's picture: Sunday's Childe
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Jul 30 04:24:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 30
A bright green spiral aurora is seen in a break in the clouds before a
purple background. The foreground contains green grassland and a
circular lake. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Spiral Aurora over Icelandic Divide
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN)
Explanation: Admire the beauty but fear the beast. The beauty is the
aurora overhead, here taking the form of a great green spiral, seen
between picturesque clouds with the bright Moon to the side and stars
in the background. The beast is the wave of charged particles that
creates the aurora but might, one day, impair civilization. In 1859,
following notable auroras seen all across the globe, a pulse of charged
particles from a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with a solar
flare impacted Earth's magnetosphere so forcefully that it created the
Carrington Event. This assault from the Sun compressed the Earth's
magnetic field so violently that it created high currents and sparks
along telegraph wires, shocking many telegraph operators. Were a
Carrington-class event to impact the Earth today, speculation holds
that damage might occur to global power grids and electronics on a
scale never yet experienced. The featured aurora was imaged in 2016
over Thingvallavatn Lake in Iceland, a lake that partly fills a fault
that divides Earth's large Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: moon over mars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Jul 31 00:43:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 July 31
A dark irregularly-shaped moon is seen in front of the red planet Mars.
Craters are visible in the foreground and the edge of the planet is
just visible at the top of the image. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Phobos over Mars
Image Credit: ESA, DLR, FU Berlin, Mars Express; Processing & CC BY 2.0
License: Andrea Luck
Explanation: Why is Phobos so dark? Phobos, the largest and innermost
of the two Martian moons, is the darkest moon in the entire Solar
System. Its unusual orbit and color indicate that it may be a captured
asteroid composed of a mixture of ice and dark rock. The featured
assigned-color picture of Phobos near the edge of Mars was captured in
late 2021 by ESA's robot spacecraft Mars Express, currently orbiting
Mars. Phobos is a heavily cratered and barren moon, with its largest
crater located on the far side. From images like this, Phobos has been
determined to be covered by perhaps a meter of loose dust. Phobos
orbits so close to Mars that from some places it would appear to rise
and set twice a day, while from other places it would not be visible at
all. Phobos' orbit around Mars is continually decaying -- it will
likely break up with pieces crashing to the Martian surface in about 50
million years.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: monster at the Sun's edge
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Aug 1 00:39:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 1
The edge of the Sun is shown sporting a large gaseous prominence that
looks like a science-fiction alien. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Monster Solar Prominence
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Wenz
Explanation: The monsters that live on the Sun are not like us. They
are larger than the Earth and made of gas hotter than in any teapot.
They have no eyes, but at times, many tentacles. They float. Usually,
they slowly change shape and just fade back onto the Sun over about a
month. Sometimes, though, they suddenly explode and unleash energetic
particles into the Solar System that can attack the Earth. Pictured is
a huge solar prominence imaged almost two weeks ago in the light of
hydrogen. Captured by a small telescope in Gilbert, Arizona, USA, the
monsteresque plume of gas was held aloft by the ever-present but
ever-changing magnetic field near the surface of the Sun. Our active
Sun continues to show an unusually high number of prominences,
filaments, sunspots, and large active regions as solar maximum
approaches in 2025.
Tomorrow's picture: super space wind
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Aug 2 00:25:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 2
The spiral galaxy is shown with many complex red filaments extending
out. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind
NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Harshwardhan Pathak
Explanation: Why is the Cigar Galaxy billowing red smoke? M82, as this
starburst galaxy is also known, was stirred up by a recent pass near
large spiral galaxy M81. This doesn't fully explain the source of the
red-glowing outwardly expanding gas and dust, however. Evidence
indicates that this gas and dust is being driven out by the combined
emerging particle winds of many stars, together creating a galactic
superwind. The dust particles are thought to originate in M82's
interstellar medium and are actually similar in size to particles in
cigar smoke. The featured photographic mosaic highlights a specific
color of red light strongly emitted by ionized hydrogen gas, showing
detailed filaments of this gas and dust. The filaments extend for over
10,000 light years. The 12-million light-year distant Cigar Galaxy is
the brightest galaxy in the sky in infrared light and can be seen in
visible light with a small telescope towards the constellation of the
Great Bear (Ursa Major).
APOD in world languages: Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Beijing),
Chinese (Taiwan), Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French,
German, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Montenegrin, Polish, Russian,
Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Taiwanese, Turkish, and Ukrainian
Tomorrow's picture: launch and landing
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Aug 3 00:09:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 3
The Falcon and the Redstone
Image Credit & Copyright: Matt Haskell
Explanation: In a photo from the early hours of July 29 (UTC), a
Redstone rocket and Mercury capsule are on display at Cape Canaveral
Launch Complex 5. Beyond the Redstone, the 8 minute long exposure has
captured the arcing launch streak of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The
Falcon's heavy communications satellite payload, at a record setting 9
metric tons, is bound for geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles above
planet Earth. The historic launch of a Redstone rocket carried
astronaut Alan Shepard on a suborbital spaceflight in May 1961 to an
altitude of about 116 miles. Near the top of the frame, this Falcon
rocket's two reusable side boosters separate and execute brief entry
burns. They returned to land side by side at Canaveral's Landing Zone 1
and 2 in the distance.
Tomorrow's picture: moonrays
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Aug 5 08:06:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 5
NGC 1360: The Robin's Egg Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Dong Liang
Explanation: This pretty nebula lies some 1,500 light-years away, its
shape and color in this telescopic view reminiscent of a robin's egg.
The cosmic cloud spans about 3 light-years, nestled securely within the
boundaries of the southern constellation Fornax. Recognized as a
planetary nebula, egg-shaped NGC 1360 doesn't represent a beginning
though. Instead it corresponds to a brief and final phase in the
evolution of an aging star. In fact, visible at the center of the
nebula, the central star of NGC 1360 is known to be a binary star
system likely consisting of two evolved white dwarf stars, less massive
but much hotter than the Sun. Their intense and otherwise invisible
ultraviolet radiation has stripped away electrons from the atoms in
their mutually surrounding gaseous shroud. The predominant blue-green
hue of NGC 1360 seen here is the strong emission produced as electrons
recombine with doubly ionized oxygen atoms.
Tomorrow's picture: supernova remnant
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Aug 6 02:38:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 6
A thick transparent ribbon of red gas runs from the lower left to the
upper right. A dark starfield with stars and galaxies surrounds the
bright red ribbon. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
SN 1006: A Supernova Ribbon from Hubble
Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgement: W.
Blair et al. (JHU)
Explanation: What created this unusual space ribbon? The answer: one of
the most violent explosions ever witnessed by ancient humans. Back in
the year 1006 AD, light reached Earth from a stellar explosion in the
constellation of the Wolf (Lupus), creating a "guest star" in the sky
that appeared brighter than Venus and lasted for over two years. The
supernova, now cataloged at SN 1006, occurred about 7,000 light years
away and has left a large remnant that continues to expand and fade
today. Pictured here is a small part of that expanding supernova
remnant dominated by a thin and outwardly moving shock front that heats
and ionizes surrounding ambient gas. The supernova remnant SN 1006 now
has a diameter of nearly 60 light years.
Tomorrow's picture: pelican stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Aug 7 00:10:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 7
Mulitple filaments of dark brown run from top to bottom while a bright
orange dome with small pillars occurs on the bottom right. In the
background is a blue-glowing gas. Stars dot the frame. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars
Credit & Copyright: Abe Jones
Explanation: The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070
(the official designation) is divided from the larger North America
Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The Pelican,
however, receives much study because it is a particularly active mix of
star formation and evolving gas clouds. The featured picture was
produced in three specific colors -- light emitted by sulfur, hydrogen,
and oxygen -- that can help us to better understand these interactions.
The light from young energetic stars is slowly transforming the cold
gas to hot gas, with the advancing boundary between the two, known as
an ionization front, visible in bright orange on the right.
Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain. Millions of years from
now, the Pelican nebula, bounded by dark nebula LDN 935, might no
longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance and placement of stars
and gas will surely leave something that appears completely different.
Tomorrow's picture: Jupiter and the Moons
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Steve Wolf@1:135/210 to
Alan Ianson on Mon Aug 7 09:57:04 2023
Would be nice if we could DL these pics. I don't see the point of just announcing them.
... Computers all wait at the same speed!
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
Steve Wolf on Mon Aug 7 12:21:46 2023
Would be nice if we could DL these pics. I don't see the point of just announcing them.
You can download them in many ways. If you run a BBS you can connect the NASA file area and you will get these files shortly after they are hatched.
Nodes are free to contact me if they need a link to the NASA area and we can do that.
These files are also avialable on the BBS. The BBS is available at..
telnet://trmb.ca:2030
There is also an ITN mailer listening at the above address and you can request any file in the filebase by name.
Anyone is also free to browse and download files from the BBS FTP site at..
ftp://trmb.ca
That's an old style FTP site. Be sure to enter "binary" (without the quotes) from command prompt before downloading binary files like zip files.
The nasa files are in the fido/nasa directory.
Aside from that these files are available at any connected BBS and also the NASA website at where these file originate.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/
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From
Aug@2:460/256 to
Alan Ianson on Mon Aug 7 22:54:46 2023
Hi Alan...
Would be nice if we could DL these pics. I don't see the point of just announcing them.
You can download them in many ways. If you run a BBS you can connect the NASA file area and you will get these files shortly after they are hatched.
Nodes are free to contact me if they need a link to the NASA area and we can do that.
These files are also avialable on the BBS. The BBS is available at.. telnet://trmb.ca:2030
There is also an ITN mailer listening at the above address and you can request any file in the filebase by name.
Anyone is also free to browse and download files from the BBS FTP site at..
ftp://trmb.ca
That's an old style FTP site. Be sure to enter "binary" (without the quotes) from command prompt before downloading binary files like zip files.
The nasa files are in the fido/nasa directory.
Aside from that these files are available at any connected BBS and also the NASA website at where these file originate.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/
Maybe an occasional how-to for fetching copies of images would be good.
--
/|ug
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
Aug on Mon Aug 7 13:34:34 2023
Maybe an occasional how-to for fetching copies of images would be good.
Can you give me an example of what a how-to might look like?
Should that how-to be added to the new file announcement?
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Aug 8 00:16:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 8
Earth Moon, in crescent phase, is seen just above the image center.
Directly below is a bright spot surrounded by four other spots, all in
a row, which are all moons of Jupiter. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Moon Meets Jupiter
Credit & Copyright: Jordi L. Coy
Explanation: What's that below the Moon? Jupiter -- and its largest
moons. Many skygazers across planet Earth enjoyed the close conjunction
of Earth's Moon passing nearly in front of Jupiter in mid-June. The
featured image is a single exposure of the event taken from Mor+|n de la
Frontera, Spain. The sunlit lunar crescent on the left is overexposed,
while the Moon's night side, on the right, is only faintly illuminated
by Earthshine. Lined up diagonally below the Moon, left to right, are
Jupiter's bright Galilean satellites: Callisto, Ganymede, Io (hard to
see as it is very near to Jupiter), and Europa. In fact, Callisto,
Ganymede, and Io are larger than Earth's Moon, while Europa is only
slightly smaller. NASA's robotic spacecraft Juno is currently orbiting
Jupiter and made a close pass near Io only a week ago. If you look up
in the night sky tonight, you will again see two of the brightest
objects angularly close together -- because tonight is another
Moon-Jupiter conjunction.
Tomorrow's picture: falling space dust
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
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From
August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to
Alan Ianson on Tue Aug 8 21:29:00 2023
Hello Alan Ianson!
** On Monday 07.08.23 - 13:34, Alan Ianson wrote to Aug:
Maybe an occasional how-to for fetching copies of images would be good.
Can you give me an example of what a how-to might look like?
You just want me to do all the work?!? :D
Actually, what you posted was pretty good, just streamline it
down to the essentials.
Should that how-to be added to the new file announcement?
An occassional post to the echo would be a fine reminder.
--
../|ug
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Aug 9 00:53:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 9
Mulitple streaks cover a night sky filled with stars. An observtory
dome is visible in the foreground. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Meteor Shower: Perseids from Perseus
Credit & Copyright: Petr Hor+ílek / Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation: This is a good week to see meteors. Comet dust will rain
down on planet Earth, streaking through dark skies during peak nights
of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. The featured composite image was
taken during the 2018 Perseids from the Poloniny Dark Sky Park in
Slovakia. The dome of the observatory in the foreground is on the
grounds of Kolonica Observatory. Although the comet dust particles
travel parallel to each other, the resulting shower meteors clearly
seem to radiate from a single point on the sky in the eponymous
constellation Perseus. The radiant effect is due to perspective, as the
parallel tracks appear to converge at a distance, like train tracks.
The Perseid Meteor Shower is expected to reach its highest peak on
Saturday after midnight. Since a crescent Moon will rise only very late
that night, cloudless skies will be darker than usual, making a high
number of faint meteors potentially visible this year.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Aug 10 00:25:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 10
Five Meters over Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Ingenuity
Explanation: On mission sol 872 (Earth date August 3) Ingenuity snapped
this sharp image on its 54th flight above the surface of the Red
Planet. During the flight the Mars Helicopter hovered about 5 meters,
or just over 16 feet, above the Jezero crater floor. Tips of
Ingenuity's landing legs peek over the left and right edges in the
camera's field of view. Tracks visible near the upper right corner lead
to the Perseverance Mars Rover, seen looking on from a distance at the
top right edge of the frame. Planned as a brief "pop-up" flight,
Ingenuity's 54th flight lasted less than 25 seconds. It followed
Ingenuity's 53rd flight made on July 22 that resulted in an unscheduled
landing.
Tomorrow's picture: 255 hours
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Aug 11 00:05:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 11
Messier 51 in 255 Hours
Image Credit & Copyright: The Deep Sky Collective - Carl Bj++rk,
Thomas B+ñhnck, Sebastian Donoso, Jake Gentillon, Antoine and Dalia
Grelin, Stephen Guberski, Richard Hall,
Tino Heuberger, Jason Jacks, Paul Kent, Brian Meyers, William Ostling,
Nicolas Puig, Tim Schaeffer, Felix Sch++fb+ñnker, Mikhail Vasilev
Explanation: An intriguing pair of interacting galaxies, M51 is the
51st entry in Charles Messier's famous catalog. Perhaps the original
spiral nebula, the large galaxy with whirlpool-like spiral structure
seen nearly face-on is also cataloged as NGC 5194. Its spiral arms and
dust lanes sweep in front of a companion galaxy (right), NGC 5195. Some
31 million light-years distant, within the boundaries of the
well-trained constellation Canes Venatici, M51 looks faint and fuzzy to
the eye in direct telescopic views. But this remarkably deep image
shows off stunning details of the galaxy pair's striking colors and
extensive tidal debris. A collaboration of astro-imagers using
telescopes on planet Earth combined over 10 days of exposure time to
create this definitive galaxy portrait of M51. The image includes 118
hours of narrowband data that also reveals a vast glowing cloud of
reddish ionized hydrogen gas discovered in the M51 system.
Tomorrow's picture: 26 squiggles
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Aug 12 00:39:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 12
Ghirigori - Star Scribbles
Image Credit & Copyright: Paolo Palma
Explanation: It's fun to scribble on the canvas of the sky. You can use
a creative photographic technique to cause the light of point-like
stars to dance across a digital image by tapping lightly on the
telescope while making an exposure. The result will be a squiggly line
traced by the star (or two squiggles traced by binary stars) that can
reveal the star's color. Colorful lines, dubbed Ghirigori, made from
stars found in the northern sky constellations Bootes, Corona Borealis,
Ophiucus, and Coma Berenices, are captured in this artistic mosaic. The
25 stars creating the varied and colorful squiggles are identified
around the border. Of course, temperature determines the color of a
star. While whitish stars tend to be close to the Sun's temperature,
stars with bluer hues are hotter, and yellow and red colors are cooler
than the Sun.
Weekend Watch: Perseid Meteor Shower
Tomorrow's picture: a tip of the sombrero
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Aug 13 00:32:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 13
A red-tinged ring of dust is seen nearly on edge. In the ring's center
and extending around the frame, blue gas and stars are shown. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared
Credit: R. Kennicutt (Steward Obs.) et al., SSC, JPL, Caltech, NASA
Explanation: This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is
a galaxy -- or at least part of one: the photogenic Sombrero Galaxy,
one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies.
The dark band of dust that obscures the mid-section of the Sombrero
Galaxy in optical light actually glows brightly in infrared light. The
featured image, digitally sharpened, shows the infrared glow, recently
recorded by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope, superposed in
false-color on an existing image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope
in visible light. The Sombrero Galaxy, also known as M104, spans about
50,000 light years across and lies 28 million light years away. M104
can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the
constellation Virgo.
Tomorrow's picture: ring strings
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Aug 14 01:05:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 14
An oval nebula is seen in false color. The nebula appears blue in the
center, orange and red around the rim, and orange and purple filaments
extending to the edge of the frame. Stars are seen throughout the
frame. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Ring Nebula from Webb
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST; Processing: Zi Yang Kong
Explanation: The Ring Nebula (M57), is more complicated than it appears
through a small telescope. The easily visible central ring is about one
light-year across, but this remarkable exposure by the James Webb Space
Telescope explores this popular nebula with a deep exposure in infrared
light. Strings of gas, like eyelashes around a cosmic eye, become
evident around the Ring in this digitally enhanced featured image in
assigned colors. These long filaments may be caused by shadowing of
knots of dense gas in the ring from energetic light emitted within. The
Ring Nebula is an elongated planetary nebula, a type of gas cloud
created when a Sun-like star evolves to throw off its outer atmosphere
to become a white dwarf star. The central oval in the Ring Nebula lies
about 2,500 light-years away toward the musical constellation Lyra.
Tomorrow's picture: triple iced sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Aug 15 00:22:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 15
A body of water is seen in front of a night sky. The water reflects the
sky. In the sky, on the right are green aurora. In the center is an
orange plume. On the right are three while plumes. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
A Triply Glowing Night Sky over Iceland
Credit & Copyright: Wioleta Gorecka; Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY
Oswego)
Explanation: The Sun is not the quiet place it seems. It expels an
unsteady stream of energetic electrons and protons known as the solar
wind. These charged particles deform the Earth's magnetosphere, change
paths, and collide with atoms in Earth's atmosphere, causing the
generation of light in auroras like that visible in green in the image
left. Earth itself is also geologically active and covered with
volcanoes. For example, Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland, seen
emitting hot gas in orange near the image center. Iceland is one of the
most geologically active places on Earth. On the far right is the
Svartsengi geothermal power plant which creates the famous human-made
Blue Lagoon, shown emitting white gas plumes. The featured composition
therefore highlights three different sky phenomena, including both
natural and human-made phenomena.
Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic embrace
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Aug 16 00:29:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 16
Arp 93: A Cosmic Embrace
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby, Observatorio El Sauce
Explanation: Locked in a cosmic embrace, two large galaxies are merging
at the center of this sharp telescopic field of view. The interacting
system cataloged as Arp 93 is some 200 million light-years distant
toward the constellation Aquarius in planet Earth's sky. Individually
the galaxies are identified as NGC 7285 (right) and NGC 7284. Their
bright cores are still separated by about 20,000 light-years or so, but
a massive tidal stream, a result of their ongoing gravitational
interaction, extends over 200,000 light-years toward the bottom of the
frame. Interacting galaxies do look peculiar, but are now understood to
be common in the Universe. In fact, closer to home, the large spiral
Andromeda Galaxy is known to be approaching the Milky Way. Arp 93 may
well present an analog of their distant future cosmic embrace.
Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic zoo
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Aug 17 00:14:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 17
A Cosmic Zoo in Cepheus
Image Credit & Copyright: Yann Sainty
Explanation: Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mix glowing
interstellar gas and dark dust clouds in this nearly 12 degree wide
field of view toward the northern constellation Cepheus the King.
Energized by its central star IC 1396 (left), is hundreds of
light-years across and some 3,000 light-years distant. The nebula's
intriguing dark shapes include a winding dark cloud popularly known as
the Elephant's Trunk below and right of center. Tens of light-years
long, it holds the raw material for star formation and is known to hide
protostars within. Located a similar distance from planet Earth, the
bright knots and swept back ridges of emission of Sh2-129 on the right
suggest its popular name, the Flying Bat Nebula. Within the Flying Bat,
the most recently recognized addition to this royal cosmic zoo is the
faint bluish emission from Ou4, the Giant Squid Nebula. Near the lower
right edge of the frame, the suggestive dark marking on the sky
cataloged as Barnard 150 is also known as the dark Seahorse Nebula.
Notable submissions to APOD: Perseids Meteor Shower 2023
Tomorrow's picture: northern Pluto
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Aug 18 01:16:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 18
Northern Pluto
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research
Institute
Explanation: Gaze across the frozen canyons of northern Pluto in this
contrast enhanced color scene. The image data used to construct it was
acquired in July 2015 by the New Horizons spacecraft as it made the
first reconnaissance flight through the remote Pluto system six billion
kilometers from the Sun. Now known as Lowell Regio, the region was
named for Percival Lowell, founder of the Lowell Observatory. Also
famous for his speculation that there were canals on Mars, Lowell
started the search that ultimately led to Pluto's discovery in 1930 by
Clyde Tombaugh. In this frame Pluto's North Pole is above and left of
center. The pale bluish floor of the broad canyon on the left is about
70 kilometers (45 miles) wide, running vertically toward the south.
Higher elevations take on a yellowish hue. New Horizon's measurements
were used to determine that in addition to nitrogen ice, methane ice is
abundant across Lowell Regio. So far, Pluto is the only Solar System
world named by an 11-year-old girl.
Tomorrow's picture: ringed ice giant
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Aug 19 00:05:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 19
Ringed Ice Giant Neptune
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam
Explanation: Ringed ice giant Neptune lies near the center of this
sharp near-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The dim
and distant world is the farthest planet from the Sun, about 30 times
farther away than planet Earth. But in the stunning Webb view, the
planet's dark and ghostly appearance is due to atmospheric methane that
absorbs infrared light. High altitude clouds that reach above most of
Neptune's absorbing methane easily stand out in the image though.
Coated with frozen nitrogen, Neptune's largest moon Triton is brighter
than Neptune in reflected sunlight, seen at the upper left sporting the
Webb telescope's characteristic diffraction spikes. Including Triton,
seven of Neptune's 14 known moons can be identified in the field of
view. Neptune's faint rings are striking in this space-based planetary
portrait. Details of the complex ring system are seen here for the
first time since Neptune was visited by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in
August 1989.
Tomorrow's picture: long cloud
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Aug 20 01:05:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 20
Building in a city are pictured. Above the buildings appears a long
dark cylindrical cloud that goes to the horizon. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
A Roll Cloud Over Wisconsin
Credit: Megan Hanrahan (Pierre cb), Wikipedia
Explanation: What kind of cloud is this? A type of arcus cloud called a
roll cloud. These rare long clouds may form near advancing cold fronts.
In particular, a downdraft from an advancing storm front can cause
moist warm air to rise, cool below its dew point, and so form a cloud.
When this happens uniformly along an extended front, a roll cloud may
form. Roll clouds may actually have air circulating along the long
horizontal axis of the cloud. A roll cloud is not thought to be able to
morph into a tornado. Unlike a similar shelf cloud, a roll cloud is
completely detached from their parent cumulonimbus cloud. Pictured
here, a roll cloud extends far into the distance as a storm approaches
in 2007 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA.
Tomorrow's picture: comet unknown
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Aug 21 00:05:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 21
A dark starfield is shown with a dim green blur in the middle. Faintly
extending from the green blur is a tail toward the left. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Introducing Comet Nishimura
Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Will Comet Nishimura become visible to the unaided eye?
Given the unpredictability of comets, no one can say for sure, but it
currently seems like a good bet. The comet was discovered only ten days
ago by Hideo Nishimura during 30-second exposures with a standard
digital camera. Since then, C/2023 P1 Nishimura has increased in
brightness and its path across the inner Solar System determined. As
the comet dives toward the Sun, it will surely continue to intensify
and possibly become a naked-eye object in early September. A problem is
that the comet will also be angularly near the Sun, so it will only be
possible to see it near sunset or sunrise. The comet will get so close
to the Sun -- inside the orbit of planet Mercury -- that its nucleus
may break up. Pictured, Comet Nishimura was imaged three days ago from
June Lake, California, USA while sporting a green coma and a thin tail.
Tomorrow's picture: nebula unknown
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Aug 22 00:56:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 22
A diffuse nebula is seen against a dark starfield. The center of the
nebula is blue and it is surrounded by a red glow. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Pistachio Nebula
Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls & Chester Hall-Fernandez
Explanation: This nebula had never been noted before. Newly discovered
nebulas are usually angularly small and found by professionals using
large telescopes. In contrast, the Pistachio Nebula was discovered by
dedicated amateurs and, although faint, is nearly the size of the full
Moon. In modern times, amateurs with even small telescopes can create
long exposures over sky areas much larger than most professional
telescopes can see. They can therefore discover both previously unknown
areas of extended emission around known objects, as well as entirely
unknown objects, like nebulas. The pictured Pistachio Nebula is shown
in oxygen emission (blue) and hydrogen emission (red). The nature of
the hot central star is currently unknown, and the nebula might be
labeled a planetary nebula if it turns out to be a white dwarf star.
The featured image is a composite of over 70 hours of exposure taken in
early June under the dark skies of Namibia.
Tomorrow's picture: comet rain
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
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From
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All on Wed Aug 23 04:17:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 23
A color meteor streak is seen above the Andromeda spiral galaxy. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Meteor and the Galaxy
Credit & Copyright: Jose Pedrero
Explanation: It came from outer space. It -- in this case a sand-sized
bit of a comet nucleus -- was likely ejected many years ago from
Sun-orbiting Comet Swift-Tuttle, but then continued to orbit the Sun
alone. When the Earth crossed through this orbit, the piece of comet
debris impacted the atmosphere of our fair planet and was seen as a
meteor. This meteor deteriorated, causing gases to be emitted that
glowed in colors emitted by its component elements. The featured image
was taken last week from Castilla La Mancha, Spain, during the peak
night of the Perseids meteor shower. The picturesque meteor streak
happened to appear in the only one of 50 frames that also included the
Andromeda galaxy. Stars dot the frame, each much further away than the
meteor. Compared to the stars, the Andromeda galaxy (M31) is, again,
much further away.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Aug 24 00:15:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 24
Meteors along the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Ali Hosseini Nezhad
Explanation: Under dark and mostly moonless night skies, many denizens
of planet Earth were able to watch this year's Perseid meteor shower.
Seen from a grassy hillside from Shiraz, Iran these Perseid meteors
streak along the northern summer Milky Way before dawn on Sunday,
August 13. Frames used to construct the composited image were captured
near the active annual meteor shower's peak between 02:00 AM and 04:30
AM local time. Not in this night skyscape, the shower's radiant in the
heroic constellation Perseus is far above the camera's field of view.
But fans of northern summer nights can still spot a familiar asterism.
