Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the 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 July 8
A graphic illustrates hundreds of possible exoplanets, with blue
drawings of planets in the middle, red on the right, and tan on the
left. Some exoplanets are drawn with rings. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.

Exoplanet Zoo: Other Stars
Illustration Credit & Copyright: Martin Vargic, Halcyon Maps

Explanation: Do other stars have planets like our Sun? Surely they do,
and evidence includes slight star wobbles created by the gravity of
orbiting exoplanets and slight star dimmings caused by orbiting planets
moving in front. In all, there have now been over 5,500 exoplanets
discovered, including thousands by NASA's space-based Kepler and TESS
missions, and over 100 by ESO's ground-based HARPS instrument. Featured
here is an illustrated guess as to what some of these exoplanets might
look like. Neptune-type planets occupy the middle and are colored blue
because of blue-scattering atmospheric methane they might contain. On
the sides of the illustration, Jupiter-type planets are shown, colored
tan and red from the scatterings of atmospheric gases that likely
include small amounts of carbon. Interspersed are many Earth-type rocky
planets of many colors. As more exoplanets are discovered and
investigated, humanity is developing a better understanding of how
common Earth-like planets are, and how common life might be in the
universe.

Tomorrow's picture: highest clouds
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

2024 July 9
A dawn sky is shown that is black at the top and brown near the
horizon. Wispy clouds converge on the right turning from a white to a
blue hue. Near the apex of this convergence is a crescent moon. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.

Noctilucent Clouds over Florida
Credit & Copyright: Pascal Fouquet

Explanation: These clouds are doubly unusual. First, they are rare
noctilucent clouds, meaning that they are visible at night -- but only
just before sunrise or just after sunset. Second, the source of these
noctilucent clouds is actually known. In this rare case, the source of
the sunlight-reflecting ice-crystals in the upper atmosphere can be
traced back to the launch of a nearby SpaceX rocket about 30 minutes
earlier. Known more formally as polar mesospheric clouds, the vertex of
these icy wisps happens to converge just in front of a rising crescent
Moon. The featured image -- and accompanying video -- were captured
over Orlando, Florida, USA about a week ago. The bright spot to the
right of the Moon is the planet Jupiter, while the dotted lights above
the horizon on the right are from an airplane.

Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

2024 July 10

A Sagittarius Triplet
Image Credit & Copyright: Andy Ermolli

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
above center, and colorful M20 below and left in the frame. The third
emission region includes NGC 6559, right 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
interstellar skyscape spans almost 4 degrees or 8 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: Amber Straughn 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.

2024 July 11

Globular Cluster Omega Centauri
Image Credit & Copyright: Juergen Stein

Explanation: Globular star cluster Omega Centauri packs about 10
million stars much older than the Sun into a volume some 150
light-years in diameter. Also known as NGC 5139, at a distance of
15,000 light-years 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 telescopic view. A two-decade-long
exploration of the dense star cluster with the Hubble Space Telescope
has revealed evidence for a massive black hole near the center of Omega
Centauri.

Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

2024 July 12

Jones-Emberson 1
Image Credit & Copyright: Team OURANOS,
(Jean-Baptiste Auroux, Jean Claude Mario, Mathieu Guinot & Matthieu
Tequi)

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 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 image combining over 12 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: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices
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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.

2024 July 15
A spiral galaxy is shown on the upper left with a really long tail of
stars and blue-glowing gas trailing to the lower left. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

The Tadpole Galaxy from Hubble
Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, ESA, NASA; Processing:
Harshwardhan Pathak

Explanation: Why does this galaxy have such a long tail? In this
stunning vista, based on image data from the Hubble Legacy Archive,
distant galaxies form a dramatic backdrop for disrupted spiral galaxy
Arp 188, the Tadpole Galaxy. The cosmic tadpole is a mere 420 million
light-years distant toward the northern constellation of the Dragon
(Draco). Its eye-catching tail is about 280 thousand light-years long
and features massive, bright blue star clusters. One story goes that a
more compact intruder galaxy crossed in front of Arp 188 - from right
to left in this view - and was slung around behind the Tadpole by their
gravitational attraction. During the close encounter, tidal forces drew
out the spiral galaxy's stars, gas, and dust forming the spectacular
tail. The intruder galaxy itself, estimated to lie about 300 thousand
light-years behind the Tadpole, can be seen through foreground spiral
arms at the upper right. Following its terrestrial namesake, the
Tadpole Galaxy will likely lose its tail as it grows older, the tail's
star clusters forming smaller satellites of the large spiral galaxy.