Formed by bright stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair, the Summer Triangle
spans the luminous band of the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: seasons of Saturn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Aug 25 03:52:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 25
A Season of Saturn
Image Credit & Copyright: Andy Casely
Explanation: Ringed planet Saturn will be at its 2023 opposition,
opposite the Sun in Earth's skies, on August 27. While that puts the
sixth planet from the Sun at its brightest and well-placed for viewing,
its beautiful ring system isn't visible to the unaided eye. Still, this
sequence of telescopic images taken a year apart over the last six
years follows both Saturn and rings as seen from inner planet Earth.
The gas giant's ring plane tilts from most open in 2018 to approaching
edge-on in 2023 (top to bottom). That's summer to nearly the autumn
equinox for Saturn's northern hemisphere. In the sharp planetary
portraits, Saturn's northern hexagon and a large storm system are
clearly visible in 2018. In 2023, ice moon Tethys is transiting,
casting its shadow across southern hemisphere cloud bands, while
Saturn's cold blue south pole is emerging from almost a decade of
winter darkness.
Tomorrow's picture: phases of Venus
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat Aug 26 00:48:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 26
Crescents of Venus
Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Ortu
Explanation: Just as the Moon goes through phases, Venus' visible
sunlit hemisphere waxes and wanes. This sequence of telescopic images
illustrates the steady changes for Venus during its recent 2023
apparition as our evening star. Gliding along its interior orbit
between Earth and Sun, Venus grows larger during that period because it
is approaching planet Earth. Its crescent narrows though, as the inner
planet swings closer to our line-of-sight to the Sun. Closest to the
Earth-Sun line but passing about 8 degrees south of the Sun, on August
13 Venus reached its (non-judgmental) inferior conjunction. And now
Venus shines above the eastern horizon in predawn skies, completing its
transition to planet Earth's morning star. On August 21, NASA's Parker
Solar Probe completed its sixth gravity assist flyby of Venus, using
the encounter to maneuver the probe toward its closest approach yet to
the Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: Three Galaxies and a Comet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sun Aug 27 01:51:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 27
A rocky landscape is capped by a dark night sky. In the sky, the band
of our Milky Way Galaxy runs along the right, while two fuzzy patches
that are the LMC and SMC are visible on the right. Thousands of stars
are resolved all over the frame. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Three Galaxies and a Comet
Credit & Copyright: Miloslav Druckmuller (Brno University of
Technology)
Explanation: Diffuse starlight and dark nebulae along the southern
Milky Way arc over the horizon and sprawl diagonally through this
gorgeous nightscape. The breath-taking mosaic spans a wide 100 degrees,
with the rugged terrain of the Patagonia, Argentina region in the
foreground. Along with the insider's view of our own galaxy, the image
features our outside perspective on two irregular satellite galaxies -
the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The scene also captures the
broad tail and bright coma of Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007.
Tomorrow's picture: game stars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Mon Aug 28 00:45:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 28
A nebula that appears blue in the middle and is surrounded by
red-glowing gas is featured. Dramatic lanes of dark dust cut through
the nebula's left side. A group of stars is visible toward the nebula's
center. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks
Explanation: Look through the cosmic cloud cataloged as NGC 281 and you
might miss the stars of open cluster IC 1590. Formed within the nebula,
that cluster's young, massive stars ultimately power the pervasive
nebular glow. The eye-catching shapes looming in the featured portrait
of NGC 281 are sculpted dusty columns and dense Bok globules seen in
silhouette, eroded by intense, energetic winds and radiation from the
hot cluster stars. If they survive long enough, the dusty structures
could also be sites of future star formation. Playfully called the
Pacman Nebula because of its overall shape, NGC 281 is about 10,000
light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. This sharp composite
image was made through narrow-band filters. It combines emission from
the nebula's hydrogen and oxygen atoms to synthesize red, green, and
blue colors. The scene spans well over 80 light-years at the estimated
distance of NGC 281.
Tomorrow's picture: spiral webb
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From
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All on Tue Aug 29 01:09:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 29
Spiral galaxy M66 is shown in infrared light as seen by the orbiting
James Webb Space Telescope. A reddish-brown center is seen in the
galaxy with a blue-colored spiral arms surrounding it. A close
inspection will reveal that these spiral arms are not symmetrical.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Unusual Spiral Galaxy M66 from Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST; Processing: Brian Tomlinson
Explanation: Why isn't spiral galaxy M66 symmetric? Usually, density
waves of gas, dust, and newly formed stars circle a spiral galaxy's
center and create a nearly symmetric galaxy. The differences between
M66's spiral arms and the apparent displacement of its nucleus are all
likely caused by previous close interactions and the tidal
gravitational pulls of nearby galaxy neighbors M65 and NGC 3628. The
galaxy, featured here in infrared light taken by the James Webb Space
Telescope, spans about 100,000 light years, lies about 35 million light
years distant, and is the largest galaxy in a group known as the Leo
Triplet. Like many spiral galaxies, the long and intricate dust lanes
of M66 are seen intertwined with the bright stars and intergalactic
dust that follow the spiral arms.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Aug 30 01:10:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 30
Full Moons of August
Image Credit & Copyright: Gianni Tumino
Explanation: Near perigee, the closest point in its almost moonthly
orbit, a Full Moon rose as the Sun set on August 1. Its brighter than
average lunar disk was captured in this dramatic moonrise sequence over
dense cloud banks along the eastern horizon from Ragusa, Sicily.
Illuminating night skies around planet Earth it was the second
supermoon of 2023. Yet again near perigee, the third supermoon of 2023
will also shine on an August night. Rising as the Sun sets tonight this
second Full Moon in August will be known to some as a Blue Moon, even
though scattered sunlight gives the lunar disk a reddened hue. Defined
as the second full moon in a calendar month, blue moons occur only once
every 2 or 3 years. That's because lunar phases take 29.5 days, almost
a calendar month, to go through a complete cycle. Tonight an August
Blue Moon will find itself beside bright planet Saturn.
Tomorrow's picture: the Crew-7 nebula
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Thu Aug 31 00:31:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 August 31
The Crew-7 Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Seeley
Explanation: Not the James Webb Space Telescope's latest view of a
distant galactic nebula, this illuminated cloud of gas and dust dazzled
early morning spacecoast skygazers on August 26. The snapshot was taken
about 2 minutes after the launch of of a Falcon 9 rocket on the SpaceX
Crew-7 mission, the seventh commercial crew rotation mission for the
International Space Station. It captures drifting plumes and exhaust
from the separated first and second stage illuminated against the still
dark skies. Near the center of the image, within the ragged blueish
ring, are two bright points of light. The lower one is the second stage
of the rocket carrying 4 humans to space in a Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The bright point above is the Falcon 9 first stage booster orienting
itself for the trip back to Landing Zone-1 at Cape Canaveral, planet
Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: a great little patch
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All on Sat Sep 2 01:19:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 2
NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Lorand Fenyes
Explanation: These cosmic clouds have blossomed 1,300 light-years away
in the fertile starfields of the constellation Cepheus. Called the Iris
Nebula, NGC 7023 is not the only nebula to evoke the imagery of
flowers. Still, this deep telescopic image shows off the Iris Nebula's
range of colors and symmetries embedded in surrounding fields of
interstellar dust. Within the Iris itself, dusty nebular material
surrounds a hot, young star. The dominant color of the brighter
reflection nebula is blue, characteristic of dust grains reflecting
starlight. Central filaments of the reflection nebula glow with a faint
reddish photoluminescence as some dust grains effectively convert the
star's invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Infrared
observations indicate that this nebula contains complex carbon
molecules known as PAHs. The dusty blue petals of the Iris Nebula span
about six light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic souffle
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sun Sep 3 00:31:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 3
A fuzzy comet is shown in gray on the upper left against a dark space
background. The comet's tail extends diagnonally to the lower right.
The main part of the comet is seen broken up into many trailing pieces.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 Fragments
Credit: NASA, ESA, H. Weaver (JHU / APL), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay
(STScI)
Explanation: Periodic comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 has broken up at
least twice. A cosmic souffle of ice and dust left over from the early
solar system, this comet was first seen to split into several large
pieces during the close-in part of its orbit in 1995. However, in the
2006 passage, it disintegrated into dozens of fragments that stretched
several degrees across the sky. Since comets are relatively fragile,
stresses from heat, gravity and outgassing, for example, could be
responsible for their tendency to break up in such a spectacular
fashion when they near the hot Sun. The Hubble Space Telescope
recorded, in 2006, the featured sharp view of prolific Fragment B,
itself trailing a multitude of smaller pieces, each with its own
cometary coma and tail. The picture spans over 3,000 kilometers at the
comet's distance of 32 million kilometers from planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: star bursts
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Sep 5 00:46:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 5
A large Moon is seen behind a historic stone structure. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Blue Supermoon Beyond Syracuse
Credit & Copyright: Kevin Saragozza
Explanation: The last full moon was doubly unusual. First of all, it
was a blue moon. A modern definition of a blue moon is a second full
moon to occur during one calendar month. Since there are 13 full moons
in 2023, one month has to have two -- and that month was August. The
first full moon was on August 1 and named a Sturgeon Moon. The second
reason that the last full moon was unusual was because it was a
supermoon. A modern definition of supermoon is a moon that reaches its
full phase when it is relatively close to Earth -- and so appears a bit
larger and brighter than average. Pictured, the blue supermoon of 2023
was imaged hovering far behind a historic castle and lighthouse in
Syracuse, Sicily, Italy.
Gallery: Selected August 2023 supermoon images submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: sky in motion
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All on Wed Sep 6 02:39:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 6
HESS Telescopes Explore the High-Energy Sky
Credit & Copyright: Video Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN), H.E.S.S.
Collaboration;
Music: Ibaotu catalog number 1044988 (Used with permission)
Explanation: They may look like modern mechanical dinosaurs, but they
are enormous swiveling eyes that watch the sky. The High Energy
Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) Observatory is composed of four 12-meter
reflecting-mirror telescopes surrounding a larger telescope housing a
28-meter mirror. They are designed to detect strange flickers of blue
light -- Cherenkov radiation --emitted when charged particles move
slightly faster than the speed of light in air. This light is emitted
when a gamma ray from a distant source strikes a molecule in Earth's
atmosphere and starts a charged-particle shower. H.E.S.S. is sensitive
to some of the highest energy photons (TeV) crossing the universe.
Operating since 2003 in Namibia, H.E.S.S. has searched for dark matter
and has discovered over 50 sources emitting high energy radiation
including supernova remnants and the centers of galaxies that contain
supermassive black holes. Pictured in June, H.E.S.S. telescopes swivel
and stare in time-lapse sequences shot in front of our Milky Way Galaxy
and the Magellanic Clouds -- as the occasional Earth-orbiting satellite
zips by.
Surf the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: large star cloud
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Thu Sep 7 01:04:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 7
The Large Cloud of Magellan
Image Credit & Copyright: Chris Willocks
Explanation: The 16th century Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan
and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during the
first circumnavigation of planet Earth. As a result, two fuzzy
cloud-like objects easily visible to southern hemisphere skygazers are
known as the Clouds of Magellan, now understood to be satellite
galaxies of our much larger, spiral Milky Way galaxy. About 160,000
light-years distant in the constellation Dorado, the Large Magellanic
Cloud is seen in this sharp galaxy portrait. Spanning about 15,000
light-years or so, it is the most massive of the Milky Way's satellite
galaxies and is the home of the closest supernova in modern times, SN
1987A. The prominent patch above center is 30 Doradus, also known as
the magnificent Tarantula Nebula, a giant star-forming region about
1,000 light-years across.
Tomorrow's picture: large star factory
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Fri Sep 8 01:58:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 8
Star Factory Messier 17
Image Credit & Copyright: Kim Quick, Terry Hancock, and Tom Masterson
(Grand Mesa Observatory)
Explanation: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, the star factory
known as Messier 17 lies some 5,500 light-years away in the nebula-rich
constellation Sagittarius. At that distance, this 1/3 degree wide field
of view spans over 30 light-years. The sharp composite, color image
highlights faint details of the region's gas and dust clouds against a
backdrop of central Milky Way stars. Stellar winds and energetic light
from hot, massive stars formed from M17's stock of cosmic gas and dust
have slowly carved away at the remaining interstellar material,
producing the cavernous appearance and undulating shapes. M17 is also
known as the Omega Nebula or the Swan Nebula.
Tomorrow's picture: large galaxy cloud
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sat Sep 9 04:10:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 9
A comet is shown with its green coma on the bottom right and a long and
structured ion tail flowing diagonally across the image toward the top
left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Comet Nishimura Grows
Credit & Copyright: Peter Kennett
Explanation: Comet Nishimura is growing. More precisely, the tails
C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) are growing as it nears the Sun. Discovered only
last month, the comet is already near naked eye brightness as it now
moves inside the Earth's orbit. The comet will be nearest the Earth
next week, but nearest the Sun the week after -- on September 17.
Speculation holds that expelled ice and dust from Comet Nishimura's
last visit to the inner Solar System may have created the Sigma Hydrids
meteor shower which peaks yearly in December. If so, then this meteor
shower may become more active, refreshed with new comet debris.
Pictured, Comet Nishimura was captured from Edgewood, New Mexico, USA
four nights ago, showing a long ion tail structured by interactions
with the Sun's wind. Look for this comet near your eastern horizon just
before sunrise for the next few mornings, but very near your western
horizon just after sunset next week -- as its coma continues to
brighten and its tails continue to grow.
Gallery: Selected Comet Nishimura images submitted to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: person, moon, sun
__________________________________________________________________
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All on Sun Sep 10 05:24:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 10
A person is seen standing at the top of a ridge. The person appears as
a silhouette onto the central dark region of an annular solar eclipse.
The annular solar eclipse is a bright ring with a large dark hole in
the middle. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
An Annular Solar Eclipse over New Mexico
Credit & Copyright: Colleen Pinski
Explanation: What is this person doing? In 2012, an annular eclipse of
the Sun was visible over a narrow path that crossed the northern
Pacific Ocean and several western US states. In an annular solar
eclipse, the Moon is too far from the Earth to block out the entire
Sun, leaving the Sun peeking out over the Moon's disk in a ring of
fire. To capture this unusual solar event, an industrious photographer
drove from Arizona to New Mexico to find just the right vista. After
setting up and just as the eclipsed Sun was setting over a ridge about
0.5 kilometers away, a person unknowingly walked right into the shot.
Although grateful for the unexpected human element, the photographer
never learned the identity of the silhouetted interloper. It appears
likely that the person is holding a circular device that would enable
them to get their own view of the eclipse. The shot was taken at sunset
on 2012 May 20 at 7:36 pm local time from a park near Albuquerque. Next
month, on October 14, a different narrow swath across North and South
America will be exposed to a different annular solar eclipse, if the
sky is clear. Simultaneously, cloud-free observers almost anywhere on
either continent will be able to see a partial solar eclipse.
Tomorrow's picture: active comet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Mon Sep 11 02:58:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 11
A scenic and hilly landscape is shown just before sunrise. On the left
is Comet Nishimura near the horizon with a long tail fading off toward
the top of the frame. On the right is a bright spot that is Venus. The
sunrise sky is dark blue at the top but morphs into tan at the horizon,
while the foreground hills are green. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Beautiful Comet Nishimura
Credit & Copyright: Petr Hor+ílek / Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation: This scene would be beautiful even without the comet. By
itself, the sunrise sky is an elegant deep blue on high, with faint
white stars peeking through, while near the horizon is a pleasing tan.
By itself, the foreground hills of eastern Slovakia are appealingly
green, with the Zad+êa hura and Ve-'k+í hora hills in the distance, and
with the lights of small towns along the way. Venus, by itself on the
right, appears unusually exquisite, surrounded by a colorful
atmospheric corona. But what attracts the eye most is the comet. On the
left, in this composite image taken just before dawn yesterday morning,
is Comet Nishimura. On recent mornings around the globe, its bright
coma and long ion tail make many a morning panoramic photo unusually
beautiful. Tomorrow, C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) will pass its nearest to the
Earth for about the next 434 years.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxies galore
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Tue Sep 12 00:54:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 12
Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 and Beyond
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Jennifer Lotz and the HFF Team (STScI)
Explanation: Some 4 billion light-years away, massive galaxy cluster
Abell 370 is captured in this sharp Hubble Space Telescope snapshot.
The cluster of galaxies only appears to be dominated by two giant
elliptical galaxies and infested with faint arcs. In reality, the
fainter, scattered bluish arcs, along with the dramatic dragon arc
below and left of center, are images of galaxies that lie far beyond
Abell 370. About twice as distant, their otherwise undetected light is
magnified and distorted by the cluster's enormous gravitational mass,
overwhelmingly dominated by unseen dark matter. Providing a tantalizing
glimpse of galaxies in the early universe, the effect is known as
gravitational lensing. A consequence of warped spacetime, lensing was
predicted by Einstein almost a century ago. Far beyond the spiky
foreground Milky Way star at lower right, Abell 370 is seen toward the
constellation Cetus, the Sea Monster. It was the last of six galaxy
clusters imaged in the Frontier Fields project.
Tomorrow's picture: partly hidden
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From
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All on Thu Sep 14 02:13:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 14
NGC 7331 and Beyond
Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Gorenstein
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as
an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in
the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as
a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not
included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. Since the
galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic
exposures often result in images that evokes a strong sense of depth.
The effect is further enhanced in this sharp image by galaxies that lie
beyond the gorgeous island universe. The most prominent background
galaxies are about one tenth the apparent size of NGC 7331 and so lie
roughly ten times farther away. Their close alignment on the sky with
NGC 7331 occurs just by chance. Lingering above the plane of the Milky
Way, this striking visual grouping of galaxies is known to some as the
Deer Lick Group.
Tomorrow's picture: good morning moon
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From
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All on Fri Sep 15 04:05:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 15
Venus, Moon, and the Smoking Mountain
Image Credit & Copyright: Luis Miguel Meade Rodr+¡guez
Explanation: Venus has returned as a brilliant morning star. From a
window seat on a flight to Mexico City, the bright celestial beacon was
captured just before sunrise in this astronomical snapshot, taken on
September 12. Venus, at the upper right, shared the early predawn skies
with an old crescent Moon. Seen from this stratospheric perspective,
both mountain peaks and clouds appear in silhouette along a glowing
eastern horizon. The dramatic, long, low cloud bank was created by
venting from planet Earth's active volcano Popocat+¬petl.
Tomorrow's picture: Fire over Ice
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From
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All on Sat Sep 16 05:51:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 16
Fireball over Iceland
Image Credit & Copyright: Jennifer Franklin
Explanation: On September 12, from a location just south of the Arctic
Circle, stones of Iceland's modern Arctic Henge point skyward in this
startling scene. Entertaining an intrepid group of aurora hunters
during a geomagnetic storm, alluring northern lights dance across the
darkened sky when a stunning fireball meteor explodes. Awestruck, the
camera-equipped skygazers captured video and still images of the boreal
bolide, at its peak about as bright as a full moon. Though quickly
fading from view, the fireball left a lingering visible trail or
persistent train. The wraith-like trail was seen for minutes wafting in
the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 60 to 90 kilometers along with the
auroral glow.
Tomorrow's picture: Magnified Moon Mountains
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From
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All on Mon Sep 18 05:23:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 18
A lone tree is seen on the right of a dark grassy field. Above and on
the right, a bright red filamentary glow is seen in the sky. The
filaments of this glow may seem similar to the branches of the tree.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Red Sprite and the Tree
Credit & Copyright: Maxime Villaeys
Explanation: The sprite and tree could hardly be more different. To
start, the red sprite is an unusual form of lightning, while the tree
is a common plant. The sprite is far away -- high in Earth's
atmosphere, while the tree is nearby -- only about a football field
away. The sprite is fast -- electrons streaming up and down at near
light's speed, while the tree is slow -- wood anchored to the ground.
The sprite is bright -- lighting up the sky, while the tree is dim --
shining mostly by reflected light. The sprite was fleeting -- lasting
only a small fraction of a second, while the tree is durable -- living
now for many years. Both however, when captured together, appear oddly
similar in this featured composite image captured early this month in
France as a thunderstorm passed over mountains of the Atlantic
Pyrenees.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: star jets from webb
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Tue Sep 19 00:48:30 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 19
Two jets are seen in red and blue moving out from a central object
shroueded by a diffuse dark brown. The rest of the frame is dark but
with an few bright stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
HH 211: Jets from a Forming Star
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Webb; Processing: Tom Ray (DIAS Dublin)
Explanation: Do stars always create jets as they form? No one is sure.
As a gas cloud gravitationally contracts, it forms a disk that can spin
too fast to continue contracting into a protostar. Theorists
hypothesize that this spin can be reduced by expelling jets. This
speculation coincides with known Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, young
stellar objects seen to emit jets -- sometimes in spectacular fashion.
Pictured is Herbig-Haro 211, a young star in formation recently imaged
by the Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in infrared light and in great
detail. Along with the two narrow beams of particles, red shock waves
can be seen as the outflows impact existing interstellar gas. The jets
of HH 221 will likely change shape as they brighten and fade over the
next 100,000 years, as research into the details of star formation
continues.
Tomorrow's picture: another star's planets
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Sep 21 00:11:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 21
Tagging Bennu
Image Credit: OSIRIS-REx, University of Arizona, NASA, Goddard
Scientific Visualization Studio
Explanation: The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's arm reached out and touched
asteroid 101955 Bennu on October 20, 2020, after a careful approach to
the small, near-Earth asteroid's boulder-strewn surface. Dubbed a
Touch-And-Go (TAG) sampling event, the 30 centimeter wide sampling head
(TAGSAM) appears to crush some of the rocks in this close-up recorded
by the spacecraft's SamCam. The image was snapped just after surface
contact some 321 million kilometers from planet Earth. One second
later, the spacecraft fired nitrogen gas from a bottle intended to blow
a substantial amount of Bennu's regolith into the sampling head,
collecting the loose surface material. And now, nearly three years
later, on Sunday, September 24, that sample of asteroid Bennu is
scheduled to arrive on planet Earth. The sample return capsule will be
dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft as it makes a close flyby of
Earth. Twenty minutes after the drop-off, the spacecraft will fire its
thrusters to divert past Earth and continue on to orbit near-Earth
asteroid 99942 Apophis.
Tomorrow's picture: reflections of the cosmos
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Sep 22 10:12:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 22
Cosmos in Reflection
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)
Explanation: During the day, over 12,000 large mirrors reflect sunlight
at the 100-megawatt, molten-salt, solar thermal power plant at the
western edge of the Gobi desert near Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China.
Individual mirror panels turn to track the sun like sunflowers. They
conspire to act as a single super mirror reflecting the sunlight toward
a fixed position, the power station's central tower. During the night
the mirrors stand motionless though. They reflect the light of the
countless distant stars, clusters and nebulae of the Milky Way and
beyond. This sci-fi night skyscape was created with a camera fixed to a
tripod near the edge of the giant mirror matrix on September 15. The
camera's combined sequence of digital exposures captures concentric
arcs of celestial star trails through the night with star trails in
surreal mirrored reflection.
Tomorrow's picture: analog analemma's afternoon
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sat Sep 23 00:09:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 23
Afternoon Analemma
Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Griffin (Otago Museum)
Explanation: An analemma is that figure-8 curve you get when you mark
the position of the Sun at the same time each day for one year. To make
this one, a 4x5 pinhole camera was set up looking north in southern New
Zealand skies. The shutter was briefly opened each clear day in the
afternoon at 4pm local time exposing the same photosensitized glass
plate for the year spanning September 23, 2022 to September 19, 2023.
On two days, the winter and summer solstices, the shutter was opened
again 15 minutes after the main exposure and remained open until sunset
to create the sun trails at the bottom and top of the curve. The
equinox dates correspond to positions in the middle of the curve, not
the crossover point. Of course, the curve itself is inverted compared
to an analemma traced from the northern hemisphere. And while fall
begins today at the Autumnal Equinox for the northern hemisphere, it's
the Spring Equinox in the south.
Tomorrow's picture: sunrise solar eclipse
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Sun Sep 24 00:24:32 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 24
A Ring of Fire Sunrise Solar Eclipse
Video Credit: Colin Legg & Geoff Sims; Music: Peter Nanasi
Explanation: What's rising above the horizon behind those clouds? It's
the Sun. Most sunrises don't look like this, though, because most
sunrises don't include the Moon. In the early morning of 2013 May 10,
however, from Western Australia, the Moon was between the Earth and the
rising Sun. At times, it would be hard for the uninformed to understand
what was happening. In an annular eclipse, the Moon is too far from the
Earth to block the entire Sun, and at most leaves a ring of fire where
sunlight pours out around every edge of the Moon. The featured
time-lapse video also recorded the eclipse through the high refraction
of the Earth's atmosphere just above the horizon, making the unusual
rising Sun and Moon appear also flattened. As the video continues, the
Sun continues to rise, while the Sun and Moon begin to separate. The
next annular solar eclipse will occur in less than three weeks. On
Saturday, October 14, a ring of fire will be visible through clear
skies from a thin swath crossing both North and South America.
Tour the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: big blue bird
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Mon Sep 25 00:25:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 25
A starfield with two bright stars at the top of the frame and two
galaxies at the bottom. The upper galaxy is a spiral galaxy and has an
appearance reminiscent of a hummingbird. The lower galaxy is a
featureless elliptical galaxy. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Arp 142: The Hummingbird Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing & Copyright: Basudeb
Chakrabarti
Explanation: What's happening to this spiral galaxy? Just a few hundred
million years ago, NGC 2936, the upper of the two large galaxies shown
at the bottom, was likely a normal spiral galaxy -- spinning, creating
stars -- and minding its own business. But then it got too close to the
massive elliptical galaxy NGC 2937, just below, and took a turn.
Sometimes dubbed the Hummingbird Galaxy for its iconic shape, NGC 2936
is not only being deflected but also being distorted by the close
gravitational interaction. Behind filaments of dark interstellar dust,
bright blue stars form the nose of the hummingbird, while the center of
the spiral appears as an eye. Alternatively, the galaxy pair, together
known as Arp 142, look to some like Porpoise or a penguin protecting an
egg. The featured re-processed image showing Arp 142 in great detail
was taken recently by the Hubble Space Telescope. Arp 142 lies about
300 million light years away toward the constellation of the Water
Snake (Hydra). In a billion years or so the two galaxies will likely
merge into one larger galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: big blue horse
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From
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All on Tue Sep 26 01:32:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 26
A starfield surrounds a large nebula that is mostly brown and blue and
has an appearance reminiscent of the head of a horse. This nebula is
not the more famous
IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Antoine & Dalia Grelin
Explanation: Do you see the horse's head? What you are seeing is not
the famous Horsehead nebula toward Orion, but rather a fainter nebula
that only takes on a familiar form with deeper imaging. The main part
of the here-imaged molecular cloud complex is reflection nebula IC
4592. Reflection nebulas are made up of very fine dust that normally
appears dark but can look quite blue when reflecting the visible light
of energetic nearby stars. In this case, the source of much of the
reflected light is a star at the eye of the horse. That star is part of
Nu Scorpii, one of the brighter star systems toward the constellation
of the Scorpion (Scorpius). A second reflection nebula dubbed IC 4601
is visible surrounding two stars above and to the right of the image
center.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Wed Sep 27 01:23:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 27
A rural road is pictured running to the horizon with rural grassy
fields on both sides. Rising from the lower left is the central band of
our Milky Way Galaxy. Rising from the horizon -- just at the visible
end of the road, is a thin twisting band of light twisting green and
red bands -- a STEVE. The STEVE crosses in front of the Milky Way band
making a big
STEVE and Milky Way Cross over Rural Road
Image Credit & Copyright: Theresa Clarke
Explanation: Not every road ends in a STEVE. A week ago, a sky
enthusiast's journey began with a goal: to photograph an aurora over
Lake Huron. Driving through rural Ontario, Canada, the forecasted sky
show started unexpectedly early, causing the photographer to stop
before arriving at the scenic Great Lake. Aurora images were taken
toward the north -- but over land, not sea. While waiting for a second
round of auroras, a peculiar band of light was noticed to the west.
Slowly, the photographer and friends realized that this western band
was likely an unusual type of aurora: a Strong Thermal Emission
Velocity Enhancement (STEVE). Moreover, this STEVE was putting on quite
a show: appearing intertwined with the central band of our Milky Way
Galaxy while intersecting the horizon just near the end of the country
road. After capturing this cosmic X on camera, the photographer paused
to appreciate the unexpected awesomeness of finding extraordinary
beauty in an ordinary setting.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Sep 28 00:14:54 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 28
The Deep Lagoon
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis, Christian Sasse
Explanation: Ridges of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds
inhabit the turbulent, cosmic depths of the Lagoon Nebula. Also known
as M8, The bright star forming region is about 5,000 light-years
distant. It makes for a popular stop on telescopic tours of the
constellation Sagittarius toward the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Dominated by the telltale red emission of ionized hydrogen atoms
recombining with stripped electrons, this deep telescopic view of the
Lagoon's central reaches is about 40 light-years across. The bright
hourglass shape near the center of the frame is gas ionized and
sculpted by energetic radiation and extreme stellar winds from a
massive young star.
Tomorrow's picture: just back from Bennu
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Fri Sep 29 00:09:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 29
Back from Bennu
Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
Explanation: Back from asteroid 101955 Bennu, a 110-pound, 31-inch wide
sample return capsule rests in a desert on planet Earth in this photo,
taken at the Department of Defense Utah Test and Training Range near
Salt Lake City last Sunday, September 24. Dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rex
spacecraft, the capsule looks charred from the extreme temperatures
experienced during its blistering descent through Earth's dense
atmosphere. OSIRIS-Rex began its home-ward journey from Bennu in May of
2021. Delivered to NASACÇÖs Johnson Space Center in Houston on September
25, the capsule's canister is expected to contain an uncontaminated
sample of about a half pound (250 grams) of Bennu's loosely packed
regolith. Working in a new laboratory designed for the OSIRIS-REx
mission, scientists and engineers will complete the canister
disassembly process, and plan to unveil the sample of the near-Earth
asteroid in a broadcast event on October 11.
Tomorrow's picture: shine on
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Sep 30 01:28:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 September 30
A Harvest Moon over Tuscany
Image Credit & Copyright: Antonio Tartarini
Explanation: For northern hemisphere dwellers, September's Full Moon
was the Harvest Moon. Reflecting warm hues at sunset, it rises behind
cypress trees huddled on a hill top in Tuscany, Italy in this telephoto
view from September 28. Famed in festival, story, and song, Harvest
Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest the autumnal
equinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one. Despite the
diminishing daylight hours as the growing season drew to a close,
farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moon shining on from
dusk to dawn. This Harvest Moon was also known to some as a supermoon,
a term becoming a traditional name for a full moon near perigee. It was
the fourth and final supermoon for 2023.
Note: Non-NASA APOD mirror sites will be updated if the US goverment
shuts down.
Tomorrow's picture: new moon near apogee
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Oct 1 22:49:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 1
An empty desert is shown with rolling tan sand dunes and a tan glow to
the air above. A lone tree grows in the image center. High above, the
Sun glows - but the center of the Sun is blackened out by an unusual
disk. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
A Desert Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Maxime Daviron
Explanation: A good place to see a ring-of-fire eclipse, it seemed,
would be from a desert. In a desert, there should be relatively few
obscuring clouds and trees. Therefore late December of 2019, a group of
photographers traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Rub al-Khali,
the largest continuous sand desert in world, to capture clear images of
an unusual eclipse that would be passing over. A ring-of-fire eclipse
is an annular eclipse that occurs when the Moon is far enough away on
its elliptical orbit around the Earth so that it appears too small,
angularly, to cover the entire Sun. At the maximum of an annular
eclipse, the edges of the Sun can be seen all around the edges of the
Moon, so that the Moon appears to be a dark spot that covers most --
but not all -- of the Sun. This particular eclipse, they knew, would
peak soon after sunrise. After seeking out such a dry and barren place,
it turned out that some of the most interesting eclipse images actually
included a tree in the foreground, because, in addition to the sand
dunes, the tree gave the surreal background a contrasting sense of
normalcy, scale, and texture. On Saturday, October 14, a new ring of
fire will be visible through clear skies from a thin swath crossing
both North and South America.
Tomorrow's picture: high sprites
__________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Oct 2 00:05:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 2
A normal starry sky is punctuated by by several very unusually shaped
red objects, known as sprites. These sprites are shown in very high
details including several very well defined
Sprite Lightning in High Definition
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Escurat
Explanation: Sometimes lightning occurs out near space. One such
lightning type is red sprite lightning, which has only been
photographed and studied on Earth over the past 25 years. The origins
of all types of lightning remain topics for research, and scientists
are still trying to figure out why red sprite lightning occurs at all.
Research has shown that following a powerful positive cloud-to-ground
lightning strike, red sprites may start as 100-meter balls of ionized
air that shoot down from about 80-km high at 10 percent the speed of
light. They are quickly followed by a group of upward streaking ionized
balls. Featured here is an extraordinarily high-resolution image of a
group of red sprites. This image is a single frame lasting only 1/25th
of a second from a video taken above Castelnaud Castle in Dordogne,
France, about three weeks ago. The sprites quickly vanished -- no
sprites were visible even on the very next video frame.
Tomorrow's picture: eye in the sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Oct 3 00:24:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 3
A vertical planetary nebula is shown in orange around the outside but
with a blue glow in the center. The outside is shaped like a tilted
hourglass, while the inside appears similar to an eye. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
MyCn 18: The Engraved Hourglass Planetary Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing &
Copyright: Harshwardhan Pathak
Explanation: Do you see the hourglass shape -- or does it see you? If
you can picture it, the rings of MyCn 18 trace the outline of an
hourglass -- although one with an unusual eye in its center. Either
way, the sands of time are running out for the central star of this
hourglass-shaped planetary nebula. With its nuclear fuel exhausted,
this brief, spectacular, closing phase of a Sun-like star's life occurs
as its outer layers are ejected - its core becoming a cooling, fading
white dwarf. In 1995, astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
to make a series of images of planetary nebulae, including the one
featured here. Pictured, delicate rings of colorful glowing gas
(nitrogen-red, hydrogen-green, and oxygen-blue) outline the tenuous
walls of the hourglass. The unprecedented sharpness of the Hubble
images has revealed surprising details of the nebula ejection process
that are helping to resolve the outstanding mysteries of the complex
shapes and symmetries of planetary nebulas like MyCn 18.
Tomorrow's picture: witch head?
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Oct 4 00:42:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 4
A colorful star field surrounds a big blue reflection nebula. The
nebula is elongated across the wide frame and said to resemble the head
of folklore-based witch. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
IC 2118: The Witch Head Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Abdullah Alharbi
Explanation: Does this nebula look like the head of a witch? The nebula
is known popularly as the Witch Head Nebula because, it is said, the
nebula's shape resembles a Halloween-style caricature of a witch's
head. Exactly how, though, can be a topic of imaginative speculation.
What is clear is that IC 2118 is about 50 light-years across and made
of gas and dust that points to -- because it has been partly eroded by
-- the nearby star Rigel. One of the brighter stars in the
constellation Orion, Rigel lies below the bottom of the featured image.
The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and is caused not only by
Rigel's intense blue starlight but because the dust grains scatter blue
light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes
Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in planet
Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Thu Oct 5 00:12:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 05
Ring of Fire over Monument Valley
Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)
Explanation: Tracking along a narrow path, the shadow of a new moon
will race across North, Central, and South America, on October 14. When
viewed from the shadow path the apparent size of the lunar disk will
not quite completely cover the Sun though. Instead, the moon in
silhouette will appear during the minutes of totality surrounded by a
fiery ring, an annular solar eclipse more dramatically known as a ring
of fire eclipse. This striking time lapse sequence from May of 2012
illustrates the stages of a ring of fire eclipse. From before eclipse
start until sunset, they are seen over the iconic buttes of planet
Earth's Monument Valley. Remarkably, the October 14 ring of fire
eclipse will also be visible over Monument Valley, beginning after
sunrise in the eastern sky.
Tomorrow's picture: 100th anniversary
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 6 00:36:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 6
Edwin Hubble Discovers the Universe
Image Credit & Copyright: Courtesy Carnegie Institution for Science
Explanation: How big is our universe? This question, among others, was
debated by two leading astronomers in 1920 in what has since become
known as astronomy's Great Debate. Many astronomers then believed that
our Milky Way Galaxy was the entire universe. Many others, though,
believed that our galaxy was just one of many. In the Great Debate,
each argument was detailed, but no consensus was reached. The answer
came over three years later with the detected variation of single spot
in the Andromeda Nebula, as shown on the original glass discovery plate
digitally reproduced here. When Edwin Hubble compared images, he
noticed that this spot varied, and on October 6, 1923 wrote "VAR!" on
the plate. The best explanation, Hubble knew, was that this spot was
the image of a variable star that was very far away. So M31 was really
the Andromeda Galaxy -- a galaxy possibly similar to our own. Annotated
100 years ago, the featured image may not be pretty, but the variable
spot on it opened a window through which humanity gazed knowingly, for
the first time, into a surprisingly vast cosmos.
Tomorrow's picture: once and future stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Oct 7 00:19:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 7
The featured image shows M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, in both infrared
light, colored orange, and visible light, colored white and blue.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Once and Future Stars of Andromeda
Image Credit: NASA, NSF, NOAJ, Hubble, Subaru, Mayall, DSS, Spitzer;
Processing & Copyright: Robert Gendler & Russell Croman
Explanation: This picture of Andromeda shows not only where stars are
now, but where stars will be. The big, beautiful Andromeda Galaxy, M31,
is a spiral galaxy a mere 2.5 million light-years away. Image data from
space-based and ground-based observatories have been combined here to
produce this intriguing composite view of Andromeda at wavelengths both
inside and outside normally visible light. The visible light shows
where M31's stars are now, highlighted in white and blue hues and
imaged by the Hubble, Subaru, and Mayall telescopes. The infrared light
shows where M31's future stars will soon form, highlighted in orange
hues and imaged by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared light
tracks enormous lanes of dust, warmed by stars, sweeping along
Andromeda's spiral arms. This dust is a tracer of the galaxy's vast
interstellar gas, raw material for future star formation. Of course,
the new stars will likely form over the next hundred million years or
so. That's well before Andromeda merges with our Milky Way Galaxy in
about 5 billion years.
Tomorrow's picture: in front of the Sun
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Oct 8 00:42:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 8
A partially eclipse Sun is shown. In front of the Sun are sunspots, the
Moon, clouds, and an airplane. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Plane, Clouds, Moon, Spots, Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Doyle and Shannon Slifer
Explanation: What's that in front of the Sun? The closest object is an
airplane, visible just below the Sun's center and caught purely by
chance. Next out are numerous clouds in Earth's atmosphere, creating a
series of darkened horizontal streaks. Farther out is Earth's Moon,
seen as the large dark circular bite on the upper right. Just above the
airplane and just below the Sun's surface are sunspots. The main
sunspot group captured here, AR 2192, was in 2014 one of the largest
ever recorded and had been crackling and bursting with flares since it
came around the edge of the Sun a week before. This show of solar
silhouettes was unfortunately short-lived. Within a few seconds the
plane flew away. Within a few minutes the clouds drifted off. Within a
few hours the partial solar eclipse of the Sun by the Moon was over.
Fortunately, when it comes to the Sun, even unexpected alignments are
surprisingly frequent. Perhaps one will be imaged this Saturday when a
new partial solar eclipse will be visible from much of North and South
America.
APOD editor to speak: in Houghton, Michigan on Thursday, October 12 at
6 pm
Tomorrow's picture: strange sunrise eclipse
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Mon Oct 9 00:17:20 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 9
A partially eclipse of a Sun rising over water is shown. A ship appears
on the right. The Sun appears reddened by the Intervening EarthCÇÖs
atmosphere. An inversion layer in the atmosphere makes part of the Sun
appeared doubled near the horizon. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
A Distorted Sunrise Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Elias Chasiotis
Explanation: Yes, but have you ever seen a sunrise like this? Here,
after initial cloudiness, the Sun appeared to rise in two pieces and
during a partial eclipse in 2019, causing the photographer to describe
it as the most stunning sunrise of his life. The dark circle near the
top of the atmospherically-reddened Sun is the Moon -- but so is the
dark peak just below it. This is because along the way, the Earth's
atmosphere had a layer of unusually warm air over the sea which acted
like a gigantic lens and created a second image. For a normal sunrise
or sunset, this rare phenomenon of atmospheric optics is known as the
Etruscan vase effect. The featured picture was captured in December
2019 from Al Wakrah, Qatar. Some observers in a narrow band of Earth to
the east were able to see a full annular solar eclipse -- where the
Moon appears completely surrounded by the background Sun in a ring of
fire. The next solar eclipse, also an annular eclipse for well-placed
observers, will occur this coming Saturday.
APOD editor to speak: in Houghton, Michigan on Thursday, October 12 at
6 pm
Tomorrow's picture: hidden in Orion
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Oct 10 02:07:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 10
The center of the Orion Nebula is seen in infrared light as imaged by
the James Webb Space Telescope. In the center is the Trapezium Star
Cluster. The main image is in near infrared light, while the rollover
image is in mid-infrared light. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Hidden Orion from Webb
Image Credit & License: NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST; Processing: M.
McCaughrean & S. Pearson
Explanation: The Great Nebula in Orion has hidden stars. To the unaided
eye in visible light, it appears as a small fuzzy patch in the
constellation of Orion. But this image was taken by the Webb Space
Telescope in a representative-color composite of red and very near
infrared light. It confirms with impressive detail that the Orion
Nebula is a busy neighborhood of young stars, hot gas, and dark dust.
The rollover image shows the same image in representative colors
further into the near infrared. The power behind much of the Orion
Nebula (M42) is the Trapezium - a cluster of bright stars near the
nebula's center. The diffuse and filamentary glow surrounding the
bright stars is mostly heated interstellar dust. Detailed inspection of
these images shows an unexpectedly large number of Jupiter-Mass Binary
Objects (JuMBOs), pairs of Jupiter-mass objects which might give a clue
to how stars are forming. The whole Orion Nebula cloud complex, which
includes the Horsehead Nebula, will slowly disperse over the next few
million years.
APOD editor to speak: in Houghton, Michigan on Thursday, October 12 at
6 pm
Tomorrow's picture: star gone
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Oct 11 05:19:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 11
A nearby spiral galaxy is shown in great details: NGC 1097. However the
galaxy is imaged twice, once with a supernova spot appearing on a lower
spiral arm, and once without. The two frames blink back and forth.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
NGC 1097: Spiral Galaxy with Supernova
Image Data: Telescope Live (Chile); Image Processing & Copyright:
Bernard Miller
Explanation: What's happening in the lower arm of this spiral galaxy? A
supernova. Last month, supernova SN 2023rve was discovered with UAE's
Al-Khatim Observatory and later found to be consistent with the death
explosion of a massive star, possibly leaving behind a black hole.
Spiral galaxy NGC 1097 is a relatively close 45 million light years
away and visible with a small telescope toward the southern
constellation of the Furnace (Fornax). The galaxy is notable not only
for its picturesque spiral arms, but also for faint jets consistent
with ancient star streams left over from a galactic collision --
possibly with the small galaxy seen between its arms on the lower left.
The featured image highlights the new supernova by blinking between two
exposures taken several months apart. Finding supernovas in nearby
galaxies can be important in determining the scale and expansion rate
of our entire universe -- a topic currently of unexpected tension and
much debate.
APOD editor to speak: in Houghton, Michigan on Thursday, October 12 at
6 pm
Tomorrow's picture: The Garnet Star
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Oct 12 00:22:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 12
Mu Cephei
Image Credit & Copyright: David Cruz
Explanation: Mu Cephei is a very large star. An M-class supergiant some
1500 times the size of the Sun, it is one of the largest stars visible
to the unaided eye, and even one of the largest in the entire Galaxy.
If it replaced the Sun in our fair Solar System, Mu Cephei would easily
engulf Mars and Jupiter. Historically known as Herschel's Garnet Star,
Mu Cephei is extremely red. Approximately 2800 light-years distant, the
supergiant is seen near the edge of reddish emission nebula IC 1396
toward the royal northern constellation Cepheus in this telescopic
view. Much cooler and hence redder than the Sun, this supergiant's
light is further reddened by absorption and scattering due to
intervening dust within the Milky Way. A well-studied variable star
understood to be in a late phase of stellar evolution, Mu Cephei is a
massive star too, destined to ultimately explode as a core-collapse
supernova.
APOD editor to speak: in Houghton, Michigan tonight, Thursday, October
12, at 6 pm
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Oct 13 00:03:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 13
Hydrogen Clouds of M33
Image Credit & Copyright: Reinhold Wittich
Explanation: Gorgeous spiral galaxy Messier 33 seems to have more than
its fair share of glowing hydrogen gas. A prominent member of the local
group of galaxies, M33 is also known as the Triangulum Galaxy and lies
a mere 3 million light-years away. The galaxy's central 30,000
light-years or so are shown in this sharp galaxy portrait. The portrait
features M33's reddish ionized hydrogen clouds or HII regions.
Sprawling along loose spiral arms that wind toward the core, M33's
giant HII regions are some of the largest known stellar nurseries,
sites of the formation of short-lived but very massive stars. Intense
ultraviolet radiation from the luminous, massive stars ionizes the
surrounding hydrogen gas and ultimately produces the characteristic red
glow. In this image, broadband data were combined with narrowband data
recorded through a hydrogen-alpha filter. That filter transmits the
light of the strongest visible hydrogen emission line.
Tomorrow's picture: ring around the Sun
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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From
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All on Sat Oct 14 01:48:10 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 14
Circular Sun Halo
Image Credit & Copyright: Vincenzo Mirabella
Explanation: Want to see a ring around the Sun? It's easy to do in
daytime skies around the world. Created by randomly oriented ice
crystals in thin high cirrus clouds, circular 22 degree halos are
visible much more often than rainbows. This one was captured by smart
phone photography on May 29, 2021 near Rome, Italy. Carefully blocking
the Sun, for example with a finger tip, is usually all that it takes to
reveal the common bright halo ring. The halo's characteristic angular
radius is about equal to the span of your hand, thumb to little finger,
at the end of your outstretched arm. Want to see a ring of fire
eclipse? That's harder. The spectacular annular phase of today's
(October 14) solar eclipse, known as a ring of fire, is briefly visible
only when standing along the Moon's narrow shadow track that passes
over limited parts of North, Central, and South America. The solar
eclipse is partial though, when seen from broader regions throughout
the Americas.
Tomorrow's picture: Sun Day
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Oct 17 01:22:46 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 17
An orange elliptical ring is shown that is a disk of gas and dust
around the star PDS 70. In the center of the disk is a fuzzy spot and
near the inner right edge of the disk is another fuzzy spot. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
PDS 70: Disk, Planets, and Moons
Image Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO); M. Benisty et al.
Explanation: It's not the big ring that's attracting the most
attention. Although the big planet-forming ring around the star PDS 70
is clearly imaged and itself quite interesting. It's also not the
planet on the right, just inside the big disk, thatCÇÖs being talked
about the most. Although the planet PDS 70c is a newly formed and,
interestingly, similar in size and mass to Jupiter. It's the fuzzy
patch around the planet PDS 70c that's causing the commotion. That
fuzzy patch is thought to be a dusty disk that is now forming into
moons -- and that had never been seen before. The featured image was
taken in 2021 by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) of 66 radio
telescopes in the high Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Based on ALMA
data, astronomers infer that the moon-forming exoplanetary disk has a
radius similar to our Earth's orbit, and may one day form three or so
Luna-sized moons -- not very different from our Jupiter's four.
Tomorrow's picture: veiled supernova
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From
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All on Wed Oct 18 01:01:02 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 18
Brown glowing dust appears to the left of the blue and red filamentary
gas that composes the western edge of the Veil Nebula, a supernova
remnant. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Dust and the Western Veil Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Jiang Wu
Explanation: It's so big it is easy to miss. The entire Veil Nebula
spans six times the diameter of the full moon, but is so dim you need
binoculars to see it. The nebula was created about 15,000 years ago
when a star in the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus) exploded. The
spectacular explosion would have appeared brighter than even Venus for
a week - but there is no known record of it. Pictured is the western
edge of the still-expanding gas cloud. Notable gas filaments include
the Witch's Broom Nebula on the upper left near the bright foreground
star 52 Cygni, and Fleming's Triangular Wisp (formerly known as
Pickering's Triangle) running diagonally up the image middle. What is
rarely imaged -- but seen in the featured long exposure across many
color bands -- is the reflecting brown dust that runs vertically up the
image left, dust likely created in the cool atmospheres of massive
stars.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Fri Oct 20 00:11:38 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 20
Galaxies and a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Galaxies abound in this sharp telescopic image recorded on
October 12 in dark skies over June Lake, California. The celestial
scene spans nearly 2 degrees within the boundaries of the well-trained
northern constellation Canes Venatici. Prominent at the upper left 23.5
million light-years distant is big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 4258,
known to some as Messier 106. Eye-catching edge-on spiral NGC 4217 is
above and right of center about 60 million light-years away. Just
passing through the pretty field of view is comet C/2023 H2 Lemmon,
discovered last April in image data from the Mount Lemmon Survey. Here
the comet sports more of a lime green coma though, along with a faint,
narrow ion tail stretching toward the top of the frame. This visitor to
the inner Solar System is presently less than 7 light-minutes away and
still difficult to spot with binoculars, but it's growing brighter.
Comet C/2023 H2 Lemmon will reach perihelion, its closest point to the
Sun, on October 29 and perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on
November 10 as it transitions from morning to evening northern skies.
Tomorrow's picture: observe the Moon
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From
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All on Sat Oct 21 00:08:34 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 21
Quarter Moons
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace
Explanation: Half way between New Moon and Full Moon is the Moon's
first quarter phase. That's a quarter of the way around its moonthly
orbit. At the first quarter phase, half the Moon's visible side is
illuminated by sunlight. For the Moon's third quarter phase, half way
between Full Moon and New Moon, sunlight illuminates the other half of
the visible lunar disk. At both first and third quarter phases, the
terminator, or shadow line separating the lunar night and day, runs
down the middle. Near the terminator, long shadows bring lunar craters
and mountains in to sharp relief, making the quarter phases a good time
to observe the Moon. But in case you missed some, all the quarter
phases of the Moon and their calendar dates during 2022 can be found in
this well-planned array of telephoto images. Of course, you can observe
a first quarter Moon tonight.
International: Observe the Moon Night
Tomorrow's picture: ghostly northern lights
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From
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All on Sun Oct 22 00:26:00 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 22
A landscape is pictured with snow and a line of evergreen trees. In the
sky is a field of stars but also notable green aurora. The largest
aurora appears similar in form to a Halloween ghost, Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Ghost Aurora over Canada
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka, TWAN
Explanation: What does this aurora look like to you? While braving the
cold to watch the skies above northern Canada early one morning in
2013, a most unusual aurora appeared. The aurora definitely appeared to
be shaped like something, but what? Two ghostly possibilities recorded
by the astrophotographer were "witch" and "goddess of dawn", but please
feel free to suggest your own Halloween-enhanced impressions.
Regardless of fantastical pareidolic interpretations, the pictured
aurora had a typical green color and was surely caused by the
scientifically commonplace action of high-energy particles from space
interacting with oxygen in Earth's upper atmosphere. In the image
foreground, at the bottom, is a frozen Alexandra Falls, while evergreen
trees cross the middle.
Help Wanted: Professional-astronomer level guest writers and assistant
editors for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: Io from Juno
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From
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All on Tue Oct 24 00:06:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 24
Three large galaxies are shown, the rightmost two in collision. The
galaxy on the far right is a large spiral galaxy with one arm connected
to an unusual polar galaxy on the left. The smaller galaxy on the far
left is thought to be far in the background. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
Arp 87: Merging Galaxies from Hubble
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: Harshwardhan Pathak
Explanation: This dance is to the death. As these two large galaxies
duel, a cosmic bridge of stars, gas, and dust currently stretches over
75,000 light-years and joins them. The bridge itself is strong evidence
that these two immense star systems have passed close to each other and
experienced violent tides induced by mutual gravity. As further
evidence, the face-on spiral galaxy on the right, also known as NGC
3808A, exhibits many young blue star clusters produced in a burst of
star formation. The twisted edge-on spiral on the left (NGC 3808B)
seems to be wrapped in the material bridging the galaxies and
surrounded by a curious polar ring. Together, the system is known as
Arp 87. While such interactions are drawn out over billions of years,
repeated close passages will ultimately create one merged galaxy.
Although this scenario does look unusual, galactic mergers are thought
to be common, with Arp 87 representing a stage in this inevitable
process. The Arp 87 dancing pair are about 300 million light-years
distant toward the constellation of the Lion (Leo). The prominent
edge-on spiral galaxy at the far left appears to be a more distant
background galaxy and not involved in the on-going merger.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Wed Oct 25 00:56:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 25
Gone in 60 Seconds: A Green Flash Sunset
Video Credit & Copyright: Tengyu Cai
Explanation: In 60 seconds, this setting Sun will turn green. Actually,
the top of the Sun already appears not only green, but wavey -- along
with all of its edges. The Sun itself is unchanged -- both effects are
caused by looking along hot and cold layers in Earth's atmosphere. The
unusual color is known as a green flash and occurs because these
atmospheric layers not only shift background images but disperse colors
into slightly different directions, like a prism. The featured video
was captured earlier this month off the coast of Hawaii, USA. After
waiting those 60 seconds, at the video's end, the upper part of the Sun
seems to hover alone in space, while turning not only green, but blue.
Then suddenly, the Sun appears to shrink to nothing -- only to return
tomorrow.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Oct 26 01:14:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 26
Orionids in Taurus
Image Credit & Copyright: David Cortner
Explanation: History's first known periodic comet, Comet Halley
(1P/Halley), returns to the inner Solar System every 76 years or so.
The famous comet made its last appearance to the naked-eye in 1986. But
dusty debris from Comet Halley can be seen raining through planet
Earth's skies twice a year during two annual meteor showers, the Eta
Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October. In fact, an unhurried
series of exposures captured these two bright meteors, vaporizing bits
of Halley dust, during the early morning hours of October 23 against a
starry background along the Taurus molecular cloud. Impacting the
atmosphere at about 66 kilometers per second their greenish streaks
point back to the shower's radiant just north of Orion's bright star
Betelgeuse off the lower left side of the frame. The familiar Pleiades
star cluster anchors the dusty celestial scene at the right.