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Tomorrow's picture: interstellar mountains
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

2024 July 16
A starfield is shown featuring many pillars of interstellar gas and
dust, mostly in the center. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

Cometary Globules
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson & Martin Pugh, Observatorio El
Sauce

Explanation: What are these unusual interstellar structures?
Bright-rimmed, flowing shapes gather near the center of this rich
starfield toward the borders of the nautical southern constellations
Pupis and Vela. Composed of interstellar gas and dust, the grouping of
light-year sized cometary globules is about 1300 light-years distant.
Energetic ultraviolet light from nearby hot stars has molded the
globules and ionized their bright rims. The globules also stream away
from the Vela supernova remnant which may have influenced their
swept-back shapes. Within them, cores of cold gas and dust are likely
collapsing to form low mass stars, whose formation will ultimately
cause the globules to disperse. In fact, cometary globule CG 30 (on the
upper left) sports a small reddish glow near its head, a telltale sign
of energetic jets from a star in the early stages of formation.

Tomorrow's picture: volcanic sky
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb 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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb; 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.

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
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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.

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.
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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.

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
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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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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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.

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
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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.

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
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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.

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
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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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.

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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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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.

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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the 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 14
A busy star field is shown with several large red nebulae. The Rosette
Nebula is among them and seen on the lower right, while the nebula
surrounding the Cone Nebula is larger and visible toward the upper
left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Rosette Deep Field
Image Credit & Copyright: Olivier Bernard & Philippe Bernhard

Explanation: Can you find the Rosette Nebula? The large, red, and
flowery-looking nebula on the upper left may seem the obvious choice,
but that is actually just diffuse hydrogen emission surrounding the
Cone and Fox Fur Nebulas. The famous Rosette Nebula is really located
on the lower right and connected to the other nebulas by irregular
filaments. Because the featured image of Rosetta's field is so wide and
deep, it seems to contain other flowers. Designated NGC 2237, the
center of the Rosette nebula is populated by the bright blue stars of
open cluster NGC 2244, whose winds and energetic light are evacuating
the nebula's center. The Rosette Nebula is about 5,000 light years
distant and, just by itself, spans about three times the diameter of a
full moon. This flowery field can be found toward the constellation of
the Unicorn (Monoceros).

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.

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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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.

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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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.

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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the 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 18
A nearly perfect circular ring of blue stars is seen against a dark
field of small background galaxies. In the center of the ring is a ball
of yellow stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

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 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: sideways sun
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 March 2

Odysseus on the Moon
Image Credit: Intuitive Machines

Explanation: Methalox rocket engine firing, Odysseus' landing legs
absorb first contact with the lunar surface in this wide-angle snapshot
from a camera on board the robotic Intuitive Machines Nova-C moon
lander. Following the landing on February 22, broken landing legs,
visible in the image, ultimately left the lander at rest but tilted.
Odysseus' gentle lean into a sloping lunar surface preserved the phone
booth-sized lander's ability to operate, collect solar power, and
return images and data to Earth. Its exact landing site in the Moon's
far south polar region was imaged by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter. Donated by NASA, the American flag seen on the lander's
central panel is 1970 Apollo program flight hardware.

Tomorrow's picture: behind the Moon
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 March 4
Numerous thin pillars of light connect a landscape filled with snow to
a star filled sky. The Big Dipper can be seen through the colorful
pillars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Light Pillars Over Inner Mongolia
Image Credit & Copyright: N. D. Liao

Explanation: What's happening across that field? Pictured here are not
auroras but nearby light pillars, a phenomenon typically much closer.
In most places on Earth, a lucky viewer can see a Sun pillar, a column
of light appearing to extend up from the Sun caused by flat fluttering
ice-crystals reflecting sunlight from the upper atmosphere. Usually,
these ice crystals evaporate before reaching the ground. During
freezing temperatures, however, flat fluttering ice crystals may form
near the ground in a form of light snow sometimes known as a crystal
fog. These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights in columns not
unlike a Sun pillar. The featured image was taken last month across the
Wulan Butong Grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China.