Tomorrow's picture: 2P/Encke
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From
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All on Fri Oct 27 00:25:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 27
Encke and the Tadpoles
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: History's second known periodic comet is Comet Encke
(2P/Encke). As it swings through the inner Solar System, Encke's orbit
takes it from an aphelion, its greatest distance from the Sun, inside
the orbit of Jupiter to a perihelion just inside the orbit of Mercury.
Returning to its perihelion every 3.3 years, Encke has the shortest
period of the Solar System's major comets. Comet Encke is also
associated with (at least) two annual meteor showers on planet Earth,
the North and South Taurids. Both showers are active in late October
and early November. Their two separate radiants lie near bright star
Aldebaran in the head-strong constellation Taurus. A faint comet, Encke
was captured in this telescopic field of view imaged on the morning of
August 24. Then, Encke's pretty greenish coma was close on the sky to
the young, embedded star cluster and light-years long, tadpole-shaped
star-forming clouds in emission nebula IC 410. Now near bright star
Spica in Virgo Comet Encke passed its 2023 perihelion only five days
ago, on October 22.
Tomorrow's picture: mostly a ghostly weekend
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All on Sat Oct 28 00:49:24 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 28
The Ghosts of Gamma Cas
Image Credit & Copyright: Guillaume Gruntz, Jean-Fran+ºois Bax
Explanation: Gamma Cassiopeiae shines high in northern autumn evening
skies. It's the brightest spiky star in this telescopic field of view
toward the constellation Cassiopeia. Gamma Cas shares the
ethereal-looking scene with ghostly interstellar clouds of gas and
dust, IC 59 (top left) and IC 63. About 600 light-years distant, the
clouds aren't actually ghosts. They are slowly disappearing though,
eroding under the influence of energetic radiation from hot and
luminous gamma Cas. Gamma Cas is physically located only 3 to 4
light-years from the nebulae. Slightly closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is
dominated by red H-alpha light emitted as hydrogen atoms ionized by the
star's ultraviolet radiation recombine with electrons. Farther from the
star, IC 59 shows proportionally less H-alpha emission but more of the
characteristic blue tint of dust reflected star light. The cosmic stage
spans over 1 degree or 10 light-years at the estimated distance of
gamma Cas and friends.
Tomorrow's picture: ghosts of the Cepheus Flare
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All on Sun Oct 29 00:10:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 29
Two images of a partial lunar eclipse are shown. On the left the image
is overexposed everywhere except the bottom right where the eclipsed
part of the Moon is visible. On the right image most of the image is
normally exposed but the bottom right part is dark. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
A Partial Lunar Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Orazio Mezzio
Explanation: What's happened to the Moon? Within the last day, part of
the Moon moved through the Earth's shadow. This happens about once or
twice a year, but not every month since the Moon's orbit around the
Earth is slightly tilted. Pictured here, the face of a full Hunter's
Moon is shown twice from Italy during this partial lunar eclipse. On
the left, most of the Moon appears overexposed except for the eclipsed
bottom right, which shows some familiar lunar surface details. In
contrast, on the right, most of the (same) Moon appears normally
exposed, with the exception of the bottom right, which now appears
dark. All lunar eclipses are visible from the half of the Earth facing
the Moon at the time of the eclipse, but this eclipse was visible
specifically from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, clouds
permitting. In April, a total solar eclipse will be visible from North
America.
Album: Selected partial lunar eclipse images sent in to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: a devil on mars
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All on Mon Oct 30 00:26:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 30
A dark starfield is shown with several brown nebulas. Many of the
nebulas appear to have unusual shapes, with one possibly resembling a
bat, while other may resemble people. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Reflections of the Ghost Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Bogdan Jarzyna
Explanation: Do any shapes seem to jump out at you from this
interstellar field of stars and dust? The jeweled expanse, filled with
faint, starlight-reflecting clouds, drifts through the night in the
royal constellation of Cepheus. Far from your own neighborhood on
planet Earth, these ghostly apparitions lurk along the plane of the
Milky Way at the edge of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex some
1,200 light-years away. Over two light-years across and brighter than
the other spooky chimeras, VdB 141 or Sh2-136 is also known as the
Ghost Nebula, seen toward the bottom of the featured image. Within the
reflection nebula are the telltale signs of dense cores collapsing in
the early stages of star formation.
Tour the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: all hallow's eve
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From
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All on Tue Oct 31 00:24:16 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 October 31
The center of the Wizard Nebula is shown featuring gas glowing in red
and dust reflecting in blue. Dark dust pillars are seen throughout the
image. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Halloween and the Wizard Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Richard McInnis
Explanation: Halloween's origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the
fifth century BC, Halloween has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day,
a day halfway between an equinox (equal day / equal night) and a
solstice (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With
a modern calendar however, even though Halloween occurs today, the real
cross-quarter day will occur next week. Another cross-quarter day is
Groundhog Day. Halloween's modern celebration retains historic roots in
dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. Perhaps a fitting
tribute to this ancient holiday is this closeup view of the Wizard
Nebula (NGC 7380). Visually, the interplay of stars, gas, and dust has
created a shape that appears to some like a fictional ancient sorcerer.
Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the
stars being conjured from the gas by the great gravitational powers may
outlive our Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: sun block
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From
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All on Wed Nov 1 00:45:14 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 1
A sequence of Sun and Moon images are shown behind a scenic foreground
that features the large Factory Butte. The foreground was taken during
the maximum part of the annular eclipse and seems somehow oddly lit.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Annular Solar Eclipse over Utah
Image Credit & Copyright: MaryBeth Kiczenski
Explanation: Part of the Sun disappeared earlier this month, but few
people were worried. The missing part, which included the center from
some locations, just went behind the Moon in what is known as an
annular solar eclipse. Featured here is an eclipse sequence taken as
the Moon was overtaking the rising Sun in the sky. The foreground hill
is Factory Butte in Utah, USA. The rays flaring out from the Sun are
not real -- they result from camera aperture diffraction and are known
as sunstar. The Moon is real, but it is artificially brightened to
enhance its outline -- which helps the viewer better visualize the
Moon's changing position during this ring-of-fire eclipse. As stunning
as this eclipse sequence is, it was considered just practice by the
astrophotographer. The reason? She hopes to use this experience to
better photograph the total solar eclipse that will occur over North
America on April 8, 2024.
Apply today (USA): Become a NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador
Eclipse Album: Selected images sent in to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Thu Nov 2 00:29:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 2
The Fornax Cluster of Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcelo Rivera
Explanation: Named for the southern constellation toward which most of
its galaxies can be found, the Fornax Cluster is one of the closest
clusters of galaxies. About 62 million light-years away, it's over 20
times more distant than our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy, but only
about 10 percent farther along than the better known and more populated
Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Seen across this three degree wide field-of-view,
almost every yellowish splotch on the image is an elliptical galaxy in
the Fornax cluster. Elliptical galaxies NGC 1399 and NGC 1404 are the
dominant, bright cluster members toward the bottom center. A standout,
large barred spiral galaxy, NGC 1365, is visible on the upper right as
a prominent Fornax cluster member.
Tomorrow's picture: opposite the Sun
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All on Sat Nov 4 01:34:18 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 4
Dinkinesh Moonrise
Image Credit: NASA/Goddard, SwRI, Johns Hopkins APL, NOIRLab
Explanation: Last Wednesday the voyaging Lucy spacecraft encountered
its first asteroid, 152830 Dinkinesh, and discovered the inner-main
belt asteroid has a moon. From a distance of just over 400 kilometers,
Lucy's Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager captured this close-up of the
binary system during a flyby at 4.5 kilometer per second or around
10,000 miles per hour. A marvelous world, Dinkinesh itself is small,
less than 800 meters (about 0.5 miles) across at its widest. Its
satellite is seen from the spacecraft's perspective to emerge from
behind the primary asteroid. The asteroid moon is estimated to be only
about 220 meters wide.
Tomorrow's picture: aurora borealis
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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From
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All on Sun Nov 5 04:34:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 5
The night sky over a snowy tree-adorned landscape glows in green and
purple. The auroral glow might appear to some to be shaped like a
creature. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Creature Aurora Over Norway
Image Credit & Copyright: Ole C. Salomonsen (Arctic Light Photo)
Explanation: It was Halloween and the sky looked like a creature.
Exactly which creature, the astrophotographer was unsure (but possibly
you can suggest one). Exactly what caused this eerie apparition in 2013
was sure: one of the best auroral displays that year. This spectacular
aurora had an unusually high degree of detail. Pictured here, the vivid
green and purple auroral colors are caused by high atmospheric oxygen
and nitrogen reacting to a burst of incoming electrons. Birch trees in
Troms+., Norway formed an also eerie foreground. Frequently, new
photogenic auroras accompany new geomagnetic storms.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: devil on mars
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Mon Nov 6 00:03:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 6
The night sky over a valley is shown complete with the central band of
the Milky Way Galaxy crossing up from the lower left. On the right the
sky just over the hill glows an unusual red: aurora. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Red Aurora over Italy
Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer
Explanation: What was that red glow on the horizon last night? Aurora.
Our unusually active Sun produced a surface explosion a few days ago
that sent out a burst of electrons, protons, and more massive charged
nuclei. This coronal mass ejection (CME) triggered auroras here on
Earth that are being reported unusually far south in Earth's northern
hemisphere. For example, this was the first time that the
astrophotographer captured aurora from her home country of Italy.
Additionally, many images from these auroras appear quite red in color.
In the featured image, the town of Comelico Superiore in the Italian
Alps is visible in the foreground, with the central band of our Milky
Way galaxy seen rising from the lower left. What draws the eye the
most, though, is the bright red aurora on the far right. The featured
image is a composite with the foreground and background images taken
consecutively with the same camera and from the same location.
Aurora Album: Selected images sent in to APOD
Tomorrow's picture: devil on mars
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Tue Nov 7 00:05:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 7
A Martian Dust Devil Spins By
Video Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Perseverance Rover; AI processing:
PipploIMP
Explanation: It moved across the surface of Mars -- what was it? A dust
devil. Such spinning columns of rising air are heated by the warm
surface and are also common in warm and dry areas on planet Earth.
Typically lasting only a few minutes, dust devils become visible as
they pick up loose red-colored dust, leaving the darker and heavier
sand beneath intact. Dust devils not only look cool -- they can leave
visible trails, and have been credited with unexpected cleanings of the
surfaces of solar panels. The images in the featured AI-interpolated
video were captured in early August by the Perseverance rover currently
searching for signs of ancient life in Jezero Crater. The six-second
time-lapse video encapsulates a real duration of just over one minute.
Visible in the distance, the spinning dust devil was estimated to be
passing by at about 20 kilometers per hour and extend up about 2
kilometers high.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: a new space telescope
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All on Wed Nov 8 00:24:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 8
A deep space image showing many galaxies, some of which are seen in a
central bar running nearly horizontally across the image. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
Perseus Galaxy Cluster from Euclid
Image Credit & License: ESA, Euclid, Euclid Consortium, NASA;
Processing: Jean-Charles Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay) & Giovanni
Anselmi; Text: Jean-Charles Cuillandre
Explanation: There's a new space telescope in the sky: Euclid. Equipped
with two large panoramic cameras, Euclid captures light from the
visible to the near-infrared. It took five hours of observing for
Euclid's 1.2-meter diameter primary mirror to capture, through its
sharp optics, the 1000+ galaxies in the Perseus cluster, which lies 250
million light years away. More than 100,000 galaxies are visible in the
background, some as far away as 10 billion light years. The
revolutionary nature of Euclid lies in the combination of its wide
field of view (twice the area of the full moon), its high angular
resolution (thanks to its 620 Megapixel camera), and its infrared
vision, which captures both images and spectra. Euclid's initial
surveys, covering a third of the sky and recording over 2 billion
galaxies, will enable a study of how dark matter and dark energy have
shaped our universe.
Tomorrow's picture: M1
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 9
M1: The Crab Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Tea Temim (Princeton University)
Explanation: The Crab Nebula is cataloged as M1, the first object on
Charles Messier's famous 18th century list of things which are not
comets. In fact, the Crab is now known to be a supernova remnant,
debris from the death explosion of a massive star witnessed by
astronomers in the year 1054. This sharp image from the James Webb
Space TelescopeCÇÖs NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared
Instrument) explores the eerie glow and fragmented strands of the still
expanding cloud of interstellar debris in infrared light. One of the
most exotic objects known to modern astronomers, the Crab Pulsar, a
neutron star spinning 30 times a second, is visible as a bright spot
near the nebula's center. Like a cosmic dynamo, this collapsed remnant
of the stellar core powers the Crab's emission across the
electromagnetic spectrum. Spanning about 12 light-years, the Crab
Nebula is a mere 6,500 light-years away in the head-strong
constellation Taurus.
Tomorrow's picture: UHZ1
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 10
UHZ1: Distant Galaxy and Black Hole
Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/+ükos Bogd+ín; Infrared:
NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI;
Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare & K. Arcand
Explanation: Dominated by dark matter, massive cluster of galaxies
Abell 2744 is known to some as Pandora's Cluster. It lies 3.5 billion
light-years away toward the constellation Sculptor. Using the galaxy
cluster's enormous mass as a gravitational lens to warp spacetime and
magnify even more distant objects directly behind it, astronomers have
found a background galaxy, UHZ1, at a remarkable redshift of Z=10.1.
That puts UHZ1 far beyond Abell 2744, at a distance of 13.2 billion
light-years, seen when our universe was about 3 percent of its current
age. UHZ1 is identified in the insets of this composited image
combining X-rays (purple hues) from the spacebased Chandra X-ray
Observatory and infrared light from the James Webb Space Telescope. The
X-ray emission from UHZ1 detected in the Chandra data is the telltale
signature of a growing supermassive black hole at the center of the
ultra high redshift galaxy. That makes UHZ1's growing black hole the
most distant black hole ever detected in X-rays, a result that now
hints at how and when the first supermassive black holes in the
universe formed.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 11
The SAR and the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Julien Looten
Explanation: This broad, luminous red arc was a surprising visitor to
partly cloudy evening skies over northern France. Captured extending
toward the zenith in a west-to-east mosaic of images from November 5,
the faint atmospheric ribbon of light is an example of a Stable Auroral
Red (SAR) arc. The rare night sky phenomenon was also spotted at
unusually low latitudes around world, along with more dynamic auroral
displays during an intense geomagnetic storm. SAR arcs and their
relation to auroral emission have been explored by citizen science and
satellite investigations. From altitudes substantially above the normal
auroral glow, the deep red SAR emission is thought to be caused by
strong heating due to currents flowing in planet Earth's inner
magnetosphere. Beyond this SAR, the Milky Way arcs above the cloud
banks along the horizon, a regular visitor to night skies over northern
France.
Tomorrow's picture: snow day
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 12
A mostly full moon is seen over a snowy sloping hill. An airplane and
contrail are seen just about the Moon. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Gibbous Moon beyond Swedish Mountain
Image Credit & Copyright: G++ran Strand
Explanation: This is a gibbous Moon. More Earthlings are familiar with
a full moon, when the entire face of Luna is lit by the Sun, and a
crescent moon, when only a sliver of the Moon's face is lit. When more
than half of the Moon is illuminated, though, but still short of full
illumination, the phase is called gibbous. Rarely seen in television
and movies, gibbous moons are quite common in the actual night sky. The
featured image was taken in J+ñmtland, Sweden near the end of 2018
October. That gibbous moon turned, in a few days, into a crescent moon,
and then a new moon, then back to a crescent, and a few days past that,
back to gibbous. Setting up to capture a picturesque gibbous moonscape,
the photographer was quite surprised to find an airplane, surely well
in the foreground, appearing to fly past it.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy mountain
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 13
The night sky over a snowy mountain is shown, with the dark sky
dominated by a large spiral galaxy -- the Andromeda galaxy. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
Andromeda over the Alps
Image Credit & Copyright: Dzmitry Kananovich
Explanation: Have you ever seen the Andromeda galaxy? Although M31
appears as a faint and fuzzy blob to the unaided eye, the light you see
will be over two million years old, making it likely the oldest light
you ever will see directly. The featured image captured Andromeda just
before it set behind the Swiss Alps early last year. As cool as it may
be to see this neighboring galaxy to our Milky Way with your own eyes,
long duration camera exposures can pick up many faint and breathtaking
details. The image is composite of foreground and background images
taken consecutively with the same camera and from the same location.
Recent data indicate that our Milky Way Galaxy will collide and
coalesce with Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years.
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Tomorrow's picture: planets rock
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 14
A seascape surrounds a large tree-covered hill. Surrounding the hill in
the night sky are three bright dots: the planets Jupiter, Venus, and a
crescent Moon. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Three Planets Rock
Image Credit & Copyright: Giovanni Passalacqua; Text: Liz Coelho (Pikes
Peak)
Explanation: In the fading darkness before dawn, a tilted triangle
appeared to balance atop a rock formation off the southern tip of
Sicily. Making up the points of the triangle are three of the four
brightest objects visible in EarthCÇÖs sky: Jupiter, Venus and the Moon.
Though a thin waning crescent, most of the moonCÇÖs disk is visible due
to earthshine. Captured in this image on 2022 April 27, Venus (center)
and Jupiter (left) are roughly three degrees apart -- and were headed
toward a close conjunction. Conjunctions of Venus and Jupiter occur
about once a year and are visible either in the east before sunrise or
in the west after sunset. The featured image was taken about an hour
before the arrival of the brightest object in EarthCÇÖs sky CÇô the Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 15
The Crab Nebula, M1, is shown as imaged by the James Webb Space
Telescope. The rollover image is the same Crab Nebula but this time
from the Hubble Space Telescope. The Webb image is in near infrared
light, while the Hubble image is in visible light. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
M1: The Incredible Expanding Crab
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Jeff Hester (ASU), Allison Loll
(ASU), Tea Temim (Princeton University)
Explanation: Cataloged as M1, the Crab Nebula is the first on Charles
Messier's famous list
of things which are not comets. In fact, the Crab Nebula is now known
to be a supernova remnant, an expanding cloud of debris from the death
explosion of a massive star. The violent birth of the Crab was
witnessed by astronomers in the year 1054. Roughly 10 light-years
across, the nebula is still expanding at a rate of about 1,500
kilometers per second. You can see the expansion by comparing these
sharp images from the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space
Telescope. The Crab's dynamic, fragmented filaments were captured in
visible light by Hubble in 2005 and Webb in infrared light in 2023.
This cosmic crustacean lies about 6,500 light-years away in the
constellation Taurus.
Tomorrow's picture: daytime Moon, morning star
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 16
Daytime Moon Meets Morning Star
Image Credit & Copyright: Katarzyna Kaczmarczyk
Explanation: Venus now appears as Earth's brilliant morning star,
shining above the southeastern horizon before dawn. For early morning
risers, the silvery celestial beacon rose predawn in a close pairing
with a waning crescent Moon on Thursday, November 9. But from some
northern locations, the Moon was seen to occult or pass in front of
Venus. From much of Europe, the lunar occultation could be viewed in
daylight skies. This time series composite follows the daytime approach
of Moon and morning star in blue skies from Warsaw, Poland. The
progression of eight sharp telescopic snapshots, made between 10:56am
and 10:58am local time, runs from left to right, when Venus winked out
behind the bright lunar limb.
Tomorrow's picture: Aurora over Greenland
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 18
Planet Earth from Orion
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis I
Explanation: One year ago a Space Launch System rocket left planet
Earth on November 16, 2022 at 1:47am EST carrying the Orion spacecraft
on the Artemis I mission, the first integrated test of NASACÇÖs deep
space exploration systems. Over an hour after liftoff from Kennedy
Space Center's historic Launch Complex 39B, one of Orion's external
video cameras captured this view of its new perspective from space. In
the foreground are Orion's Orbital Maneuvering System engine and
auxillary engines, at the bottom of the European Service Module. Beyond
one of the module's 7-meter long extended solar array wings lies the
spacecraft's beautiful home world. Making close flybys of the lunar
surface and reaching a retrograde orbit 70,000 kilometers beyond the
Moon, the uncrewed Artemis I mission lasted over 25 days, testing
capabilities to enable human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Building
on the success of Artemis I, no earlier than November 2024 the Artemis
II mission with a crew of 4 will venture around the Moon and back
again.
Tomorrow's picture: Sun day
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 20
A dark nebula resembling the head of a horse is imaged before a
red-glowing background. Stars appear throughout the image. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
The Horsehead Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson & Martin Pugh, SSRO, PROMPT,
CTIO, NSF
Explanation: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, a magnificent
interstellar dust cloud by chance has assumed this recognizable shape.
Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula, it is some 1,500 light-years
distant, embedded in the vast Orion cloud complex. About five
light-years "tall," the dark cloud is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is
visible only because its obscuring dust is silhouetted against the
glowing red emission nebula IC 434. Stars are forming within the dark
cloud. Contrasting blue reflection nebula NGC 2023, surrounding a hot,
young star, is at the lower left of the full image. The featured
gorgeous color image combines both narrowband and broadband images
recorded using several different telescopes.
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Tomorrow's picture: supernova wisp
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 21
A nebula consisting of blue and red wisps starts thin at the image
bottom but expands into a triangle at the image top. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Fleming's Triangular Wisp
Image Credit & Copyright: Cristiano Gualco
Explanation: These chaotic and tangled filaments of shocked, glowing
gas are spread across planet Earth's sky toward the constellation of
Cygnus as part of the Veil Nebula. The Veil Nebula itself is a large
supernova remnant, an expanding cloud born of the death explosion of a
massive star. Light from the original supernova explosion likely
reached Earth over 5,000 years ago. The glowing filaments are really
more like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well
separated into the glow of ionized hydrogen atoms shown in red and
oxygen in blue hues. Also known as the Cygnus Loop and cataloged as NGC
6979, the Veil Nebula now spans about 6 times the diameter of the full
Moon. The length of the wisp corresponds to about 30 light years, given
its estimated distance of 2,400 light years. Often identified as
Pickering's Triangle for a director of Harvard College Observatory, it
is perhaps better named for its discoverer, astronomer Williamina
Fleming, as Fleming's Triangular Wisp.
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Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 22
IC 342: Hidden Galaxy in Camelopardalis
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cannistra
Explanation: Similar in size to large, bright spiral galaxies in our
neighborhood, IC 342 is a mere 10 million light-years distant in the
long-necked, northern constellation Camelopardalis. A sprawling island
universe, IC 342 would otherwise be a prominent galaxy in our night
sky, but it is hidden from clear view and only glimpsed through the
veil of stars, gas and dust clouds along the plane of our own Milky Way
galaxy. Even though IC 342's light is dimmed and reddened by
intervening cosmic clouds, this sharp telescopic image traces the
galaxy's own obscuring dust, young star clusters, and glowing star
forming regions along spiral arms that wind far from the galaxy's core.
IC 342 has undergone a recent burst of star formation activity and is
close enough to have gravitationally influenced the evolution of the
local group of galaxies and the Milky Way.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 23
Along the Taurus Molecular Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuexiao Shen, Joe Hua
Explanation: The cosmic brush of star formation composed this
interstellar canvas of emission, dust, and dark nebulae. A 5 degree
wide telescopic mosaic, it frames a region found north of bright star
Aldebaran on the sky, at an inner wall of the local bubble along the
Taurus molecular cloud. At lower left, emission cataloged as Sh2-239
shows signs of embedded young stellar objects. The region's Herbig-Haro
objects, nebulosities associated with newly born stars, are marked by
tell-tale reddish jets of shocked hydrogen gas. Above and right T
Tauri, the prototype of the class of T Tauri variable stars, is next to
a yellowish nebula historically known as Hind's Variable Nebula (NGC
1555). T Tauri stars are now generally recognized as young, less than a
few million years old, sun-like stars still in the early stages of
formation.
Tomorrow's picture: Stereo Jupiter
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All on Fri Nov 24 01:46:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 24
Stereo Jupiter near Opposition
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi
Explanation: Jupiter looks sharp in these two rooftop telescope images.
Both were captured on November 17 from Singapore, planet Earth, about
two weeks after Jupiter's 2023 opposition. Climbing high in midnight
skies the giant planet was a mere 33.4 light-minutes from Singapore.
That's about 4 astronomical units away. Jupiter's planet girdling dark
belts and light zones are visible in remarkable detail, along with the
giant world's whitish oval vortices. Its signature Great Red Spot is
still prominent in the south. Jupiter rotates rapidly on its axis once
every 10 hours. So, based on video frames taken only 15 minutes apart,
these images form a stereo pair. Look at the center of the pair and
cross your eyes until the separate images come together to see the
Solar System's ruling gas giant in 3D.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Nov 25 08:14:50 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 25
Little Planet Aurora
Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Lima
Explanation: Immersed in an eerie greenish light, this rugged little
planet appears to be home to stunning water falls and an impossibly
tall mountain. It's planet Earth of course. On the night of November 9
the nadir-centered 360 degree mosaic was captured by digital camera
from the Kirkjufell mountain area of western Iceland. Curtains of
shimmering Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights provide the pale greenish
illumination. The intense auroral display was caused by solar activity
that rocked Earth's magnetosphere in early November and produced strong
geomagnetic storms. Kirkjufell mountain itself stands at the top of the
stereographic projection's circular horizon. Northern hemisphere
skygazers will recognize the familiar stars of the Big Dipper just
above Kirkjufell's peak. At lower right the compact Pleiades star
cluster and truly giant planet Jupiter also shine in this little
planet's night sky.
Tomorrow's picture: The Surface of 67P
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All on Mon Nov 27 06:17:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 27
A light brown nebula is seen on a dark starfield. The outline of the
nebula makes it appear like an eagle ray fish. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
LBN 86: The Eagle Ray Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander
Explanation: This eagle ray glides across a cosmic sea. Officially
cataloged as SH2-63 and LBN 86, the dark nebula is composed of gas and
dust that just happens to appear shaped like a common ocean fish. The
interstellar dust nebula appears light brown as it blocks and reddens
visible light emitted behind it. Dark nebulas glow primarily in
infrared light, but also reflect visible light from surrounding stars.
The dust in dark nebulas is usually sub-millimeter chunks of carbon,
silicon, and oxygen, frequently coated with frozen carbon monoxide and
nitrogen. Dark nebulas are also known as molecular clouds because they
also contain relatively high amounts of molecular hydrogen and larger
molecules. Previously unnamed, the here dubbed Eagle Ray Nebula is
normally quite dim but has been imaged clearly over 20-hours through
dark skies in Chile.
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Tomorrow's picture: largest moon
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All on Tue Nov 28 07:48:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 28
A tan sphere is shown with dark markings and a few light craters. The
sphere is the largest known moon in the Solar System: Jupiter's moon
Ganymede. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Ganymede from Juno
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing &
License: Kevin M. Gill;
Explanation: What does the largest moon in the Solar System look like?
Jupiter's moon Ganymede, larger than even Mercury and Pluto, has an icy
surface speckled with bright young craters overlying a mixture of
older, darker, more cratered terrain laced with grooves and ridges. The
cause of the grooved terrain remains a topic of research, with a
leading hypothesis relating it to shifting ice plates. Ganymede is
thought to have an ocean layer that contains more water than Earth --
and might contain life. Like Earth's Moon, Ganymede keeps the same face
towards its central planet, in this case Jupiter. The featured image
was captured in 2021 by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft when it passed
by the immense moon. The close pass reduced Juno's orbital period
around Jupiter from 53 days to 43 days. Juno continues to study the
giant planet's high gravity, unusual magnetic field, and complex cloud
structures.