Tomorrow's picture: star painters
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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.

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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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.

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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 March 14

Moon Pi 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 Pi 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, 2020, 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. Again Pi radians from the Sun, on March 25 the Full
Moon will dim slightly as it glides through Earth's outer shadow in a
penumbral lunar eclipse.

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

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 March 19
The sun sets in the distance at the horizon end of a long road over
open country. The sunset is very orange, as is the surrounding sky.
Telephone poles line the right side of the road. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

A Picturesque Equinox Sunset
Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Dyer, Amazingsky.com, TWAN

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, in some parts of the world
(tomorrow in others), is one of those days: an equinox. Not only is
this 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. Displayed
here is a picturesque rural road in Alberta, Canada that runs
approximately east-west. The featured image was taken during the
September Equinox of 2021, but the geometry remains the same every
year. 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: the eyes of march
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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.
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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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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.
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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.

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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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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
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 March 30

Medieval Astronomy from Melk Abbey
Image Credit: Paul Beck (Univ. Vienna), Georg Zotti (Vienna Inst. Arch.
Science)
Copyright: Library of Melk Abbey, Frag. 229

Explanation: Discovered by accident, this manuscript page provides
graphical insight to astronomy in medieval times, before the
Renaissance and the influence of Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho de Brahe,
Johannes Kepler, and Galileo. The intriguing page is from lecture notes
on astronomy compiled by the monk Magister Wolfgang de Styria before
the year 1490. The top panels clearly illustrate the necessary geometry
for a lunar (left) and solar eclipse in the Earth-centered Ptolemaic
system. At lower left is a diagram of the Ptolemaic view of the Solar
System with text at the upper right to explain the movement of the
planets according to Ptolemy's geocentric model. At the lower right is
a chart to calculate the date of Easter Sunday in the Julian calendar.
The illustrated manuscript page was found at historic Melk Abbey in
Austria.

Tomorrow's picture: eclipse below
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 March 31
A totally eclipsed Sun is seen in the distance. Around the eclipse is a
dark region dipping down from above. Below that are clouds and below
that is the wing and engine of an airplane. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.

Total Solar Eclipse Below the Bottom of the World
Image Credit & Copyright: Petr Hor+ílek (ESO Photo Ambassador, Inst. of
Physics in Opava) ; Acknowledgement: Xavier Jubier

Explanation: In late 2021 there was a total solar eclipse visible only
at the end of the Earth. To capture the unusual phenomenon, airplanes
took flight below the clouded seascape of Southern Ocean. The featured
image shows one relatively spectacular capture where the bright spot is
the outer corona of the Sun and the eclipsing Moon is seen as the dark
spot in the center. A wing and engine of the airplane are visible
across the left and bottom of the image, while another airplane
observing the eclipse is visible on the far left. The dark area of the
sky surrounding the eclipsed Sun is called a shadow cone. It is dark
because you are looking down a long corridor of air shadowed by the
Moon. A careful inspection of the eclipsed Sun will reveal the planet
Mercury just to the right. You won't have to travel to the end of the
Earth to see the next total solar eclipse. The total eclipse path will
cross North America on 2024 April 8, just over one week from today.

NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8
Tomorrow's picture: black hole twister
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 1
A donut-shaped orange figure is seen with lines extending along the
emission in a swirling pattern. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

Swirling Magnetic Field around Our Galaxy's Central Black Hole
Image Credit: EHT Collaboration

Explanation: What's happening to the big black hole in the center of
our galaxy? It is sucking in matter from a swirling disk -- a disk that
is magnetized, it has now been confirmed. Specifically, the black
hole's accretion disk has recently been seen to emit polarized light,
radiation frequently associated with a magnetized source. Pictured here
is a close-up of Sgr A*, our Galaxy's central black hole, taken by
radio telescopes around the world participating in the Event Horizon
Telescope (EHT) Collaboration. Superposed are illustrative curved lines
indicating polarized light likely emitted from swirling magnetized gas
that will soon fall into the 4+ million mass central black hole. The
central part of this image is likely dark because little light-emitting
gas is visible between us and the dark event horizon of the black hole.
Continued EHT monitoring of this and M87's central black hole may yield
new clues about the gravity of black holes and how infalling matter
creates disks and jets.