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Tomorrow's picture: double twister
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 29
A funnel cloud is shown, but inside what appears to be a wider funnel
cloud. A blue sky with a few white clouds is seen in the background,
while flat plains are seen in the foreground. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
A Landspout Tornado over Kansas
Image Credit & Copyright: Brad Hannon
Explanation: Could there be a tornado inside another tornado? In
general, no. OK, but could there be a tornado inside a wider dust
devil? No again, for one reason because tornados comes down from the
sky, but dust devils rise up from the ground. What is pictured is a
landspout, an unusual type of tornado known to occur on the edge of a
violent thunderstorm. The featured landspout was imaged and identified
in Kansas, USA, in June 2019 by an experienced storm chaser. The real
tornado is in the center, and the outer sheath was possibly created by
large dust particles thrown out from the central tornado. So far, the
only planet known to create tornados is Earth, although tornado-like
activity has been found on the Sun and dust devils are common on Mars.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: Flight Day 13
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 November 30
Artemis 1: Flight Day 13
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis I
Explanation: On flight day 13 (November 28, 2022) of the Artemis I
mission, the Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from its
home world. Over 430,000 kilometers from Earth in a distant retrograde
orbit, Orion surpassed the record for most distant spacecraft designed
to carry humans. That record was previously set in 1970 during the
Apollo 13 mission to the Moon. Both Earth and Moon are in the same
field of view in this video frame from Orion on Artemis I mission
flight day 13. The planet and its large natural satellite even appear
about the same apparent size from the uncrewed spacecraft's
perspective.
Tomorrow's picture: galaxy rise
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All on Fri Dec 1 00:52:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 1
Milky Way Rising
Image Credit & Copyright: Jos+¬ Rodrigues
Explanation: The core of the Milky Way is rising beyond the Chilean
mountain-top La Silla Observatory in this deep night skyscape. Seen
toward the constellation Sagittarius, our home galaxy's center is
flanked on the left, by the European Southern Observatory's New
Technology Telescope which pioneered the use of active optics to
accurately control the shape of large telescope mirrors. To the right
stands the ESO 3.6-meter Telescope, home of the exoplanet hunting HARPS
and NIRPS spectrographs. Between them, the galaxy's central bulge is
filled with obscuring clouds of interstellar dust, bright stars,
clusters, and nebulae. Prominent reddish hydrogen emission from the
star-forming Lagoon Nebula, M8, is near center. The Trifid Nebula, M20,
combines blue light of a dusty reflection nebula with reddish emission
just left of the cosmic Lagoon. Both are popular stops on telescopic
tours of the galactic center. The composited image is a stack of
separate exposures for ground and sky made in April 2023, all captured
consecutively with the same framing and camera equipment.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 2
Startrails over Beijing Ancient Observatory
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN)
Explanation: You can take a subway ride to visit this observatory in
Beijing, China but you won't find any telescopes there. Starting in the
1400s astronomers erected devices at the Beijing Ancient Observatory
site to enable them to accurately measure and track the positions of
naked-eye stars and planets. Some of the large, ornate astronomical
instruments are still standing. You can even see stars from the star
observation platform today, but now only the very brightest celestial
beacons are visible against the city lights. In this time series of
exposures from a camera fixed to a tripod to record graceful arcing
startrails, the brightest trail is actually the Moon. Its broad arc is
seen behind the ancient observatory's brass armillary sphere. Compare
this picture from the Beijing Ancient Observatory taken in September
2023 to one taken in 1895.
Tomorrow's picture: moonset
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 3
Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano
Video Credit & Copyright: Daniel L+|pez (El Cielo de Canarias); Music:
Piano della Moon (Dan Silva)
Explanation: These people are not in danger. What is coming down from
the left is just the Moon, far in the distance. Luna appears so large
here because she is being photographed through a telescopic lens. What
is moving is mostly the Earth, whose spin causes the Moon to slowly
disappear behind Mount Teide, a volcano in the Canary Islands off the
northwest coast of Africa. The people pictured are 16 kilometers away
and many are facing the camera because they are watching the Sun rise
behind the photographer. It is not a coincidence that a full moon rises
just when the Sun sets because the Sun is always on the opposite side
of the sky from a full moon. The featured video was made in 2018 during
the full Milk Moon. The video is not time-lapse -- this was really how
fast the Moon was setting.
Tomorrow's picture: moon shot
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 4
A thin crescent moon is shown with a bright red contrail going through
it, right to left. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Plane Crossing Crescent Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Juned Patel
Explanation: No, the Moon is not a bow, and no, it did not shoot out a
plane like an arrow. What is pictured is a chance superposition. The
plane's contrail would normally appear white, but the large volume of
air toward the rising Sun preferentially knocked away blue light, not
only making the sky blue, but giving the reflected trail a bright red
hue. Far in the distance, well behind the plane, the crescent Moon also
appears slightly reddened. Captured early last month from Bolton, UK,
the featured image was taken so soon after sunrise that the plane was
sunlit from below, as was its contrail. Within minutes, unfortunately,
the impromptu sky show ended. The plane moved out of sight. The Moon
kept rising but became harder to see through a brightening sky. And the
contrail gradually dispersed.
Tomorrow's picture: powerful ray
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 5
An illustrations depicts a high energy cosmic ray starting an air
shower in the Earth's atmosphere. Below is an array of air shower
detectors. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Energetic Particle Strikes the Earth
Illustration Credit: Osaka Metropolitan U./L-INSIGHT, Kyoto
U./Ryuunosuke Takeshige
Explanation: It was one of the most energetic particles ever known to
strike the Earth -- but where did it come from? Dubbed Amaterasu after
the Shinto sun goddess, this particle, as do all cosmic rays that
strike the Earth's atmosphere, caused an air shower of electrons,
protons, and other elementary particles to spray down onto the Earth
below. In the featured illustration, a cosmic ray air shower is
pictured striking the Telescope Array in Utah, USA, which recorded the
Amaterasu event in 2021 May. Cosmic ray air showers are common enough
that you likely have been in a particle spray yourself, although you
likely wouldn't have noticed. The origin of this energetic particle,
likely the nucleus of an atom, remains a mystery in two ways. First, it
is not known how any single particle or atomic nucleus can practically
acquire so much energy, and second, attempts to trace the particle back
to where it originated did not indicate any likely potential source.
Open Science: Browse 3,200+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: torched by stars
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 6
Brown dust pillars in the Carina Nebula are shown. Many appear like a
torch since their ends are lit up with starlight. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Stars Versus Dust in the Carina Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA); Processing:
Franco Meconi (Terraza al Cosmos)
Explanation: It's stars versus dust in the Carina Nebula and the stars
are winning. More precisely, the energetic light and winds from massive
newly formed stars are evaporating and dispersing the dusty stellar
nurseries in which they formed. Located in the Carina Nebula and inside
a region known informally as Mystic Mountain, these pillars' appearance
is dominated by opaque brown dust even though it is composed mostly of
clear hydrogen gas. Even though some of the dust pillars look like
torches, their ends are not on fire -- rather, they are illuminated by
nearby stars. About 7,500 light-years distant, the featured image was
taken with the Hubble Space Telescope and highlights an interior region
of Carina known as HH1066 which spans nearly a light year. Within a few
million years, the stars will likely win out completely and the dust
torches will completely evaporate.
Tomorrow's picture: Orion and the Ocean of Storms
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 7
Orion and the Ocean of Storms
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis 1
Explanation: On December 5, 2022, a camera on board the uncrewed Orion
spacecraft captured this view as Orion approached its return powered
flyby of the Moon. Beyond one of Orion's extended solar arrays lies
dark, smooth, terrain along the western edge of the Oceanus
Procellarum. Prominent on the lunar nearside Oceanus Procellarum, the
Ocean of Storms, is the largest of the Moon's lava-flooded maria. The
lunar terminator, shadow line between lunar night and day, runs along
the left of this frame. The 41 kilometer diameter crater Marius is top
center, with ray crater Kepler peeking in at the edge, just right of
the solar array wing. Kepler's bright rays extend to the north and
west, reaching the dark-floored Marius. On December 11, 2022 the Orion
spacecraft reached its home world. The historic Artemis 1 mission ended
with Orion's successful splashdown in planet Earth's water-flooded
Pacific Ocean.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Sat Dec 9 05:12:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 8
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
resolution version available.
Vega and Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: On December 4, periodic Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks shared this
telescopic field of view with Vega, alpha star of the northern
constellation Lyra. Fifth brightest star in planet Earth's night, Vega
is some 25 light-years distant while the much fainter comet was about
21 light-minutes away. In recent months, outbursts have caused dramatic
increases in brightness for Pons-Brooks though. Nicknamed the Devil
Comet for its hornlike appearance, fans of interstellar spaceflight
have also suggested the distorted shape of this large comet's central
coma looks like the Millenium Falcon. A Halley-type comet,
12P/Pons-Brooks last visited the inner Solar System in 1954. Its next
perihelion passage or closest approach to the Sun will be April 21,
2024. That's just two weeks after the April 8 total solar eclipse path
crosses North America. But, highly inclined to the Solar System's
ecliptic plane, the orbit of periodic Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will never
cross the orbit of planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 9
Pic du Pleiades
Image Credit & Copyright: Jean-Francois Graffand
Explanation: Near dawn on November 19 the Pleiades stood in still dark
skies over the French Pyrenees. But just before sunrise a serendipitous
moment was captured in this single 3 second exposure; a bright meteor
streak appeared to pierce the heart of the galactic star cluster. From
the camera's perspective, star cluster and meteor were poised directly
above the mountain top observatory on the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. And
though astronomers might consider the Pleiades to be relatively close
by, the grain of dust vaporizing as it plowed through planet Earth's
upper atmosphere actually missed the cluster's tight grouping of young
stars by about 400 light-years. While recording a night sky timelapse
series, the camera and telephoto lens were fixed to a tripod on the
Tour-de-France-cycled slopes of the Col du Tourmalet about 5 kilometers
from the Pic du Midi.
Tomorrow's picture: the plough over the mountain
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All on Sun Dec 10 01:43:28 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 10
A landscape shows tall mountains in the distance and evergreen trees
nearby. Overhead is a star filled sky, with the stars of the Big Dipper
easily apparent. A rollover image labels names for the Big Dipper
stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Big Dipper over Pyramid Mountain
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cullen
Explanation: When did you first learn to identify this group of stars?
Although they are familiar to many people around the world, different
cultures have associated this asterism with different icons and
folklore. Known in the USA as the Big Dipper, the stars are part of a
constellation designated by the International Astronomical Union in
1922 as the Great Bear (Ursa Major). The recognized star names of these
stars are (left to right) Alkaid, Mizar/Alcor, Alioth, Megrez, Phecda,
Merak, and Dubhe. Of course, stars in any given constellation are
unlikely to be physically related. But surprisingly, most of the Big
Dipper stars do seem to be headed in the same direction as they plough
through space, a property they share with other stars spread out over
an even larger area across the sky. Their measured common motion
suggests that they all belong to a loose, nearby star cluster, thought
to be on average only about 75 light-years away and up to 30
light-years across. The cluster is more properly known as the Ursa
Major Moving Group. The featured image captured the iconic stars
recently above Pyramid Mountain in Alberta, Canada.
Night Sky Network webinar: APOD editor to review coolest space images
of 2023
Tomorrow's picture: sun change
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 11
Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum
Video Credit: NASA, SDO, SVS
Explanation: The surface of our Sun is constantly changing. Some years
it is quiet, showing relatively few sunspots and active regions. Other
years it is churning, showing many sunspots and throwing frequent
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and flares. Reacting to magnetism, our
Sun's surface goes through periods of relative calm, called Solar
Minimum and relative unrest, called Solar Maximum, every 11 years. The
featured video shows on the left a month in late 2019 when the Sun was
near Solar Minimum, while on the right a month in 2014 when near Solar
Maximum. The video was taken by NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory in far
ultraviolet light. Our Sun is progressing again toward Solar Maximum in
2025, but displaying even now a surface with a surprisingly high amount
of activity.
Night Sky Network webinar: APOD editor to review coolest space images
of 2023
Tomorrow's picture: double sky arches
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All on Tue Dec 12 00:23:26 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 12
A night sky filled with stars is shown behind a picturesque foreground.
The foreground contains rounded rocks and a person before a distant
sea. The background contains bands of the Milky Way and bright aurora.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi
Explanation: What are these two giant arches across the sky? Perhaps
the more familiar one, on the left, is the central band of our Milky
Way Galaxy. This grand disk of stars and nebulas here appears to
encircle much of the southern sky. Visible below the stellar arch is
the rusty-orange planet Mars and the extended Andromeda galaxy. But
this night had more! For a few minutes during this cold arctic night, a
second giant arch appeared encircling part of the northern sky: an
aurora. Auroras are much closer than stars as they are composed of
glowing air high in Earth's atmosphere. Visible outside the green
auroral arch is the group of stars popularly known as the Big Dipper.
The featured digital composite of 20 images was captured in
mid-November 2022 over the Lofoten Islands in Norway.
APOD Year in Review (2023): RJN's Night Sky Network Lecture
Tomorrow's picture: deep heart
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Wed Dec 13 00:04:08 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 13
A starfield is shown filled with colorful gas glowing in different
colors, and dark dust. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Deep Field: The Heart Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: William Ostling, Telescope Live
Explanation: What excites the Heart Nebula? First, the large emission
nebula on the left, catalogued as IC 1805, looks somewhat like a human
heart. The nebula glows brightly in red light emitted by its most
prominent element, hydrogen, but this long-exposure image was also
blended with light emitted by silicon (yellow) and oxygen (blue). In
the center of the Heart Nebula are young stars from the open star
cluster Melotte 15 that are eroding away several picturesque dust
pillars with their atom-exciting energetic light and winds. The Heart
Nebula is located about 7,500 light years away toward the constellation
of Cassiopeia. At the bottom right of the Heart Nebula is the companion
Fishhead Nebula. This wide and deep image clearly shows, though, that
glowing gas surrounds the Heart Nebula in all directions.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Thu Dec 14 01:38:40 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 14
Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; D. Milisavljevic (Purdue
University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (University
of Gent)
Explanation: Massive stars in our Milky Way Galaxy live spectacular
lives. Collapsing from vast cosmic clouds, their nuclear furnaces
ignite and create heavy elements in their cores. After only a few
million years for the most massive stars, the enriched material is
blasted back into interstellar space where star formation can begin
anew. The expanding debris cloud known as Cassiopeia A is an example of
this final phase of the stellar life cycle. Light from the supernova
explosion that created this remnant would have been first seen in
planet Earth's sky about 350 years ago, although it took that light
11,000 years to reach us. This sharp NIRCam image from the James Webb
Space Telescope shows the still hot filaments and knots in the
supernova remnant. The whitish, smoke-like outer shell of the expanding
blast wave is about 20 light-years across, while the bright speck near
center is a neutron star, the incredibly dense, collapsed remains of
the massive stellar core. Light echoes from the massive star's
cataclysmic explosion are also identified in Webb's detailed image of
supernova remnant Cassiopeia A.
Tonight watch: The Geminids
Tomorrow's picture: stellar eclipse
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All on Fri Dec 15 00:42:48 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 15
Betelgeuse Eclipsed
Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastian Voltmer
Explanation: Asteroid 319 Leona cast a shadow across planet Earth on
December 12, as it passed in front of bright star Betelgeuse. But to
see everyone's favorite red giant star fade this time, you had to stand
near the center of the narrow shadow path starting in central Mexico
and extending eastward across southern Florida, the Atlantic Ocean,
southern Europe, and Eurasia. The geocentric celestial event is
captured in these two panels taken at Almodovar del Rio, Spain from
before (left) and during the asteroid-star occultation. In both panels
Betelgeuse is seen above and left, at the shoulder of the familiar
constellation Orion. Its brightness diminishes noticeably during the
exceedingly rare occultation when, for several seconds, the giant star
was briefly eclipsed by a roughly 60 kilometer diameter main-belt
asteroid.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Sat Dec 16 04:21:56 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 16
Crescent Enceladus
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Peering from the shadows, the Saturn-facing hemisphere of
tantalizing inner moon Enceladus poses in this Cassini spacecraft
image. North is up in the dramatic scene captured during November 2016
as Cassini's camera was pointed in a nearly sunward direction about
130,000 kilometers from the moon's bright crescent. In fact, the
distant world reflects over 90 percent of the sunlight it receives,
giving its surface about the same reflectivity as fresh snow. A mere
500 kilometers in diameter, Enceladus is a surprisingly active moon.
Data and images collected during Cassini's flybys have revealed water
vapor and ice grains spewing from south polar geysers and evidence of
an ocean of liquid water hidden beneath the moon's icy crust.
Tomorrow's picture: the same color
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Sun Dec 17 00:43:52 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 17
Two people are pictured from the back looking at a dark star-filled
sky. The sky is also filled with numerous streaks caused by meteors
from the Geminids meteor shower. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Geminids over China's Nianhu Lake
Image Credit & Copyright: Hongyang Luo
Explanation: Where are all of these meteors coming from? In terms of
direction on the sky, the pointed answer is the constellation of
Gemini. That is why the major meteor shower in December is known as the
Geminids -- because shower meteors all appear to come from a radiant
toward Gemini. Three dimensionally, however, sand-sized debris expelled
from the unusual asteroid 3200 Phaethon follows a well-defined orbit
about our Sun, and the part of the orbit that approaches Earth is
superposed in front of the constellation of Gemini. Therefore, when
Earth crosses this orbit, the radiant point of falling debris appears
in Gemini. Featured here is a composite of many images taken a few days
ago through dark skies from Nianhu Lake in China. Over 100 bright
meteor streaks from the Geminids meteor shower are visible.
APOD Year in Review (2023): RJN's Night Sky Network Lecture
Tomorrow's picture: the same color
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Mon Dec 18 00:19:22 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 18
A checkerboard is shown with squares colored light and dark grey. A
green tube sits on the board and casts a shadow. The image has a letter
A typed on a dark square, and a letter B types on a light square cast
in shadow. The question is asked if the two squares, A and B, are
really the same color. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
The Same Color Illusion
Image Credit: Edward H. Adelson, Wikipedia
Explanation: Are squares A and B the same color? They are! To verify
this, either run your cursor over the image or click here to see them
connected. The featured illusion, an example of the same color
illusion, illustrates that purely human perceptions in science may be
ambiguous or inaccurate, even such a seemingly direct perception as
relative color. Similar illusions exist on the sky, such as the size of
the Moon near the horizon, or the apparent shapes of astronomical
objects. The advent of automated, reproducible measuring devices such
as CCDs have made science in general and astronomy in particular less
prone to, but not free of, human-biased illusions.
APOD Year in Review (2023): RJN's Night Sky Network Lecture
Tomorrow's picture: california on high
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Tue Dec 19 00:24:58 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 19
A red gaseous nebula is shown in front of a dark starfield. The shape
of the nebula resembles the US state of California. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
NGC 1499: The California Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Powell
Explanation: Could Queen Calafia's mythical island exist in space?
Perhaps not, but by chance the outline of this molecular space cloud
echoes the outline of the state of California, USA. Our Sun has its
home within the Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,000 light-years
from the California Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic
emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. On the featured image,
the most prominent glow of the California Nebula is the red light
characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons,
stripped away (ionized) by energetic starlight. The star most likely
providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas
is the bright, hot, bluish Xi Persei just to the right of the nebula. A
regular target for astrophotographers, the California Nebula can be
spotted with a wide-field telescope under a dark sky toward the
constellation of Perseus, not far from the Pleiades.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: ice fog sky
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Wed Dec 20 00:09:12 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 20
A building is seen from a distance on white snow and with mountains in
the background. An ice-crystal filled sky is seen above. Superposed on
the night sky are numerous curving whisps -- halos of ice reflecting
background moonlight. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Ice Halos over Bavaria
Image Credit & Copyright: Bastian Werner
Explanation: What's causing those unusual sky arcs? Ice crystals. While
crossing a field of fresh snow near F+'ssen, Bavaria, Germany, earlier
this month, the photographer noticed that he had entered an ice fog.
For suspended water to freeze into an ice fog requires quite cold
temperatures, and indeed the air temperature on this day was measured
at well below zero. The ice fog reflected light from the Sun setting
behind St. Coleman Church. The result was one of the greatest
spectacles the photographer has ever seen. First, the spots in the
featured picture are not background stars but suspended ice and snow.
Next, two prominent ice halos are visible: the 22-degree halo and the
46-degree halo. Multiple arcs are also visible, including, from top to
bottom, antisolar (subsun), circumzenithal, Parry, tangent, and
parhelic (horizontal). Finally, the balloon shaped curve connecting the
top arc to the Sun is the rarest of all: it is the heliac arc, created
by reflection from the sides of hexagonally shaped ice crystals
suspended in a horizontal orientation.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 21
Three Galaxies and a Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: Distant galaxies abound in this one degree wide field of
view toward the southern constellation Grus (The Crane). But the three
spiral galaxies at the lower right are quite striking. In fact, all
three galaxies are grouped about 70 million light years away and
sometimes known as the Grus Triplet. They share the pretty telescopic
frame, recorded on December 13, with the comet designated C/2020 V2
ZTF. Now outbound from the inner Solar System and swinging below the
ecliptic plane in a hyperbolic orbit, the comet was about 29
light-minutes from our fair planet in this image. And though comet ZTF
was brighter when it was closest to the Sun last May and closest to
Earth in September of 2023, it still shines in telescopes pointed
toward southern night skies, remaining almost as bright as the Grus
Triplet galaxies.
Tomorrow's picture: solstice solargraphy
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Fri Dec 22 00:52:38 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 22
183 Days in the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Jos+¬ Zarcos Palma
Explanation: A single 183 day exposure with a pinhole camera and
photographic paper resulted in this long-duration solargraph. Recorded
from solstice to solstice, June 21 to December 21, in 2022, it follows
the Sun's daily arcing path through planet Earth's skies from Mertola,
Portugal. On June 21, the Sun's highest point and longest arc
represents the longest day and the astronomical beginning of summer in
the northern hemisphere. The solstice date with the fewest hours of
daylight is at the beginning of winter in the north, corresponding to
the Sun's shortest and lowest arc in the 2022 solargraph. For 2023, the
northern winter solstice was on December 22 at 3:27 UTC. That's
December 21 for North America time zones.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 23
A December Summer Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Griffin (Otago Museum)
Explanation: Colours of a serene evening sky are captured in this 8
minute exposure, made near this December's solstice from New Zealand,
southern hemisphere, planet Earth. Looking south, star trails form the
short concentric arcs around the rotating planet's south celestial pole
positioned just off the top of the frame. At top and left of center are
trails of the Southern Cross stars and a dark smudge from the Milky
Way's Coalsack Nebula. Alpha and Beta Centauri make the brighter yellow
and blue tinted trails, reflected below in the waters of Hoopers Inlet
in the Pacific coast of the South Island's Otago Peninsula. On that
short December summer night, aurora australis also gave luminous, green
and reddish hues to the sky above the hills. An upper atmospheric glow
distinct from the aurora excited by collisions with energetic
particles, pale greenish bands of airglow caused by a cascade of
chemical reactions excited by sunlight can be traced in diagonal bands
near the top left.
Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic cocoon
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 24
A nebula in purple and pink is shown with dust pillars curving around.
In the center is a bright orange spot. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: H. Bond (STScI), R.
Ciardullo (PSU), Forrest Hamilton (STScI)
Explanation: What's that in the center? Like a butterfly, a white dwarf
star begins its life by casting off a cocoon of gas that enclosed its
former self. In this analogy, however, the Sun would be a caterpillar
and the ejected shell of gas would become the prettiest cocoon of all.
In the featured cocoon, the planetary nebula designated NGC 2440
contains one of the hottest white dwarf stars known. The white dwarf
can be seen as the bright orange dot near the image center. Our Sun
will eventually become a white dwarf butterfly, but not for another 5
billion years.
Tomorrow's picture: mansion mountain moon
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Mon Dec 25 00:59:44 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 25
A tree-lined hill is shown topped by a majestic cathedral. Directly
behind the cathedral is of a triangular-shaped mountain top. Directly
behind the mountain is a crescent moon, although the exposure is long
enough to see the rest of lunar circle. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Cathedral, Mountain, Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Valerio Minato
Explanation: Single shots like this require planning. The first step is
to realize that such an amazing triple-alignment actually takes place.
The second step is to find the best location to photograph it. But it
was the third step: being there at exactly the right time -- and when
the sky was clear -- that was the hardest. Five times over six years
the photographer tried and found bad weather. Finally, just ten days
ago, the weather was perfect, and a photographic dream was realized.
Taken in Piemonte, Italy, the cathedral in the foreground is the
Basilica of Superga, the mountain in the middle is Monviso, and, well,
you know which moon is in the background. Here, even though the setting
Moon was captured in a crescent phase, the exposure was long enough for
doubly reflected Earthlight, called the da Vinci glow, to illuminate
the entire top of the Moon.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic jellyfish
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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All on Tue Dec 26 01:14:04 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 26
A complex nebula is shown in front of a dense starfield. The nebula
appears orange. A bright star is seen just to the right of the nebula.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
IC 443: The Jellyfish Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: David Payne
Explanation: Why is this jellyfish swimming in a sea of stars? Drifting
near bright star Eta Geminorum, seen at the right, the Jellyfish Nebula
extends its tentacles from the bright arcing ridge of emission left of
center. In fact, the cosmic jellyfish is part of bubble-shaped
supernova remnant IC 443, the expanding debris cloud from a massive
star that exploded. Light from the explosion first reached planet Earth
over 30,000 years ago. Like its cousin in astronomical waters, the Crab
Nebula supernova remnant IC 443 is known to harbor a neutron star --
the remnant of the collapsed stellar core. The Jellyfish Nebula is
about 5,000 light-years away. At that distance, the featured image
would span about 140 light-years across.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: rainbow aurora
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Wed Dec 27 01:12:36 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 27
A waterfall is shown in the image center below a starry sky. Arching
above the waterfall is a colorful aurora. Arching above the aurora is
the central band of the Milky Way. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Rainbow Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini
Explanation: Yes, but can your aurora do this? First, yes, auroras can
look like rainbows even though they are completely different phenomena.
Auroras are caused by Sun-created particles being channeled into
Earth's atmosphere by Earth's magnetic field, and create colors by
exciting atoms at different heights. Conversely, rainbows are created
by sunlight backscattering off falling raindrops, and different colors
are refracted by slightly different angles. Unfortunately, auroras
canCÇÖt create waterfalls, but if you plan well and are lucky enough, you
can photograph them together. The featured picture is composed of
several images taken on the same night last month near the Sk+|gafoss
waterfall in Iceland. The planning centered on capturing the central
band of our Milky Way galaxy over the picturesque cascade. By luck, a
spectacular aurora soon appeared just below the curving arch of the
Milky Way. Far in the background, the Pleiades star cluster and the
Andromeda galaxy can be found.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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NASA Science Activation
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All on Fri Dec 29 04:06:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 29
Shakespeare in Space
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Explanation: In 1986, Voyager 2 became the only spacecraft to explore
ice giant planet Uranus close up. Still, this newly released image from
the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) on the James Webb Space Telescope
offers a detailed look at the distant world. The tilted outer planet
rotates on its axis once in about 17 hours. Its north pole is presently
pointed near our line of sight, offering direct views of its northern
hemisphere and a faint but extensive system of rings. Of the giant
planet's 27 known moons, 14 are annotated in the image. The brighter
ones show hints of Webb's characteristic diffraction spikes. And though
these worlds of the outer Solar System were unknown in Shakespearean
times, all but two of the 27 Uranian moons are named for characters in
the English Bard's plays.
Tomorrow's picture: the cold and tired moon
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From
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All on Sat Dec 30 01:52:42 2023
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2023 December 30
The Last Full Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Giacomo Venturin
Explanation: Known to some in the northern hemisphere as December's
Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon, the last full moon of 2023 is rising
in this surreal mountain and skyscape. The Daliesque scene was captured
in a single exposure with a camera and long telephoto lens near Monte
Grappa, Italy. The full moon is not melting, though. Its stretched and
distorted appearance near the horizon is caused as refraction along the
line of sight changes and creates shifting images or mirages of the
bright lunar disk. The changes in atmospheric refraction correspond to
atmospheric layers with sharply different temperatures and densities.
Other effects of atmospheric refraction produced by the long sight-line
to this full moon rising include the thin red rim seen faintly on the
distorted lower edge of the Moon and a thin green rim along the top.
Tomorrow's picture: Illustris
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From
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All on Mon Jan 1 01:34:20 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 1
A spiral galaxy with big blue spiral arms is shown with a center that
appears more yellow. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
NGC 1232: A Grand Design Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit: FORS, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO
Explanation: Galaxies are fascinating not only for what is visible, but
for what is invisible. Grand spiral galaxy NGC 1232, captured in detail
by one of the Very Large Telescopes, is a good example. The visible is
dominated by millions of bright stars and dark dust, caught up in a
gravitational swirl of spiral arms revolving about the center. Open
clusters containing bright blue stars can be seen sprinkled along these
spiral arms, while dark lanes of dense interstellar dust can be seen
sprinkled between them. Less visible, but detectable, are billions of
dim normal stars and vast tracts of interstellar gas, together wielding
such high mass that they dominate the dynamics of the inner galaxy.
Leading theories indicate that even greater amounts of matter are
invisible, in a form we don't yet know. This pervasive dark matter is
postulated, in part, to explain the motions of the visible matter in
the outer regions of galaxies.
Free APOD Lecture: January 9, 2024 to the Amateur Astronomers of
Association of New York
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Tue Jan 2 01:14:48 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 2
A rocket is pictured ascending during launch. A nearly full moon is
behind it. The rocket exhaust, itself visible, causes the bottom of the
Moon to appear unusually rippled. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Rocket Transits Rippling Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Madow
Explanation: Can a rocket make the Moon ripple? No, but it can make a
background moon appear wavy. The rocket, in this case, was a SpaceX
Falcon Heavy that blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center last
week. In the featured launch picture, the rocket's exhaust plume glows
beyond its projection onto the distant, rising, and nearly full moon.
Oddly, the Moon's lower edge shows unusual drip-like ripples. The Moon
itself, far in the distance, was really unchanged. The physical cause
of these apparent ripples was pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air
deflecting moonlight less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or
compressed air: refraction. Although the shot was planned, the timing
of the launch had to be just right for the rocket to be transiting the
Moon during this single exposure.
Tomorrow's picture: red sky arc
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From
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All on Wed Jan 3 02:29:54 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 3
A flat landscape with a pond is imaged at night below a starfield. A
multicolored aurora is seen in an arc across the image center. Around
this arc is another red arc that is particularly smooth. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
A SAR Arc from New Zealand
Image Credit & Copyright: Tristian McDonald; Text: Tiffany Lewis
(Michigan Tech U.)
Explanation: What is that unusual red halo surrounding this aurora? It
is a Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc. SAR arcs are rare and have only been
acknowledged and studied since 1954. The featured wide-angle
photograph, capturing nearly an entire SAR arc surrounding more common
green and red aurora, was taken earlier this month from Poolburn, New
Zealand, during an especially energetic geomagnetic storm. Why SAR arcs
form remains a topic of research, but is likely related to Earth's
protective magnetic field, a field created by molten iron flowing deep
inside the Earth. This magnetic field usually redirects incoming
charged particles from the Sun's wind toward the Earth's poles.
However, it also traps a ring of ions closer to the equator, where they
can gain energy from the magnetosphere during high solar activity. The
energetic electrons in this ion ring can collide with and excite oxygen
higher in Earth's ionosphere than typical auroras, causing the oxygen
to glow red. Ongoing research has uncovered evidence that a red SAR arc
can even transform into a purple and green STEVE.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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All on Thu Jan 4 01:39:40 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 4
Zeta Oph: Runaway Star
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope
Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas, runaway star Zeta
Ophiuchi produces the arcing interstellar bow wave or bow shock seen in
this stunning infrared portrait. In the false-color view, bluish Zeta
Oph, a star about 20 times more massive than the Sun, lies near the
center of the frame, moving toward the left at 24 kilometers per
second. Its strong stellar wind precedes it, compressing and heating
the dusty interstellar material and shaping the curved shock front.
What set this star in motion? Zeta Oph was likely once a member of a
binary star system, its companion star was more massive and hence
shorter lived. When the companion exploded as a supernova
catastrophically losing mass, Zeta Oph was flung out of the system.
About 460 light-years away, Zeta Oph is 65,000 times more luminous than
the Sun and would be one of the brighter stars in the sky if it weren't
surrounded by obscuring dust. The image spans about 1.5 degrees or 12
light-years at the estimated distance of Zeta Ophiuchi. In January
2020, NASA placed the Spitzer Space Telescope in safe mode, ending its
16 successful years of exploring the cosmos.
Tomorrow's picture: at the heart of Orion
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All on Fri Jan 5 03:30:58 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 5
Trapezium: At the Heart of Orion
Image Credit & Copyright: Fred Zimmer, Telescope Live
Explanation: Near the center of this sharp cosmic portrait, at the
heart of the Orion Nebula, are four hot, massive stars known as the
Trapezium. Gathered within a region about 1.5 light-years in radius,
they dominate the core of the dense Orion Nebula Star Cluster.
Ultraviolet ionizing radiation from the Trapezium stars, mostly from
the brightest star Theta-1 Orionis C powers the complex star forming
region's entire visible glow. About three million years old, the Orion
Nebula Cluster was even more compact in its younger years and a
dynamical study indicates that runaway stellar collisions at an earlier
age may have formed a black hole with more than 100 times the mass of
the Sun. The presence of a black hole within the cluster could explain
the observed high velocities of the Trapezium stars. The Orion Nebula's
distance of some 1,500 light-years would make it one of the closest
known black holes to planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Jan 6 03:10:20 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 6
The Snows of Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Images Credit: ESA, Rosetta, MPS, OSIRIS;
UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA;
Animation: Jacint Roger Perez
Explanation: You couldn't really be caught in this blizzard while
standing by a cliff on periodic comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Orbiting the comet in June of 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft's narrow
angle camera did record streaks of dust and ice particles similar to
snow as they drifted across the field of view close to the camera and
above the comet's surface. Still, some of the bright specks in the
scene are likely due to a rain of energetic charged particles or cosmic
rays hitting the camera, and the dense background of stars in the
direction of the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major). In the
video, the background stars are easy to spot trailing from top to
bottom. The stunning movie was constructed from 33 consecutive images
taken over 25 minutes while Rosetta cruised some 13 kilometers from the
comet's nucleus. In September 2016, the nucleus became the final
resting place for the Rosetta spacecraft after its mission was ended
with a successful controlled impact on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Tomorrow's picture: cats in space
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All on Sun Jan 7 04:51:32 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 7
An image of the Cat's Eye Nebula shows an unsually shaped gas structure
glowing in purple with a bright orange center. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Cat's Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Chandra X-ray Obs.;
Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl
Explanation: To some it looks like a cat's eye. To others, perhaps like
a giant cosmic conch shell. It is actually one of the brightest and
most highly detailed planetary nebula known, composed of gas expelled
in the brief yet glorious phase near the end of life of a Sun-like
star. This nebula's dying central star may have produced the outer
circular concentric shells by shrugging off outer layers in a series of
regular convulsions. The formation of the beautiful,
complex-yet-symmetric inner structures, however, is not well
understood. The featured image is a composite of a digitally sharpened
Hubble Space Telescope image with X-ray light captured by the orbiting
Chandra Observatory. The exquisite floating space statue spans over
half a light-year across. Of course, gazing into this Cat's Eye,
humanity may well be seeing the fate of our sun, destined to enter its
own planetary nebula phase of evolution ... in about 5 billion years.
Free APOD Lecture: January 9, 2024 to the Amateur Astronomers of
Association of New York
Tomorrow's picture: Venus year around
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All on Mon Jan 8 00:16:50 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 8
Many images of Venus are shown superposed. Together, they make an arc
from the top, around the left, to the bottom. The smallest images of
Venus are at the top and show nearly complete circles. The largest are
at the bottom and show thin crescent. phases. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Phases of Venus
Image Credit & License: St+¬phane Gonzales
Explanation: Venus goes through phases. Just like our Moon, Venus can
appear as a full circular disk, a thin crescent, or anything in
between. Venus, frequently the brightest object in the post-sunset or
pre-sunrise sky, appears so small, however, that it usually requires
binoculars or a small telescope to clearly see its current phase. The
featured time-lapse sequence was taken over the course of six months in
2015 from Surg+¿res, Charente-Maritime, France, and shows not only how
Venus changes phase, but changes angular size as well. When Venus is on
the far side of the Sun from the Earth, it appears angularly smallest
and nearest to full phase, while when Venus and Earth are on the same
side of the Sun, Venus appears larger, but as a crescent. This month
Venus rises before dawn in waxing gibbous phases.
Free APOD Lecture: January 9, 2024 to the Amateur Astronomers of
Association of New York
Tomorrow's picture: Thor's hat
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All on Tue Jan 9 00:16:42 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 9
The image shows a starfield with an oval shaped green-tinged nebula in
the center. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Thor's Helmet
Image Credit & Copyright: Ritesh Biswas
Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in
the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped
cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages. Heroically sized even for a
Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the
cosmic head-covering is more like an interstellar bubble, blown with a
fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center. Known
as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant
thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. NGC 2359 is
located about 15,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the
Great Overdog. This remarkably sharp image is a mixed cocktail of data
from narrowband filters, capturing not only natural looking stars but
details of the nebula's filamentary structures. The star in the center
of Thor's Helmet is expected to explode in a spectacular supernova
sometime within the next few thousand years.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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All on Wed Jan 10 00:18:00 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 10
The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty
Image Credit & Copyright: G+íbor Galambos
Explanation: This colorful skyscape spans about three full moons across
nebula rich starfields along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy toward
the royal northern constellation Cepheus. Near the edge of the region's
massive molecular cloud some 2,400 light-years away, bright reddish
emission region Sharpless (Sh)2-155 is at the center of the frame, also
known as the Cave Nebula. About 10 light-years across the cosmic cave's
bright walls of gas are ionized by ultraviolet light from the hot young
stars around it. Dusty bluish reflection nebulae, like vdB 155 at the
left, and dense obscuring clouds of dust also abound on the
interstellar canvas. Astronomical explorations have revealed other
dramatic signs of star formation, including the bright reddish fleck of
Herbig-Haro (HH) 168. At the upper left in the frame, the Herbig-Haro
object emission is generated by energetic jets from a newborn star.
Tomorrow's picture: unforgotten
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All on Thu Jan 11 00:31:30 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 11
Quadrantids of the North
Image Credit & Copyright: Hù'g#öHäØ Yeom Beom-seok
Explanation: Named for a forgotten constellation, the Quadrantid Meteor
Shower puts on an annual show for planet Earth's northern hemisphere
skygazers. The shower's radiant on the sky lies within the old,
astronomically obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis. That location
is not far from the Big Dipper asterism, known to some as the Plough,
at the boundaries of the modern constellations Bootes and Draco. In
fact the Big Dipper "handle" stars are near the upper right corner in
this frame, with the meteor shower radiant just below. North star
Polaris is toward the top left. Pointing back toward the radiant,
Quadrantid meteors streak through the night in this skyscape from
Jangsu, South Korea. The composite image was recorded in the hours
around the shower's peak on January 4, 2024. A likely source of the
dust stream that produces Quadrantid meteors was identified in 2003 as
an asteroid.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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All on Fri Jan 12 00:09:10 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 12
Good Morning Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Luy, Trier Observatory, TWAN
Explanation: Yesterday, the Moon was New. But on January 9, early
morning risers around planet Earth were treated to the sight of an old
Moon, low in the east as the sky grew bright before dawn. Above the
city of Saarburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany, this simple
snapshot found the waning Moon's sunlit crescent just before sunrise.
But also never wandering far from the Sun in Earth's sky, inner planets
Venus and Mercury shared the cold morning skyview. In the foreground
are the historic city's tower and castle with ruins from the 10th
century.
Tomorrow's picture: circle around the Sun
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All on Sat Jan 13 01:10:06 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 13
Circling the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Radoslav Zboran
Explanation: Earth's orbit around the Sun is not a circle, it's an
ellipse. The point along its elliptical orbit where our fair planet is
closest to the Sun is called perihelion. This year, perihelion was on
January 2 at 01:00 UTC, with the Earth about 3 million miles closer to
the Sun than it was at aphelion (last July 6), the farthest point in
its elliptical orbit. Of course, distance from the Sun doesn't
determine the seasons, and it doesn't the determine size of Sun halos.
Easier to see with the Sun hidden behind a tall tree trunk, this
beautiful ice halo forms a 22 degree-wide circle around the Sun,
recorded while strolling through the countryside near Heroldstatt,
Germany. The Sun halo's 22 degree angular diameter is determined by the
six-sided geometry of water ice crystals drifting high in planet
Earth's atmosphere.
Tomorrow's picture: there be dragons
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All on Tue Jan 16 00:34:30 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 16
The constellation of Orion is shown, but the image is so deep that many
nebula appear, making the belt stars and surrounding star almost
recognizable. The rollover image labels the brightest stars. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
The Orion You Can Almost See
Image Credit & Copyright: Michele Guzzini
Explanation: Do you recognize this constellation? Although it is one of
the most recognizable star groupings on the sky, this is a more full
Orion than you can see -- an Orion only revealed with long exposure
digital camera imaging and post- processing. Here the cool red giant
Betelgeuse takes on a strong orange tint as the brightest star on the
upper left. Orion's hot blue stars are numerous, with supergiant Rigel
balancing Betelgeuse on the lower right, and Bellatrix at the upper
right. Lined up in Orion's belt are three stars all about 1,500
light-years away, born from the constellation's well-studied
interstellar clouds. Just below Orion's belt is a bright but fuzzy
patch that might also look familiar -- the stellar nursery known as
Orion's Nebula. Finally, just barely visible to the unaided eye but
quite striking here is Barnard's Loop -- a huge gaseous emission nebula
surrounding Orion's Belt and Nebula discovered over 100 years ago by
the pioneering Orion photographer E. E. Barnard.
Tomorrow's picture: the sea of serenity
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All on Thu Jan 18 00:16:18 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 18
Northern Lights from the Stratosphere
Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Rohner
Explanation: Northern lights shine in this night skyview from planet
Earth's stratosphere, captured on January 15. The single, 5 second
exposure was made with a hand-held camera on board an aircraft above
Winnipeg, Canada. During the exposure, terrestrial lights below leave
colorful trails along the direction of motion of the speeding aircraft.
Above the more distant horizon, energetic particles accelerated along
Earth's magnetic field at the planet's polar regions excite atomic
oxygen to create the shimmering display of Aurora Borealis. The
aurora's characteristic greenish hue is generated at altitudes of
100-300 kilometers and red at even higher altitudes and lower
atmospheric densities. The luminous glow of faint stars along the plane
of our Milky Way galaxy arcs through the night, while the Andromeda
galaxy extends this northern skyview to extragalactic space. A diffuse
hint of Andromeda, the closest large spiral to the Milky Way, can just
be seen to the upper left.
Tomorrow's picture: shortest day in the Solar System
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Fri Jan 19 01:10:04 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 19
Jupiter over 2 Hours and 30 Minutes
Image Credit & License: Aur+¬lien Genin
Explanation: Jupiter, our Solar System's ruling gas giant, is also the
fastest spinning planet, rotating once in less than 10 hours. The gas
giant doesn't rotate like a solid body though. A day on Jupiter is
about 9 hours and 56 minutes long at the poles, decreasing to 9 hours
and 50 minutes near the equator. The giant planet's fast rotation
creates strong jet streams, separating its clouds into planet girdling
bands of dark belts and bright zones. You can easily follow Jupiter's
rapid rotation in this sharp sequence of images from the night of
January 15, all taken with a camera and small telescope outside of
Paris, France. Located just south of the equator, the giant planet's
giant storm system, also known as the Great Red Spot, can be seen
moving left to right with the planet's rotation. From lower left to
upper right, the sequence spans about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Tomorrow's picture: boostback burn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sat Jan 20 00:09:04 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 20
Falcon Heavy Boostback Burn
Image Credit & Copyright: Dennis Huff
Explanation: The December 28 night launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket from
Kennedy Space Center in Florida marked the fifth launch for the
rocket's reusable side boosters. About 2 minutes 20 seconds into the
flight, the two side boosters separated from the rocket's core stage.
Starting just after booster separation, this three minute long exposure
captures the pair's remarkable boostback burns, maneuvers executed
prior to their return to landing zones on planet Earth. While no
attempt was made to recover the Falcon Heavy's core stage, both side
boosters landed successfully and can be flown again. The four previous
flights for these side boosters included last October's launch of
NASA's asteroid-bound Psyche mission.
Tomorrow's picture: snow day
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Jan 21 01:12:08 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 21
A telephone poll is shown surrounded by snow. In the background,
another telephone poll is visible, as are some distant trees. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Upper Michigan Blizzard of 1938
Image Credit: Bill Brinkman; Courtesy: Paula Rocco
Explanation: Yes, but can your blizzard do this? In the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan's Storm of the Century in 1938, some snow drifts reached
the level of utility poles. Nearly a meter of new and unexpected snow
fell over two days in a storm that started 86 years ago this week. As
snow fell and gale-force winds piled snow to surreal heights, many
roads became not only impassable but unplowable; people became
stranded, cars, school buses and a train became mired, and even a
dangerous fire raged. Two people were killed and some students were
forced to spend several consecutive days at school. The featured image
was taken by a local resident soon after the storm. Although all of
this snow eventually melted, repeated snow storms like this help build
lasting glaciers in snowy regions of our planet Earth.
Tomorrow's picture: moon versus mountain
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Mon Jan 22 00:22:20 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 22
A black and white image of the Moon and a mountain are shown. Both are
half lit by the Sun, with the other half shadowed. The half-moon is
directly above the mountain peak. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Shadows of Mountain and Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Enzo Massa Micon
Explanation: Can the Moon and a mountain really cast similar shadows?
Yes, but the division between light and dark does not have to be
aligned. Pictured, a quarter moon was captured above the mountain
Grivola in Italy in early October of 2022. The Sun is to the right of
the featured picturesque landscape, illuminating the right side of the
Moon in a similar way that it illuminates the right side of the
mountain. This lunar phase is called "quarter" because the lit fraction
visible from Earth is one quarter of the entire lunar surface. Digital
post-processing of this single exposure gave both gigantic objects more
prominence. Capturing the terminator of this quarter moon in close
alignment with nearly vertical mountain ridge required careful timing
because the Earth rotates once a day.
Tomorrow's picture: sky wide
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Jan 23 01:13:34 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 23
A very deep image of the night sky shows many stars and nebulas. Many
bright nebulas appear to be connected by faint orange filaments. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.
Deep Nebulas: From Seagull to California
Image Credit & Copyright: Alistair Symon
Explanation: How well do you know the night sky? OK, but how well can
you identify famous sky objects in a very deep image? Either way, here
is a test: see if you can find some well-known night-sky icons in a
deep image filled with faint nebulosity. This image contains the
Pleiades star cluster, Barnard's Loop, Horsehead Nebula, Orion Nebula,
Rosette Nebula, Cone Nebula, Rigel, Jellyfish Nebula, Monkey Head
Nebula, Flaming Star Nebula, Tadpole Nebula, Aldebaran, Simeis 147,
Seagull Nebula and the California Nebula. To find their real locations,
here is an annotated image version. The reason this task might be
difficult is similar to the reason it is initially hard to identify
familiar constellations in a very dark sky: the tapestry of our night
sky has an extremely deep hidden complexity. The featured composite
reveals some of this complexity in a mosaic of 28 images taken over 800
hours from dark skies over Arizona, USA.
Tomorrow's picture: you are here
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Jan 24 00:09:14 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 24
The Moon and the Earth are pictured before a black background. The Moon
appears brown and slightly larger due to its closer proximity to the
Artemis 1 camera. The Earth is seen as a cloudy blue orb above the
Moon. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Earth and Moon from Beyond
Image Credit: NASA, Artemis I; Processing: Andy Saunders
Explanation: What do the Earth and Moon look like from beyond the Moon?
Although frequently photographed together, the familiar duo was
captured with this unusual perspective in late 2022 by the robotic
Orion spacecraft of NASA's Artemis I mission as it looped around
Earth's most massive satellite and looked back toward its home world.
Since our Earth is about four times the diameter of the Moon, the
satelliteCÇÖs seemingly large size was caused by the capsule being closer
to the smaller body. Artemis II, the next launch in NASACÇÖs Artemis
series, is currently scheduled to take people around the Moon in 2025,
while Artemis III is planned to return humans to lunar surface in late
2026. Last week, JAXA's robotic SLIM spacecraft, launched from Japan,
landed on the Moon and released two hopping rovers.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: sky map
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Thu Jan 25 00:36:26 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 25
Jyv+ñskyl+ñ in the Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Harri Kiiskinen
Explanation: You might not immediately recognize this street map of a
neighborhood in Jyv+ñskyl+ñ, Finland, planet Earth. But that's probably
because the map was projected into the night sky and captured with an
allsky camera on January 16. The temperature recorded on that northern
winter night was around minus 20 degrees Celsius. As ice crystals
formed in the atmosphere overhead, street lights spilling illumination
into the sky above produced visible light pillars, their ethereal
appearance due to specular reflections from the fluttering crystals'
flat surfaces. Of course, the projected light pillars trace a map of
the brightly lit local streets, though reversed right to left in the
upward looking camera's view. This light pillar street map was seen to
hover for hours in the Jyv+ñskyl+ñ night.
Tomorrow's picture: star with planet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Fri Jan 26 00:37:50 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 26
Epsilon Tauri: Star with Planet
Image Credit & Copyright: Reg Pratt
Explanation: Epsilon Tauri lies 146 light-years away. A K-type red
giant star, epsilon Tau is cooler than the Sun, but with about 13 times
the solar radius it has nearly 100 times the solar luminosity. A member
of the Hyades open star cluster the giant star is known by the proper
name Ain, and along with brighter giant star Aldebaran, forms the eyes
of Taurus the Bull. Surrounded by dusty, dark clouds in Taurus, epsilon
Tau is also known to have a planet. Discovered by radial velocity
measurements in 2006, Epsilon Tauri b is a gas giant planet larger than
Jupiter with an orbital period of 1.6 years. And though the exoplanet
can't be seen directly, on a dark night its parent star epsilon Tauri
is easily visible to the unaided eye.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Sat Jan 27 00:26:12 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 27
Full Observatory Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas
Observatory, TWAN)
Explanation: A popular name for January's full moon in the northern
hemisphere is the Full Wolf Moon. As the new year's first full moon, it
rises over Las Campanas Observatory in this dramatic
Earth-and-moonscape. Peering from the foreground like astronomical eyes
are the observatory's twin 6.5 meter diameter Magellan telescopes. The
snapshot was captured with telephoto lens across rugged terrain in the
Chilean Atacama Desert, taken at a distance of about 9 miles from the
observatory and about 240,000 miles from the lunar surface. Of course
the first full moon of the lunar new year, known to some as the Full
Snow Moon, will rise on February 24.
Tomorrow's picture: Pluto in color
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Sun Jan 28 00:10:48 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 28
The minor planet Pluto is shown up close, as seen by the passing New
Horizons spacecraft, and in true color. Pluto is a complex mix of beige
regions and some dark brown regions. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Pluto in True Color
Image Credit: NASA, JHU APL, SwRI; Processing: Alex Parker
Explanation: What color is Pluto, really? It took some effort to figure
out. Even given all of the images sent back to Earth when the robotic
New Horizons spacecraft sped past Pluto in 2015, processing these
multi-spectral frames to approximate what the human eye would see was
challenging. The result featured here, released three years after the
raw data was acquired by New Horizons, is the highest resolution true
color image of Pluto ever taken. Visible in the image is the
light-colored, heart-shaped, Tombaugh Regio, with the unexpectedly
smooth Sputnik Planitia, made of frozen nitrogen, filling its western
lobe. New Horizons found the dwarf planet to have a surprisingly
complex surface composed of many regions having perceptibly different
hues. In total, though, Pluto is mostly brown, with much of its muted
color originating from small amounts of surface methane energized by
ultraviolet light from the Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: stars versus dust
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Mon Jan 29 00:42:02 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 29
The famous Pleiades star cluster is shown surrounded by dust. Dust near
the bright stars reflects blue light, but dust further away appears
more red. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Pleiades: Seven Dusty Sisters
Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks
Explanation: The well-known Pleiades star cluster is slowly destroying
part of a passing cloud of gas and dust. The Pleiades is the brightest
open cluster of stars on Earth's sky and can be seen from almost any
northerly location with the unaided eye. Over the past 100,000 years, a
field of gas and dust is moving by chance right through the Pleiades
star cluster and is causing a strong reaction between the stars and
dust. The passing cloud might be part of the Radcliffe wave, a newly
discovered structure of gas and dust connecting several regions of star
formation in the nearby part of our Milky Way galaxy. Pressure from the
stars' light significantly repels the dust in the surrounding blue
reflection nebula, with smaller dust particles being repelled more
strongly. A short-term result is that parts of the dust cloud have
become filamentary and stratified. The featured deep image incorporates
nearly 9 hours of exposure and was captured from Utah Desert Remote
Observatory in Utah, USA, last year.
Tomorrow's picture: to the hyades
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Tue Jan 30 00:34:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 30
The lunar surface is shown with a box-like gold-colored machine in the
middle. A close inspection of the machine reveals that its thrusters
are at the top, so it is on its side. The background sky is dark. Two
horizontal lines are an artifact of the digital imaging and not part of
the lunar landscape. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
SLIM Lands on the Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: JAXA, Takara Tomy, Sony Co., Doshisha U.
Explanation: New landers are on the Moon. Nearly two weeks ago, Japan's
Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) released two rovers as it
descended, before its main lander touched down itself. The larger of
the two rovers can hop like a frog, while the smaller rover is about
the size of a baseball and can move after pulling itself apart like a
transformer. The main lander, nicknamed Moon Sniper, is seen in the
featured image taken by the smaller rover. Inspection of the image
shows that Moon Sniper's thrusters are facing up, meaning that the
lander is upside down from its descent configuration and on its side
from its intended landing configuration. One result is that Moon
Sniper's solar panels are not in the expected orientation, so that
powering the lander had to be curtailed and adapted. SLIM's lander has
already succeeded as a technology demonstration, its main mission, but
was not designed to withstand the lunar night -- which starts tomorrow.