NASA Predicts: Moon to Get in Way of Sun Tomorrow's picture:
corona-vision
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 April 2
The Sun is shown during a total solar eclipse. Accentuated is the
expansive corona of the Sun, which is shown streaming out in all
directions. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona
Image Credit & Copyright: Phil Hart

Explanation: Only in the fleeting darkness of a total solar eclipse is
the light of the solar corona easily visible. Normally overwhelmed by
the bright solar disk, the expansive corona, the sun's outer
atmosphere, is an alluring sight. But the subtle details and extreme
ranges in the corona's brightness, although discernible to the eye, are
notoriously difficult to photograph. Pictured here, however, using
multiple images and digital processing, is a detailed image of the
Sun's corona taken during the April 20, 2023 total solar eclipse from
Exmouth, Australia. Clearly visible are intricate layers and glowing
caustics of an ever changing mixture of hot gas and magnetic fields.
Bright looping prominences appear pink just around the Sun's limb. A
similar solar corona might be visible through clear skies in a narrow
swath across the North America during the total solar eclipse that
occurs just six days from today

NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8
Tomorrow's picture: celestial fireworks
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 April 3
A nebula is shown that appears like a firework. Radial filaments
connect a glowing halo to a star in the center that appears as a blue
dot. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Unusual Nebula Pa 30
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, USAF, NSF; Processing: G. Ferrand (U.
Manitoba), J. English (U. Manitoba), R. A. Fesen (Dartmouth), C.
Treyturik (U. Manitoba); Text: G. Ferrand & J. English

Explanation: What created this unusual celestial firework? The nebula,
dubbed Pa 30, appears in the same sky direction now as a bright "guest
star" did in the year 1181. Although Pa 30's filaments look similar to
that created by a nova (for example GK Per), and a planetary nebula
(for example NGC 6751), some astronomers now propose that it was
created by a rare type of supernova: a thermonuclear Type Iax, and so
is (also) named SN 1181. In this model, the supernova was not the
result of the detonation of a single star, but rather a blast that
occurred when two white dwarf stars spiraled together and merged. The
blue dot in the center is hypothesized to be a zombie star, the remnant
white dwarf that somehow survived this supernova-level explosion. The
featured image combines images and data obtained with infrared (WISE),
visible (MDM, Pan-STARRS), and X-ray (Chandra, XMM) telescopes. Future
observations and analyses may tell us more.

NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8
Tomorrow's picture: the comet at night
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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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.

2024 April 4

Comet Pons-Brooks at Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett`

Explanation: In dark evening skies over June Lake, northern hemisphere,
planet Earth, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks stood just above the western
horizon on March 30. Its twisted turbulent ion tail and diffuse
greenish coma are captured in this two degree wide telescopic field of
view along with bright yellowish star Hamal also known as Alpha
Arietis. Now Pons-Brooks has moved out of the northern night though,
approaching perihelion on April 21. On April 8 you might still spot the
comet in daytime skies. But to do it, you will have to stand in the
path of totality and look away from the spectacle of an alluring solar
corona and totally eclipsed Sun.

NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8
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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 April 5

The Solar Corona Unwrapped
Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Ward (Barden Ridge Observatory)

Explanation: Changes in the alluring solar corona are detailed in this
creative composite image mapping the dynamic outer atmosphere of the
Sun during two separate total solar eclipses. Unwrapped from the
complete circle of the eclipsed Sun's edge to a rectangle and mirrored,
the entire solar corona is shown during the 2017 eclipse (bottom) seen
from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the 2023 eclipse from Exmouth, Western
Australia. While the 2017 eclipse was near a minimum in the Sun's 11
year activity cycle, the 2023 eclipse was closer to solar maximum. The
2023 solar corona hints at the dramatically different character of the
active Sun, with many streamers and pinkish prominences arising along
the solar limb. Of course, the solar corona is only easily visible to
the eye while standing in the shadow of the Moon.

NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8
Tomorrow's picture: M51 unwound
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 April 6

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.

NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8
Tomorrow's picture: clear skies
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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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.

2024 April 7
A sequence of images showing the Moon covering increasing amounts of
the Sun is shown, with the center image showing a total solar eclipse.
The great corona of the Sun can be seen around the dark moon in the
center image. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

A Total Solar Eclipse over Wyoming
Image Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper

Explanation: Will the sky be clear enough to see the eclipse? This
question is already on the minds of many North Americans hoping to see
tomorrow's solar eclipse. This question was also on the mind of many
people attempting to see the total solar eclipse that crossed North
America in August 2017. Then, the path of total darkness shot across
the mainland of the USA from coast to coast, from Oregon to South
Carolina -- but, like tomorrow's event, a partial eclipse occurred
above most of North America. Unfortunately, in 2017, many locations saw
predominantly clouds. One location that did not was a bank of the Green
River Lakes, Wyoming. Intermittent clouds were far enough away to allow
the center image of the featured composite sequence to be taken, an
image that shows the corona of the Sun extending out past the central
dark Moon that blocks our familiar Sun. The surrounding images show the
partial phases of the solar eclipse both before and after totality.

NASA Coverage: Tomorrow's Total Solar Eclipse
Tomorrow's picture: comet tails
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 April 8
A sequence of eight images of Comet Pons-Brooks, from top to bottom,
showing the comet and its changing tail over 9 days. The ion tail looks
very different in each of the images, sometimes being much more complex
than other times. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Pons-Brooks
Image Credit & Copyright: Shengyu Li & Shaining

Explanation: How does a comet tail change? It depends on the comet. The
ion tail of Comet 12P/PonsCÇôBrooks has been changing markedly, as
detailed in the featured image sequenced over nine days from March 6 to
14 (top to bottom). On some days, the comet's ion tail was relatively
long and complex, but not every day. Reasons for tail changes include
the rate of ejection of material from the comet's nucleus, the strength
and complexity of the passing solar wind, and the rotation rate of the
comet. Over the course of a week, apparent changes even include a
change of perspective from the Earth. In general, a comet's ion tail
will point away from the Sun, as gas expelled is pushed out by the
Sun's wind. Today, Pons-Brooks may become a rare comet suddenly visible
in the middle of the day for those able to see the Sun totally eclipsed
by the Moon.

NASA Coverage: Today's Total Solar Eclipse
Total Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's picture:
yesterday's eclipse
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 9

Moon's Shadow over Lake Magog
Image Credit & Copyright: Stan Honda

Explanation: Captured in this snapshot, the shadow of the Moon came to
Lake Magog, Quebec, North America, planet Earth on April 8. For the
lakeside eclipse chasers, the much anticipated total solar eclipse was
a spectacle to behold in briefly dark, but clear skies. Of course Lake
Magog was one of the last places to be visited by the Moon's shadow.
The narrow path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse swept from
Mexico's Pacific Coast north and eastward through the US and Canada.
But a partial eclipse was visible across the entire North American
continent.

Total Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's picture:
hot star mess
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 10
A totally eclipsed Sun is seen in the sky surrounded by a bright
corona. In the foreground several people watch it near a large tree. To
the right of the eclipsed Sun is the bright planet Venus, while the
nearly-as- bright planet Jupiter is to the left. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

Planets Around a Total Eclipse
Image Credit: St+¬phane Vetter (Nuits sacr+¬es)

Explanation: What wonders appear when the Moon blocks the Sun? For many
eager observers of MondayCÇÖs total eclipse of the Sun, the suddenly dark
sky included the expected corona and two (perhaps surprise) planets:
Venus and Jupiter. Normally, in recent days, Venus is visible only in
the morning when the Sun and Jupiter are below the horizon, while
Jupiter appears bright only in the evening. On Monday, though, for
well-placed observers, both planets became easily visible during the
day right in line with the totally eclipsed Sun. This line was captured
Monday afternoon in the featured image from Mount Nebo, Arkansas, USA,
along with a line of curious observers CÇö and a picturesque tree.