Tomorrow's picture: orion rising
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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From
Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to
All on Wed Jan 31 00:32:12 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 January 31
A snowy landscape is pictured with a big hill in the center. Above the
hill is a starfield with the stars and nebulae of the constellation
Orion appearing, with the red glow of the nebulas in great contrast to
the dark sky and bright snow. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Camera Orion Rising
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcin +Ülipko
Explanation: What does Orion rising look like to a camera? During this
time of the year, the famous constellation is visible to the southeast
just after sunset. From most Earthly locations, Orion's familiar star
pattern, highlighted by the three-stars-in-a-row belt stars, rises
sideways. An entire section of the night sky that includes Orion was
photographed rising above +Ünie+'ka, a mountain on the border between
Poland and the Czech Republic. The long duration exposure sequence
brings up many faint features including the Orion and Flame Nebulas,
both encompassed by the curving Barnard's Loop. The featured wide-angle
camera composite also captured night sky icons including the blue
Pleiades star cluster at the image top and the red Rosette Nebula to
the left of Orion. Famous stars in the frame include Sirius,
Betelgeuse, Rigel and Aldebaran. Orion will appear successively higher
in the sky at sunset during the coming months.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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From
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All on Thu Feb 1 00:08:22 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 1
NGC 1365: Majestic Island Universe
Image Credit & Copyright: Processing - Jean-Baptiste Auroux, Data -
Mike Selby
Explanation: Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majestic island
universe some 200,000 light-years across. Located a mere 60 million
light-years away toward the faint but heated constellation Fornax, NGC
1365 is a dominant member of the well-studied Fornax Cluster of
galaxies
. This sharp color image shows the intense, reddish star forming
regions near the ends of the galaxy's central bar and along its spiral
arms. Seen in fine detail, obscuring dust lanes cut across the galaxy's
bright core. At the core lies a supermassive black hole. Astronomers
think NGC 1365's prominent bar plays a crucial role in the galaxy's
evolution, drawing gas and dust into a star-forming maelstrom and
ultimately feeding material into the central black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Feb 2 01:41:40 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 2
NGC 1893 and the Tadpoles of IC 410
Image Credit & Copyright: Sander de Jong
Explanation: This cosmic view shows off an otherwise faint emission
nebula IC 410, captured under clear Netherlands skies with telescope
and narrowband filters. Above and right of center you can spot two
remarkable inhabitants of the interstellar pond of gas and dust, known
as the tadpoles of IC 410. Partly obscured by foreground dust, the
nebula itself surrounds NGC 1893, a young galactic cluster of stars.
Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago, the
intensely hot, bright cluster stars energize the glowing gas. Globules
composed of denser cooler gas and dust, the tadpoles are around 10
light-years long and are likely sites of ongoing star formation.
Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation their heads are outlined by
bright ridges of ionized gas while their tails trail away from the
cluster's central young stars. IC 410 and embedded NGC 1893 lie some
10,000 light-years away, toward the nebula-rich constellation Auriga.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
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From
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All on Sat Feb 3 00:17:18 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 3
Apollo 14: A View from Antares
Image Credit: Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14, NASA; Mosaic - Eric M. Jones
Explanation: Apollo 14's Lunar Module Antares landed on the Moon on
February 5, 1971. Toward the end of the stay astronaut Ed Mitchell
snapped a series of photos of the lunar surface while looking out a
window, assembled into this detailed mosaic by Apollo Lunar Surface
Journal editor Eric Jones. The view looks across the Fra Mauro
highlands to the northwest of the landing site after the Apollo 14
astronauts had completed their second and final walk on the Moon.
Prominent in the foreground is their Modular Equipment Transporter, a
two-wheeled, rickshaw-like device used to carry tools and samples. Near
the horizon at top center is a 1.5 meter wide boulder dubbed Turtle
rock. In the shallow crater below Turtle rock is the long white handle
of a sampling instrument, thrown there javelin-style by Mitchell.
Mitchell's fellow moonwalker and first American in space, Alan Shepard,
also used a makeshift six iron to hit two golf balls. One of Shepard's
golf balls is just visible as a white spot below Mitchell's javelin.
Tomorrow's picture: cone in the unicorn
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Sun Feb 4 01:31:52 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 4
A starfield is shown that has only a few bright stars. Vertically
through the center is a large reddish brown nebula that has a few stars
embedded. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Cone Nebula from Hubble
Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA - Processing & Licence:
Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Stars are forming in the gigantic dust pillar called the
Cone Nebula. Cones, pillars, and majestic flowing shapes abound in
stellar nurseries where natal clouds of gas and dust are buffeted by
energetic winds from newborn stars. The Cone Nebula, a well-known
example, lies within the bright galactic star-forming region NGC 2264.
The Cone was captured in unprecedented detail in this close-up
composite of several observations from the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space
Telescope. While the Cone Nebula, about 2,500 light-years away in
Monoceros, is around 7 light-years long, the region pictured here
surrounding the cone's blunted head is a mere 2.5 light-years across.
In our neck of the galaxy that distance is just over half way from our
Sun to its nearest stellar neighbors in the Alpha Centauri star system.
The massive star NGC 2264 IRS, seen by Hubble's infrared camera in
1997, is the likely source of the wind sculpting the Cone Nebula and
lies off the top of the image. The Cone Nebula's reddish veil is
produced by dust and glowing hydrogen gas.
Tomorrow's picture: carina's crazy core
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From
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All on Mon Feb 5 01:07:42 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 5
A star field strewn with filaments of dust and gas is shown: the center
of the Carina Nebula. Shown in colors emitted by specific elements, the
frame shows blue gas around the edges and orange and red colored gas in
the center. Dark dust laces the busy frame. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
In the Core of the Carina Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Carlos Taylor
Explanation: What's happening in the core of the Carina Nebula? Stars
are forming, dying, and leaving an impressive tapestry of dark dusty
filaments. The entire Carina Nebula, cataloged as NGC 3372, spans over
300 light years and lies about 8,500 light-years away in the
constellation of Carina. The nebula is composed predominantly of
hydrogen gas, which emits the pervasive red and orange glows seen
mostly in the center of this highly detailed featured image. The blue
glow around the edges is created primarily by a trace amount of glowing
oxygen. Young and massive stars located in the nebula's center expel
dust when they explode in supernovas. Eta Carinae, the most energetic
star in the nebula's center, was one of the brightest stars in the sky
in the 1830s, but then faded dramatically.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: hubble / webb
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From
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All on Tue Feb 6 00:25:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 6
Spiral galaxy NGC 1566 is shown with an image from Hubble primarily in
visible light on the upper left, and an image from Webb in primarily
infrared light on the lower right. A rollover image shows the same
galaxy with the Webb and Hubble parts reversed. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
NGC 1566: A Spiral Galaxy from Webb and Hubble
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Lee (STScI), T.
Williams (Oxford), R. Chandar (UToledo), D. Calzetti (UMass), PHANGS
Team
Explanation: What's different about this galaxy? Very little, which
makes the Spanish Dancer galaxy, NGC 1566, one of the most typical and
photogenic spirals on the sky. There is something different about this
galaxy image, though, because it is a diagonal combination of two
images: one by the Hubble Space Telescope on the upper left, and the
other by the James Webb Space Telescope on the lower right. The Hubble
image was taken in ultraviolet light and highlights the locations of
bright blue stars and dark dust along the galaxy's impressive spiral
arms. In contrast, the Webb image was taken in infrared light and
highlights where the same dust emits more light than it absorbed. In
the rollover image, the other two sides of these images are revealed.
Blinking between the two images shows which stars are particularly hot
because they glow brighter in ultraviolet light, and the difference
between seemingly empty space and infrared-glowing dust.
Image Crunching Opportunity: Take NASA's Astrophoto Challenge
Tomorrow's picture: heart tails
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From
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All on Wed Feb 7 05:49:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 7
Two galaxies are seen colliding the image center. Together, they look
like a classic heart icon but with long tails. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
The Heart Shaped Antennae Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Kent E. Biggs
Explanation: Are these two galaxies really attracted to each other?
Yes, gravitationally, and the result appears as an enormous iconic
heart -- at least for now. Pictured is the pair of galaxies cataloged
as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039,known as the Antennae Galaxies. Because they
are only 60 million light years away, close by intergalactic standards,
the pair is one of the best studied interacting galaxies on the night
sky. Their strong attraction began about a billion years ago when they
passed unusually close to each other. As the two galaxies interact,
their stars rarely collide, but new stars are formed when their
interstellar gases crash together. Some new stars have already formed,
for example, in the long antennae seen extending out from the sides of
the dancing duo. By the time the galaxy merger is complete, likely over
a billion years from now, billions of new stars may have formed.
Open Science: Browse 3,300+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Thu Feb 8 01:19:02 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 8
Globular Star Cluster 47 Tuc
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi, Angus Lau, Tommy Tse
Explanation: Globular star cluster 47 Tucanae is a jewel of the
southern sky. Also known as NGC 104, it roams the halo of our Milky Way
Galaxy along with some 200 other globular star clusters. The second
brightest globular cluster (after Omega Centauri) as seen from planet
Earth, 47 Tuc lies about 13,000 light-years away. It can be spotted
with the naked-eye close on the sky to the Small Magellanic Cloud in
the constellation of the Toucan. The dense cluster is made up of
hundreds of thousands of stars in a volume only about 120 light-years
across. Red giant stars on the outskirts of the cluster are easy to
pick out as yellowish stars in this sharp telescopic portrait. Tightly
packed globular cluster 47 Tuc is also home to a star with the closest
known orbit around a black hole.
Tomorrow's picture: when roses aren't red
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From
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All on Fri Feb 9 00:25:18 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 9
When Roses Aren't Red
Image Credit & Copyright: Tommy Lease (Denver Astronomical Society)
Explanation: Not all roses are red of course, but they can still be
very pretty. Likewise, the beautiful Rosette Nebula and other star
forming regions are often shown in astronomical images with a
predominately red hue, in part because the dominant emission in the
nebula is from hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen's strongest optical emission
line, known as H-alpha, is in the red region of the spectrum. But the
beauty of an emission nebula need not be appreciated in red light
alone. Other atoms in the nebula are also excited by energetic
starlight and produce narrow emission lines as well. In this close-up
view of the Rosette Nebula, narrowband images are mapped into broadband
colors to show emission from Sulfur atoms in red, Hydrogen in green,
and Oxygen in blue. In fact, the scheme of mapping these narrow atomic
emission lines (SHO) into the broader colors (RGB) is adopted in many
Hubble images of emission nebulae. This image spans about 50
light-years across the center of the Rosette Nebula. The nebula lies
some 3,000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros.
Tomorrow's picture: ingenuity
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From
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All on Sat Feb 10 02:37:20 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 10
The Shadow of Ingenuity's Damaged Rotor Blade
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Ingenuity
Explanation: On January 18, 2024, during its 72nd flight in the thin
Martian atmosphere, autonomous Mars Helicopter Ingenuity rose to an
altitude of 12 meters (40 feet) and hovered for 4.5 seconds above the
Red Planet. Ingenuity's 72nd landing was a rough one though. During
descent it lost contact with the Perseverance rover about 1 meter above
the Martian surface. Ingenuity was able to transmit this image after
contact was re-established, showing the shadow of one of its rotor
blades likely damaged during landing. And so, after wildly exceeding
expectations during over 1,000 days of exploring Mars, the
history-making Ingenuity has ended its flight operations. Nicknamed
Ginny, Mars Helicopter Ingenuity became the first aircraft to achieve
powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. Before
launch, a small piece of material from the lower-left wing of the
Wright Brothers Flyer 1, the first aircraft to achieve powered,
controlled flight on planet Earth, was fixed to the underside of
Ingenuity's solar panel.
Tomorrow's picture: the shadow of a rocket plume
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From
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All on Sun Feb 11 01:07:32 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 11
The long plume of a launching rocket is seen on the left side of the
image. The upper part of the plume is bright, while the lower part is
smokey brown. The bright part of the plume is illuminated by the Sun
and casts a long and dark shadow corridor across the image. The shadow
appears to end on a Full Moon. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
Rocket Plume Shadow Points to the Moon
Image Credit: Pat McCracken, NASA
Explanation: Why would the shadow of a rocket's launch plume point
toward the Moon? In early 2001 during a launch of the space shuttle
Atlantis, the Sun, Earth, Moon, and rocket were all properly aligned
for this photogenic coincidence. First, for the space shuttle's plume
to cast a long shadow, the time of day must be either near sunrise or
sunset. Only then will the shadow be its longest and extend all the way
to the horizon. Finally, during a Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are on
opposite sides of the sky. Just after sunset, for example, the Sun is
slightly below the horizon, and, in the other direction, the Moon is
slightly above the horizon. Therefore, as Atlantis blasted off, just
after sunset, its shadow projected away from the Sun toward the
opposite horizon, where the Full Moon happened to be.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: space orbs
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From
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All on Mon Feb 12 00:25:52 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 12
The image shows a dark field filled with stars and a diffuse red nebula
running across horizontally. In the field are two circular objects that
are bright, light colored. The lower object is larger and encircled in
a blue glow. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
HFG1 & Abell 6: Planetary Nebulae
Image Credit & Copyright: Julien Cadena & Mickael Coulon; Text: Natalia
Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)
Explanation: Planetary nebulae like Heckathorn-Fesen-Gull 1 (HFG1) and
Abell 6 in the constellation Cassiopeia are remnants from the last
phase of a medium sized star like our Sun. In spite of their shapes,
planetary nebulae have nothing in common with actual planets. Located
in the bottom left part of the featured photo, HFG1 was created by the
binary star system V664 Cas, which consists of a white dwarf star and a
red giant star. Both stars orbit their center of mass over about half
an Earth day. Traveling with the entire nebula at a speed about 300
times faster than the fastest train on Earth, V664 Cas generates a
bluish arc shaped shock wave. The wave interacts most strongly with the
surrounding interstellar medium in the areas where the arc is
brightest. After roughly 10,000 years, planetary nebulae become
invisible due to a lack of ultraviolet light being emitted by the stars
that create them. Displaying beautiful shapes and structures, planetary
nebulae are highly desired objects for astrophotographers.
Tomorrow's picture: a wolf moon
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From
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All on Tue Feb 13 00:49:42 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 13
A bright full moon is seen in the center of the image. Angular clouds
are seen around the edges which make the moon look like it is either in
the mouth of the wolf, or the eye of a wolf. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
A January Wolf Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Antoni Zegarski
Explanation: Did you see the full moon last month? During every month,
on average, a full moon occurs in the skies over planet Earth. This is
because the Moon takes a month to complete another orbit around our
home planet, goes through all of its phases, and once again has its
entire Earth-facing half lit by reflected sunlight. Many indigenous
cultures give each full moon a name, and this past full moon's names
include the Ice Moon, the Stay at Home Moon, and the Quiet Moon.
Occurring in January on the modern western calendar, several cultures
have also named the most recent full moon the Wolf Moon, in honor of
the famous howling animal. Featured here above the Italian Alps
mountains, this past Wolf Moon was captured in combined long and short
exposure images. The image is striking because, to some, the
surrounding clouds appear as a wolf's mouth ready to swallow the Wolf
Moon, while others see the Moon as a wolf's eye.
Tomorrow's picture: a field of roses
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From
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All on Thu Feb 15 01:08:10 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 15
NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Crouch
Explanation: Shiny NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies
visible, and also one of the dustiest. Some call it the Silver Coin
Galaxy for its appearance in small telescopes, or just the Sculptor
Galaxy for its location within the boundaries of the southern
constellation Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and
astronomer Caroline Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10
million light-years away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253
is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to
our own Local Group of Galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes,
tendrils of dust seem to be rising from its galactic disk laced with
young star clusters and star forming regions in this colorful galaxy
portrait. The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation,
earning NGC 253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also
known to be a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays,
likely due to massive black holes near the galaxy's center.
Tomorrow's picture: volcano world
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All on Fri Feb 16 00:12:32 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 16
Structure in the Tail of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett`
Explanation: Heading for its next perihelion passage on April 21, Comet
12P/Pons-Brooks is growing brighter. The greenish coma of this periodic
Halley-type comet has become relatively easy to observe in small
telescopes. But the bluish ion tail now streaming from the active
comet's coma and buffeted by the solar wind, is faint and difficult to
follow. Still, in this image stacked exposures made on the night of
February 11 reveal the fainter tail's detailed structures. The frame
spans over two degrees across a background of faint stars and
background galaxies toward the northern constellation Lacerta. Of
course Comet 12P's April 21 perihelion passage will be only two weeks
after the April 8 total solar eclipse, putting the comet in planet
Earth's sky along with a totally eclipsed Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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All on Sat Feb 17 00:17:38 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 17
Meteor over the Bay of Naples
Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night)
Explanation: A cosmic dust grain plowing through the upper atmosphere
much faster than a falling leaf created this brilliant meteor streak.
In a serendipitous moment, the sublime night sky view was captured from
the resort island of Capri, in the Bay of Naples, on the evening of
February 8. Looking across the bay, the camera faces northeast toward
the lights of Naples and surrounding cities. Pointing toward the
horizon, the meteor streak by chance ends above the silhouette of Mount
Vesuvius. One of planet Earth's most famous volcanos, an eruption of
Mount Vesuvius destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 AD.
Tomorrow's picture: nearly perfect
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From
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All on Mon Feb 19 06:03:08 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 19
Looking Sideways from the Parker Solar Probe
Video Credit: NASA, JHUAPL, Naval Research Lab, Parker Solar Probe;
Processing: Avi Solomon; h/t: Richard Petarius III;
Music: Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, Second Movement; Music Credit:
Wikimedia Commons
Explanation: What's happening near the Sun? To help find out, NASA
launched the robotic Parker Solar Probe (PSP) to investigate regions
closer to the Sun than ever before. The PSP's looping orbit brings it
nearer to the Sun each time around -- every few months. The featured
time-lapse video shows the view looking sideways from behind PSP's Sun
shield during its 16th approach to the Sun last year -- from well
within the orbit of Mercury. The PSP's Wide Field Imager for Solar
Probe (WISPR) cameras took the images over eleven days, but they are
digitally compressed here into about one minute video. The waving of
the solar corona is visible, as is a coronal mass ejection, with stars,
planets, and even the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy streaming by
in the background as the PSP orbits the Sun. PSP has found the solar
neighborhood to be surprisingly complex and to include switchbacks --
times when the Sun's magnetic field briefly reverses itself.
Tomorrow's picture: galactic pearls
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All on Tue Feb 20 00:37:50 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 20
A distorted galaxy is shown with a string of stars trailing off on the
left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
AM1054: Stars Form as Galaxies Collide
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI; Processing: J. English (U. Manitoba);
Science: M. Rodruck (Penn State U. & Randolph-Macon C.) et al.;
Text: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba).
Explanation: When galaxies collide, how many stars are born? For
AM1054-325, featured here in a recently released image by the Hubble
Space Telescope, the answer is millions. Instead of stars being
destroyed as galaxy AM1054-325 and a nearby galaxy circle each other,
their gravity and motion has ignited stellar creation. Star formation
occurs rapidly in the gaseous debris stretching from AM1054-325CÇÖs
yellowish body due to the other galaxyCÇÖs gravitational pull. Hydrogen
gas surrounding newborn stars glows pink. Bright infant stars shine
blue and cluster together in compact nurseries of thousands to millions
of stars. AM1054-325 possesses over 100 of these intense-blue, dot-like
star clusters, some appearing like a string of pearls. Analyzing
ultraviolet light helped determine that most of these stars are less
than 10 million years old: stellar babies. Many of these nurseries may
grow up to be globular star clusters, while the bundle of young stars
at the bottom tip may even detach and form a small galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: bigger bird
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All on Wed Feb 21 00:03:00 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 21
A red nebula in a dark starry sky is seen above a rocky peak. The
nebula appears similar to a flying bird. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.
Seagull Nebula over Pinnacles' Peak
Image Credit & Copyright: Dheera Venkatraman
Explanation: The bird is bigger than the peak. Nicknamed for its avian
shape, the Seagull Nebula is an emission nebula on the night sky that
is vast, spanning an angle over five times the diameter of the full
moon and over 200 light years. The head of the nebula is catalogued as
IC 2177, and the star cluster under its right wing is catalogued as NGC
2343. Consisting of mostly red-glowing hydrogen gas, the Seagull Nebula
incorporates some dust lanes and is forming stars. The peak over which
this Seagull seems to soar occurs at Pinnacles National Park in
California, USA. The featured image is a composite of long exposure
images of the background sky and short exposure images of the
foreground, all taken consecutively with the same camera and from the
same location.
Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Feb 22 00:11:28 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 22
A View Toward M106
Image Credit & Copyright: Kyunghoon Lim
Explanation: Big, bright, beautiful spiral, Messier 106 dominates this
cosmic vista. The nearly two degree wide telescopic field of view looks
toward the well-trained constellation Canes Venatici, near the handle
of the Big Dipper. Also known as NGC 4258, M106 is about 80,000
light-years across and 23.5 million light-years away, the largest
member of the Canes II galaxy group. For a far far away galaxy, the
distance to M106 is well-known in part because it can be directly
measured by tracking this galaxy's remarkable maser, or microwave laser
emission. Very rare but naturally occurring, the maser emission is
produced by water molecules in molecular clouds orbiting its active
galactic nucleus. Another prominent spiral galaxy on the scene, viewed
nearly edge-on, is NGC 4217 below and right of M106. The distance to
NGC 4217 is much less well-known, estimated to be about 60 million
light-years, but the bright spiky stars are in the foreground, well
inside our own Milky Way galaxy.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Feb 23 03:17:40 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 23
The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave
Image Credit & Copyright: Helge Buesing
Explanation: This supernova shock wave plows through interstellar space
at over 500,000 kilometers per hour. Centered and moving upward in the
sharply detailed color composite its thin, bright, braided filaments
are actually long ripples in a cosmic sheet of glowing gas seen almost
edge-on. Discovered in the 1840s by Sir John Herschel, the
narrow-looking nebula is sometimes known as Herschel's Ray. Cataloged
as NGC 2736, its pointed appearance suggests its modern popular name,
the Pencil Nebula. The Pencil Nebula is about 800 light-years away.
Nearly 5 light-years long it represents only a small part of the Vela
supernova remnant though. The enormous Vela remnant itself is around
100 light-years in diameter, the expanding debris cloud of a star that
was seen to explode about 11,000 years ago. Initially, the section of
the shock wave seen as the Pencil nebula was moving at millions of
kilometers per hour but has slowed considerably, sweeping up
surrounding interstellar material.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sat Feb 24 00:06:30 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 24
To the Moon
Image Credit: Intuitive Machines
Explanation: Intuitive Machines' robotic lander Odysseus has
accomplished the first U.S. landing on the Moon since the Apollo 17
mission in 1972. Launched on a SpaceX rocket on February 15, the phone
booth sized lander reached lunar orbit on the 21st and touched down on
the lunar surface at 6:23 pm ET on February 22nd. Its landing region is
about 300 kilometers north of the Moon's south pole, near a crater
designated Malapert A. The lander is presently collecting solar power
and transmitting data back to the Intuitive Machines' mission control
center in Houston. The mission marks the first commercial uncrewed
landing on the Moon. Prior to landing, OdysseusCÇÖ camera captured this
extreme wide angle image (landing legs visible at right) as it flew
over Schomberger crater some 200 kilometers from its landing site.
Odysseus was still about 10 kilometers above the lunar surface.
Tomorrow's picture: Phoenix over Iceland
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From
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All on Sun Feb 25 00:32:42 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 25
A green aurora fills a star filled sky. A mountain and a lake are in
the foreground. The aurora may resemble, to some, a flying or rising
Phoenix. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
A Phoenix Aurora over Iceland
Image Credit & Copyright: Hallgrimur P. Helgason; Rollover Annotation:
Judy Schmidt
Explanation: All of the other aurora watchers had gone home. By 3:30 am
in Iceland, on a quiet September night, much of that night's auroras
had died down. Suddenly, unexpectedly, a new burst of particles
streamed down from space, lighting up the Earth's atmosphere once
again. This time, surprisingly, pareidoliacally, the night lit up with
an amazing shape reminiscent of a giant phoenix. With camera equipment
at the ready, two quick sky images were taken, followed immediately by
a third of the land. The mountain in the background is Helgafell, while
the small foreground river is called Kald+í, both located about 30
kilometers north of Iceland's capital Reykjav+¡k. Seasoned skywatchers
will note that just above the mountain, toward the left, is the
constellation of Orion, while the Pleiades star cluster is also visible
just above the frame center. The 2016 aurora, which lasted only a
minute and was soon gone forever -- would possibly be dismissed as a
fanciful fable -- were it not captured in the featured,
digitally-composed, image mosaic.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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From
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All on Mon Feb 26 00:48:46 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 26
Martian Moon Eclipses Martian Moon
Video Credit: ESA, DLR, FU Berlin, Mars Express; Processing & CC BY 2.0
License: Andrea Luck
Explanation: What if there were two moons in the sky -- and they
eclipsed each other? This happens on Mars. The featured video shows a
version of this unusual eclipse from space. Pictured are the two moons
of Mars: the larger Phobos, which orbits closer to the red planet, and
the smaller Deimos, which orbits further out. The sequence was captured
last year by the ESACÇÖs Mars Express, a robotic spacecraft that itself
orbits Mars. A similar eclipse is visible from the Martian surface,
although very rarely. From the surface, though, the closer moon Phobos
would appear to pass in front of farther moon Deimos. Most oddly, both
moons orbit Mars so close that they appear to move backwards when
compared to Earth's Moon from Earth, both rising in west and setting in
the east. Phobos, the closer moon, orbits so close and so fast that it
passes nearly overhead about three times a day.
Tomorrow's picture: spaghetti star
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From
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All on Tue Feb 27 00:19:58 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 27
A large filamentary nebula is shown dominated by red glow but with bits
of blue on the lower left. The nebula is shown in a dense starfield
surrounded by other faint red-glowing nebulae. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Supernova Remnant Simeis 147
Image Credit & Copyright: St+¬phane Vetter (Nuits sacr+¬es)
Explanation: It's easy to get lost following the intricate, looping,
and twisting filaments of supernova remnant Simeis 147. Also cataloged
as Sharpless 2-240, the filamentary nebula goes by the popular nickname
the Spaghetti Nebula. Seen toward the boundary of the constellations of
the Bull (Taurus) and the Charioteer (Auriga), the impressive gas
structure covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky, equivalent to 6 full
moons. That's about 150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud's
estimated distance of 3,000 light-years. This composite image includes
data taken through narrow-band filters isolating emission from hydrogen
(red) and oxygen (blue) glowing gas. The supernova remnant has an
estimated age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from this massive
stellar explosion first reached the Earth when woolly mammoths roamed
free. Besides the expanding remnant, this cosmic catastrophe left
behind a pulsar: a spinning neutron star that is the remnant of the
original star's core.
Tomorrow's picture: how night falls
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From
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All on Wed Feb 28 10:10:00 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 28
A rocky shoreline is shown with land on the right and water on the
left. Above is a sky that shows unusually pixelated and colored
vertical bands. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Shades of Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile
Explanation: How does the sky turn dark at night? In stages, and with
different characteristic colors rising from the horizon. The featured
image shows, left to right, increasingly late twilight times after
sunset in 20 different vertical bands. The picture was taken last month
in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy, in the direction opposite the Sun. On the
far left is the pre-sunset upper sky. Toward the right, prominent bands
include the Belt of Venus, the Blue Band, the Horizon Band, and the Red
Band. As the dark shadow of the Earth rises, the colors in these bands
are caused by direct sunlight reflecting from air and aerosols in the
Earth's atmosphere, multiple reflections sometimes involving a reddened
sunset, and refraction. In practice, these bands can be diffuse and
hard to discern, and their colors can depend on colors near the setting
Sun. Finally, the Sun completely sets and the sky becomes dark. Don't
despair -- the whole thing will happen in reverse when the Sun rises
again in the morning.
Tomorrow's picture: extra February
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NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Thu Feb 29 00:30:44 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 February 29
Julius Caesar and Leap Days
Image Credit & License: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., Wikimedia
Explanation: In 46 BC Julius Caesar reformed the calendar system. Based
on advice by astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria, the Julian calendar
included one leap day every four years to account for the fact that an
Earth year is slightly more than 365 days long. In modern terms, the
time it takes for the planet to orbit the Sun once is 365.24219 mean
solar days. So if calendar years contained exactly 365 days they would
drift from the Earth's year by about 1 day every 4 years and eventually
July (named for Julius Caesar himself) would occur during the northern
hemisphere winter. By adopting a leap year with an extra day every four
years, the Julian calendar year would drift much less. In 1582 Pope
Gregory XIII provided the further fine-tuning that leap days should not
occur in years ending in 00, unless divisible by 400. This Gregorian
Calendar system is the one in wide use today. Of course, tidal friction
in the Earth-Moon system slows Earth's rotation and gradually lengthens
the day by about 1.4 milliseconds per century. That means that leap
days like today will not be necessary, about 4 million years from now.
This Roman silver coin, a denarius, depicts Julius Caesar (left) and
Venus, Roman goddess of love.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Fri Mar 1 01:25:16 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 1
Odysseus and The Dish
Image Credit & Copyright: John Sarkissian (ATNF Parkes Radio
Observatory)
Explanation: Murriyang, the CSIROCÇÖs Parkes radio telescope points
toward a nearly Full Moon in this image from New South Wales,
Australia, planet Earth. Bathed in moonlight, the 64 meter dish is
receiving weak radio signals from Odysseus, following the robotic
lander's February 22 touch down some 300 kilometers north of the Moon's
south pole. The landing of Odysseus represents the first U.S. landing
on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Odysseus' tilted
orientation on the lunar surface prevents its high-gain antenna from
pointing toward Earth. But the sensitivity of the large, steerable
Parkes dish significantly improved the reception of data from the
experiments delivered to the lunar surface by the robotic moon lander.
Of course the Parkes Radio Telescope dish became famous for its
superior lunar television reception during the Apollo 11 mission in
1969, allowing denizens of planet Earth to watch the first moonwalk.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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From
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All on Sun Mar 3 00:52:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 3
A Total Solar Eclipse Close-Up in Real Time
Video Credit & Copyright: Jun Ho Oh (KAIST, HuboLab);
Music: Flowing Air by Mattia Vlad Morleo
Explanation: How would you feel if the Sun disappeared? Many eclipse
watchers across the USA surprised themselves in 2017 with the awe that
they felt and the exclamations that they made as the Sun momentarily
disappeared behind the Moon. Perhaps expecting just a brief moment of
dusk, the spectacle of unusually rapid darkness, breathtakingly bright
glowing beads around the Moon's edge, shockingly pink solar
prominences, and a strangely detailed corona stretching across the sky
caught many a curmudgeon by surprise. Many of these attributes were
captured in the featured real-time, three-minute video of 2017's total
solar eclipse. The video frames were acquired in Warm Springs, Oregon
with equipment specifically designed by Jun Ho Oh to track a close-up
of the Sun's periphery during eclipse. As the video ends, the Sun is
seen being reborn on the other side of the Moon from where it departed.
Next month, on April 8th, a new total solar eclipse will be visible in
a thin band across North America.
Tomorrow's picture: strange horizon
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From
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All on Tue Mar 5 01:19:32 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 5
A complex jumble of colorful gas and dark dust dominate a bright field
of stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
NGC 2170: Angel Nebula Abstract Art
Image Credit & Copyright: David Moulton
Explanation: Is this a painting or a photograph? In this celestial
abstract art composed with a cosmic brush, dusty nebula NGC 2170, also
known as the Angel Nebula, shines just above the image center.
Reflecting the light of nearby hot stars, NGC 2170 is joined by other
bluish reflection nebulae, a red emission region, many dark absorption
nebulae, and a backdrop of colorful stars. Like the common household
items that abstract painters often choose for their subjects, the
clouds of gas, dust, and hot stars featured here are also commonly
found in a setting like this one -- a massive, star-forming molecular
cloud in the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). The giant
molecular cloud, Mon R2, is impressively close, estimated to be only
2,400 light-years or so away. At that distance, this canvas would be
over 60 light-years across.
Tomorrow's picture: star plane
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From
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All on Wed Mar 6 01:08:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 6
A starfield is shown with an unusual horizontal line segment running
throug the middle. The segment is an edge-on galaxy and many brown dust
filaments are visible. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
M102: Edge-on Disk Galaxy
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: Ehsan Ebahimian
Explanation: What kind of celestial object is this? A relatively normal
galaxy -- but seen from its edge. Many disk galaxies are actually just
as thin as NGC 5866, the Spindle galaxy, pictured here, but are not
seen edge-on from our vantage point. A perhaps more familiar galaxy
seen edge-on is our own Milky Way galaxy. Also cataloged as M102, the
Spindle galaxy has numerous and complex dust lanes appearing dark and
red, while many of the bright stars in the disk give it a more blue
underlying hue. The blue disk of young stars can be seen in this Hubble
image extending past the dust in the extremely thin galactic plane.
There is evidence that the Spindle galaxy has cannibalized smaller
galaxies over the past billion years or so, including multiple streams
of faint stars, dark dust that extends away from the main galactic
plane, and a surrounding group of galaxies (not shown). In general,
many disk galaxies become thin because the gas that forms them collides
with itself as it rotates about the gravitational center. The Spindle
galaxy lies about 50 million light years distant toward the
constellation of the Dragon (Draco).
Tomorrow's picture: not a distant galactic nebula
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All on Thu Mar 7 01:00:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 7
The Crew-8 Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Seeley
Explanation: Not the James Webb Space Telescope's latest view of a
distant galactic nebula, this cloud of gas and dust dazzled spacecoast
skygazers on March 3. The telephoto snapshot was taken minutes after
the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on the SpaceX Crew-8 mission, to the
International Space Station. It captures plumes and exhaust from the
separated first and second stage, a drifting Rorschach pattern in dark
evening skies. The bright spot near bottom center within the stunning
terrestrial nebulosity is the second stage engine firing to carry 4
humans to space in the Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour. In sharp
silhouette just above it is the Falcon 9 first stage booster orienting
itself for return to a landing zone at Cape Canaveral, planet Earth.
This reuseable first stage booster was making its first flight. But the
Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule has flown humans to low Earth orbit and
back again 4 times before. Endeavour, as a name for a spacecraft, has
also seen reuse, christening retired Space Shuttle Endeavour and the
Apollo 15 command module.
Tomorrow's picture: distant galactic nebula
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From
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All on Fri Mar 8 00:29:18 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 8
The Tarantula Zone
Image Credit & Copyright: Processing - Robert Gendler
Data - Hubble Tarantula Treasury, European Southern Observatory, James
Webb Space Telescope, Amateur Sources
Explanation: The Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus, is more
than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant star forming region
within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 180
thousand light-years away, it's the largest, most violent star forming
region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies. The cosmic arachnid
sprawls across this magnificent view, an assembly of image data from
large space- and ground-based telescopes. Within the Tarantula (NGC
2070), intense radiation, stellar winds, and supernova shocks from the
central young cluster of massive stars cataloged as R136 energize the
nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments. Around the Tarantula are
other star forming regions with young star clusters, filaments, and
blown-out bubble-shaped clouds. In fact, the frame includes the site of
the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A, at lower right. The
rich field of view spans about 2 degrees or 4 full moons in the
southern constellation Dorado. But were the Tarantula Nebula closer,
say 1,500 light-years distant like the Milky Way's own star forming
Orion Nebula, it would take up half the sky.
Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sat Mar 9 00:17:30 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 9
Comet Pons-Brooks in Northern Spring
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Hor+ílek / Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation: As spring approaches for northern skygazers Comet
12P/Pons-Brooks is growing brighter. Currently visible with small
telescopes and binoculars the Halley-type comet could reach naked eye
visibility in the coming weeks. Seen despite a foggy atmosphere, the
comet's green coma and long tail hover near the horizon, in this
well-composed deep night skyscape from Revuca, Slovakia recorded on
March 5. In the sky above the Halley-type comet, the Andromeda (right)
and Triangulum galaxies flank bright star Mirach, beta star of the
constellation Andromeda. The two spiral galaxies are members of our
local galaxy group and over 2.5 million light-years distant. Comet
Pons-Brooks is a periodic visitor to the inner Solar System and less
than 14 light-minutes away. Reaching its perihelion on April 21, this
comet should be visible in the sky during the April 8 total solar
eclipse.
Tomorrow's picture: at the End of the World
__________________________________________________________________
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NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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From
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All on Sun Mar 10 00:12:18 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 10
A field of snow leads up to a dark circle. Light rays eminate from this
circle. In front, standing on the snow field is a person and to the
left is a folding chair and a bag. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
A Total Eclipse at the End of the World
Image Credit & Copyright: Fred Bruenjes (moonglow.net)
Explanation: Would you go to the end of the world to see a total
eclipse of the Sun? If you did, would you be surprised to find someone
else there already? In 2003, the Sun, the Moon, Antarctica, and two
photographers all lined up in Antarctica during an unusual total solar
eclipse. Even given the extreme location, a group of enthusiastic
eclipse chasers ventured near the bottom of the world to experience the
surreal momentary disappearance of the Sun behind the Moon. One of the
treasures collected was the featured picture -- a composite of four
separate images digitally combined to realistically simulate how the
adaptive human eye saw the eclipse. As the image was taken, both the
Moon and the Sun peeked together over an Antarctic ridge. In the sudden
darkness, the magnificent corona of the Sun became visible around the
Moon. Quite by accident, another photographer was caught in one of the
images checking his video camera. Visible to his left are an equipment
bag and a collapsible chair. A more easily visible solar eclipse will
occur in just under four weeks and be visible from a long, thin swath
of North America.
Tomorrow's picture: Full Plankton Moon
__________________________________________________________________
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From
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All on Mon Mar 11 00:37:50 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 11
Several images of a full moon setting are superposed. The moon images
are nearly white near the top, but turn orange and then are covered by
low clouds near the horizon. Unusually, the setting moon images line up
almost vertically. In the foreground is a beach with waves illuminated
by blue-glowing plankton. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
A Full Plankton Moon
Credit & Copyright: Petr Hor+ílek / Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation: What glows in the night? This night featured a combination
of usual and unusual glows. Perhaps the most usual glow was from the
Moon, a potentially familiar object. The full Moon's nearly vertical
descent results from the observer being near Earth's equator. As the
Moon sets, air and aerosols in Earth's atmosphere preferentially
scatter out blue light, making the Sun-reflecting satellite appear
reddish when near the horizon. Perhaps the most unusual glow was from
the bioluminescent plankton, likely less familiar objects. These
microscopic creatures glow blue, it is thought, primarily to surprise
and deter predators. In this case, the glow was caused primarily by
plankton-containing waves crashing onto the beach. The image was taken
on Soneva Fushi Island, Maldives just over one year ago.
Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: horizon spiral
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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From
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All on Tue Mar 12 00:58:56 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 12
A field of snow is shown, lined with trees along the back. Above the
horizon is an unusual white spiral cloud. Stars dot the background, and
faint green and red aurora are also visible. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.
A Galaxy-Shaped Rocket Exhaust Spiral
Credit & Copyright: Seung Hye Yang
Explanation: What's that over the horizon? What may look like a
strangely nearby galaxy is actually a normal rocket's exhaust plume --
but unusually backlit. Although the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched
from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, its burned propellant was visible
over a much wider area, with the featured photograph being taken from
Akureyri, Iceland. The huge spaceship was lifted off a week ago, and
the resulting spectacle was captured soon afterward with a single
10-second smartphone exposure, before it quickly dissipated. Like
noctilucent clouds, the plume's brightness is caused by the Twilight
Effect, where an object is high enough to be illuminated by the
twilight Sun, even when the observer on the ground experiences the
darkness of night. The spiral shape is likely caused by high winds
pushing the expelled gas into the shape of a corkscrew, which, when
seen along the trajectory, looks like a spiral. Stars and faint green
and red aurora appear in the background of this extraordinary image.
Tomorrow's picture: bird in red and blue
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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All on Wed Mar 13 00:38:04 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 13
A starfield features a large nebula, mostly red, partly blue, which
seems to have the shape of a bird. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
The Seagull Nebula
Credit & Copyright: Gianni Lacroce
Explanation: A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a
bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its
popular moniker: the Seagull Nebula. This portrait of the cosmic bird
covers a 1.6-degree wide swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near
the direction of Sirius, the alpha star of the constellation of the Big
Dog (Canis Major). Of course, the region includes objects with other
catalog designations: notably NGC 2327, a compact, dusty emission and
reflection nebula with an embedded massive star that forms the bird's
head. Dominated by the reddish glow of atomic hydrogen, the complex of
gas and dust clouds with bright young stars spans over 100 light-years
at an estimated 3,800 light-year distance.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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All on Fri Mar 15 00:39:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 15
Portrait of NGC 1055
Image Credit & Copyright: Dave Doctor
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member
of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the
aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island
universe spans over 100,000 light-years, a little larger than our own
Milky Way galaxy. The colorful, spiky stars decorating this cosmic
portrait of NGC 1055 are in the foreground, well within the Milky Way.
But the telltale pinkish star forming regions are scattered through
winding dust lanes along the distant galaxy's thin disk. With a
smattering of even more distant background galaxies, the deep image
also reveals a boxy halo that extends far above and below the central
bulge and disk of NGC 1055. The halo itself is laced with faint, narrow
structures, and could represent the mixed and spread out debris from a
satellite galaxy disrupted by the larger spiral some 10 billion years
ago.
Tomorrow's picture: an extremely large telescope
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices
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All on Sat Mar 16 00:46:40 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 16
ELT and the Milky Way
Image Credit & License: European Southern Observatory - Courtesy: Jens
Scheidtmann
Explanation: The southern winter Milky Way sprawls across this night
skyscape. Looking due south, the webcam view was recorded near local
midnight on March 11 in dry, dark skies over the central Chilean
Atacama desert. Seen below the graceful arc of diffuse starlight are
satellite galaxies of the mighty Milky Way, also known as the Large and
Small Magellanic clouds. In the foreground is the site of the European
Southern Observatory's 40-metre-class Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
Under construction at the 3000 metre summit of Cerro Armazones, the ELT
is on track to become planet Earth's biggest Eye on the Sky.
Tomorrow's picture: when galaxies collide
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices
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All on Sun Mar 17 01:22:04 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 17
A blue spiral galaxy appears to be colliding -- and possibly moving
through -- a dusty brown galaxy. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
NGC 7714: Starburst after Galaxy Collision
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive;
Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl
Explanation: Is this galaxy jumping through a giant ring of stars?
Probably not. Although the precise dynamics behind the featured image
is yet unclear, what is clear is that the pictured galaxy, NGC 7714,
has been stretched and distorted by a recent collision with a
neighboring galaxy. This smaller neighbor, NGC 7715, situated off to
the left of the frame, is thought to have charged right through NGC
7714. Observations indicate that the golden ring pictured is composed
of millions of older Sun-like stars that are likely co-moving with the
interior bluer stars. In contrast, the bright center of NGC 7714
appears to be undergoing a burst of new star formation. The featured
image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. NGC 7714 is located
about 130 million light years away toward the constellation of the Two
Fish (Pisces). The interactions between these galaxies likely started
about 150 million years ago and should continue for several hundred
million years more, after which a single central galaxy may result.
Tomorrow's picture: spiraling comet
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
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All on Mon Mar 18 00:26:14 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 18
A comet is pictured with a really long and wavy ion tail. The front of
the comet -- its coma -- appears to be a spiral. The coma is green, the
tail is faint blue, and part of the swirl is red. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.
Comet Pons-Brooks' Swirling Coma
Image Credit & Copyright: Jan Erik Vallestad
Explanation: A bright comet will be visible during next month's total
solar eclipse. This very unusual coincidence occurs because Comet
12P/Pons-Brooks's return to the inner Solar System places it by chance
only 25 degrees away from the Sun during Earth's April 8 total solar
eclipse. Currently the comet is just on the edge of visibility to the
unaided eye, best visible with binoculars in the early evening sky
toward the constellation of the Fish (Pisces). Comet Pons-Brooks,
though, is putting on quite a show for deep camera images even now. The
featured image is a composite of three very specific colors, showing
the comet's ever-changing ion tail in light blue, its outer coma in
green, and highlights some red-glowing gas around the coma in a spiral.
The spiral is thought to be caused by gas being expelled by the slowly
rotating nucleus of the giant iceberg comet. Although it is always
difficult to predict the future brightness of comets, Comet Pons-Brook
has been particularly prone to outbursts, making it even more difficult
to predict how bright it will actually be as the Moon moves in front of
the Sun on April 8.
Total Eclipse Info: 2024 Total Solar Eclipse from NASA
Tomorrow's picture: sunset road
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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All on Wed Mar 20 00:17:28 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 20
Two large galaxies are pictured. On the left is a distorted spiral
galaxy, while on the right is a relatively featureless yellow disk
galaxy. Together, these galaxies may look, to some, like a pair of
eyes. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
The Eyes in Markarian's Galaxy Chain
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby
Explanation: Across the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster lies a string
of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. Prominent in Markarian's Chain
are these two interacting galaxies, NGC 4438 (left) and NGC 4435 - also
known as The Eyes. About 50 million light-years away, the two galaxies
appear to be about 100,000 light-years apart in this sharp close-up,
but have likely approached to within an estimated 16,000 light-years of
each other in their cosmic past. Gravitational tides from the close
encounter have ripped away at their stars, gas, and dust. The more
massive NGC 4438 managed to hold on to much of the material torn out in
the collision, while material from the smaller NGC 4435 was more easily
lost. The remarkably deep image of this crowded region of the universe
also includes many more distant background galaxies.
Tomorrow's picture: three galaxies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
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All on Thu Mar 21 04:33:08 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 21
The Leo Trio
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cannistra
Explanation: This popular group leaps into the early evening sky around
the March equinox and the northern hemisphere spring. Famous as the Leo
Triplet, the three magnificent galaxies found in the prominent
constellation Leo gather here in one astronomical field of view. Crowd
pleasers when imaged with even modest telescopes, they can be
introduced individually as NGC 3628 (left), M66 (bottom right), and M65
(top). All three are large spiral galaxies but tend to look dissimilar,
because their galactic disks are tilted at different angles to our line
of sight. NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy, is temptingly
seen edge-on, with obscuring dust lanes cutting across its puffy
galactic plane. The disks of M66 and M65 are both inclined enough to
show off their spiral structure. Gravitational interactions between
galaxies in the group have left telltale signs, including the tidal
tails and warped, inflated disk of NGC 3628 and the drawn out spiral
arms of M66. This gorgeous view of the region spans over 1 degree (two
full moons) on the sky in a frame that covers over half a million
light-years at the trio's estimated distance of 30 million light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices
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All on Fri Mar 22 01:34:20 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 22
Phobos: Moon over Mars
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Zolt Levay (STScI) - Acknowledgment: J.Bell
(ASU) and M.Wolff (SSI)
Explanation: A tiny moon with a scary name, Phobos emerges from behind
the Red Planet in this timelapse sequence from the Earth-orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope. Over 22 minutes the 13 separate exposures were
captured near the 2016 closest approach of Mars to planet Earth.
Martians have to look to the west to watch Phobos rise, though. The
small moon is closer to its parent planet than any other moon in the
Solar System, about 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) above the Martian
surface. It completes one orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes. That's
faster than a Mars rotation, which corresponds to about 24 hours and 40
minutes. So on Mars, Phobos can be seen to rise above the western
horizon 3 times a day. Still, Phobos is doomed.
Tomorrow's picture: Ares 3 Landing Site
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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All on Sat Mar 23 07:09:44 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 23
Ares 3 Landing Site: The Martian Revisited
HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA
Explanation: This close-up from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's
HiRISE camera shows weathered craters and windblown deposits in
southern Acidalia Planitia. A striking shade of blue in standard HiRISE
image colors, to the human eye the area would probably look grey or a
little reddish. But human eyes have not gazed across this terrain,
unless you count the eyes of NASA astronauts in the scifi novel The
Martian by Andy Weir. The novel chronicles the adventures of Mark
Watney, an astronaut stranded at the fictional Mars mission Ares 3
landing site corresponding to the coordinates of this cropped HiRISE
frame. For scale Watney's 6-meter-diameter habitat at the site would be
about 1/10th the diameter of the large crater. Of course, the Ares 3
landing coordinates are only about 800 kilometers north of the (real
life) Carl Sagan Memorial Station, the 1997 Pathfinder landing site.
Tomorrow's picture: looking back
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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All on Sun Mar 24 01:59:46 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 24
Part of the the Earth is pictured with blue seas and white clouds. On
the upper left is a deep space dark background. On the Earth a large
dark spot is apparent. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.
Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth
Image Credit: Mir 27 Crew; Copyright: CNES
Explanation: Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse.
The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth. This shadow
moved across the Earth at nearly 2000 kilometers per hour. Only
observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse
- others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears
blocked by the Moon. This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11
solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space
station. The two bright spots that appear on the upper left are thought
to be Jupiter and Saturn. Mir was deorbited in a controlled re-entry in
2001. A new solar eclipse will occur over North America in about two
weeks.
Tomorrow's picture: open see
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
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NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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All on Mon Mar 25 00:18:58 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 25
Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit: X-ray (blue): Chandra (NASA) & ROSAT (ESA); Optical
(red): DSS (NSF); Radio (green): VLA (NRAO, NSF); Sonification: NASA,
CXC, SAO, K. Arcand; SYSTEM Sounds: M. Russo, A. Santaguida)
Explanation: What does a supernova remnant sound like? Although sound
is a compression wave in matter and does not carry into empty space,
interpretive sound can help listeners appreciate and understand a
visual image of a supernova remnant in a new way. Recently, the
Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) has been sonified quite creatively. In the
featured sound-enhanced video, when an imaginary line passes over a
star, the sound of a drop falling into water is played, a sound
particularly relevant to the nebula's aquatic namesake. Additionally,
when the descending line crosses gas that glows red, a low tone is
played, while green sounds a middle tone, and blue produces a tone with
a relatively high pitch. Light from the supernova that created the
Jellyfish Nebula left approximately 35,000 years ago, when humanity was
in the stone age. The nebula will slowly disperse over the next million
years, although the explosion also created a dense neutron star which
will remain indefinitely.
Tomorrow's picture: comet tails
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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All on Tue Mar 26 00:04:36 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 26
A large comet is shown with its head near the right and a light blue
flowing ion tail flowing across into the rest of the image. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.
Comet Pons-Brooks' Ion Tail
Image Credit & License: James Peirce
Explanation: Comet Pons-Brooks has quite a tail to tell. First
discovered in 1385, this erupting dirty snowball loops back into our
inner Solar System every 71 years and, this time, is starting to put on
a show for deep camera exposures. In the featured picture, the light
blue stream is the ion tail which consists of charged molecules pushed
away from the comet's nucleus by the solar wind. The ion tail, shaped
by the Sun's wind and the comet's core's rotation, always points away
from the Sun. Comet 12P/PonsCÇôBrooks is now visible with binoculars in
the early evening sky toward the northwest, moving perceptibly from
night to night. The frequently flaring comet is expected to continue to
brighten, on the average, and may even become visible with the unaided
eye -- during the day -- to those in the path of totality of the coming
solar eclipse on April 8.
Tomorrow's picture: thousands of galaxies
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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All on Wed Mar 27 00:50:02 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 27
A picture filled with fuzzy yellow spots is presented. All of the
yellow spots are galaxies, and most of the galaxies are members of the
Coma Cluster of Galaxies. The two bright blue dots are foreground stars
in our own Milky Way Galaxy. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.
The Coma Cluster of Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Joe Hua
Explanation: Almost every object in the featured photograph is a
galaxy. The Coma Cluster of Galaxies pictured here is one of the
densest clusters known - it contains thousands of galaxies. Each of
these galaxies houses billions of stars - just as our own Milky Way
Galaxy does. Although nearby when compared to most other clusters,
light from the Coma Cluster still takes hundreds of millions of years
to reach us. In fact, the Coma Cluster is so big it takes light
millions of years just to go from one side to the other. Most galaxies
in Coma and other clusters are ellipticals, while most galaxies outside
of clusters are spirals. The nature of Coma's X-ray emission is still
being investigated.
Tomorrow's picture: millions of stars
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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All on Thu Mar 28 00:10:44 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 28
Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri
Image Credit & Copyright: Massimo Di Fusco and Mirco Turra
Explanation: Globular star cluster Omega Centauri, also known as NGC
5139, is 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is packed with about 10
million stars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150
light-years in diameter. It's the largest and brightest of 200 or so
known globular clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.
Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age and
composition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence of different
stellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances. In
fact, Omega Cen may be the remnant core of a small galaxy merging with
the Milky Way. With a yellowish hue, Omega Centauri's red giant stars
are easy to pick out in this sharp, color telescopic view.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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All on Fri Mar 29 03:54:02 2024
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.
2024 March 29
Galileo's Europa
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SETI Institute, Cynthia Phillips,
Marty Valenti
Explanation: Looping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the
Galileo spacecraft recorded stunning views of Europa and uncovered
evidence that the moon's icy surface likely hides a deep, global ocean.
Galileo's Europa image data has been remastered here, with improved
calibrations to produce a color image approximating what the human eye
might see. Europa's long curving fractures hint at the subsurface
liquid water. The tidal flexing the large moon experiences in its
elliptical orbit around Jupiter supplies the energy to keep the ocean
liquid. But more tantalizing is the possibility that even in the
absence of sunlight that process could also supply the energy to
support life, making Europa one of the best places to look for life
beyond Earth. The Juno spacecraft currently in Jovian orbit has also
made repeated flybys of the water world, returning images along with
data exploring Europa's habitability. This October will see the launch
of the NASA's Europa Clipper on a voyage of exploration. The spacecraft
will make nearly 50 flybys, approaching to within 25 kilometers of
Europa's icy surface.
Tomorrow's picture: Ptolemy's astronomy
__________________________________________________________________
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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