Monday's Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's
picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 11

Eclipse in Seven
Image Credit & Copyright: Xiaofeng Tan

Explanation: Start at the upper left above and you can follow the
progress of April 8's total eclipse of the Sun in seven sharp, separate
exposures. The image sequence was recorded with a telescope and camera
located within the narrow path of totality as the Moon's shadow swept
across Newport, Vermont, USA. At center is a spectacular view of the
solar corona. The tenuous outer atmosphere of the Sun is only easily
visible to the eye in clear dark skies during the total eclipse phase.
Seen from Newport, the total phase for this solar eclipse lasted about
3 minutes and 26 seconds.

Monday's Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's
picture: the beginning and the end
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 12

Total Totality
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Korona

Explanation: Baily's beads often appear at the boundaries of the total
phase of an eclipse of the Sun. Pearls of sunlight still beaming
through gaps in the rugged terrain along the lunar limb silhouette,
their appearance is recorded in this dramatic timelapse composite. The
series of images follows the Moon's edge from beginning through the end
of totality during April 8's solar eclipse from Durango, Mexico. They
also capture pinkish prominences of plasma arcing high above the edge
of the active Sun. One of the first places in North America visited by
the Moon's shadow on April 8, totality in Durango lasted about 3
minutes and 46 seconds.

Solar Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's picture:
palm tree pinholes
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 13

Palm Tree Partial Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Lori Haffelt

Explanation: Only those along the narrow track of the Moon's shadow on
April 8 saw a total solar eclipse. But most of North America still saw
a partial eclipse of the Sun. From Clearwater, Florida, USA this single
snapshot captured multiple images of that more widely viewed celestial
event without observing the Sun directly. In the shade of a palm tree,
criss-crossing fronds are projecting recognizable eclipse images on the
ground, pinhole camera style. In Clearwater the maximum eclipse phase
was about 53 percent.

Solar Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's picture:
Sunday's Childe
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 14

How a Total Solar Eclipse Ended
Video Credit & Copyright: David Duarte

Explanation: How does a total solar eclipse end? Yes, the Moon moves
out from fully blocking the Sun, but in the first few seconds of
transition, interesting things appear. The first is called a diamond
ring. Light might stream between mountains or through relative lowlands
around the Moon's edge, as seen from your location, making this sudden
first light, when combined with the corona that surrounds the Moon,
look like a diamond ring. Within seconds other light streams appear
that are called, collectively, Bailey's beads. In the featured video,
it may seem that the pink triangular prominence on the Sun is somehow
related to where the Sun begins to reappear, but it is not. Observers
from other locations saw Bailey's beads emerge from different places
around the Moon, away from the iconic triangular solar prominence
visible to all. The video was captured with specialized equipment from
New Boston, Texas, USA on April 8, 2024.

Solar Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's picture:
Hubble vs Webb for Cigar
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 15
A picture of the unusual galaxy M82 is on the left, while the center is
expanding and shown in a JWST image on the right. Many red-glowing
filaments eminate out from the plane of the spiral galaxy. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.

The Cigar Galaxy from Hubble and Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Alberto Bolatto (UMD)

Explanation: Something strange happened to this galaxy, but what? Known
as the Cigar Galaxy and cataloged as M82, red glowing gas and dust are
being cast out from the center. Although this starburst galaxy was
surely stirred up by a recent pass near its neighbor, large spiral
galaxy M81, this doesn't fully explain the source of the red-glowing
outwardly expanding gas and dust. Evidence indicates that this material
is being driven out by the combined emerging particle winds of many
stars, together creating a galactic superwind. In the featured images,
a Hubble Space Telescope image in visible light is shown on the left,
while a James Webb Space Telescope image of the central region in
infrared light is shown on the right. Detailed inspection of the new
Webb image shows, unexpectedly, that this red-glowing dust is
associated with hot plasma. Research into the nature of this strange
nearby galaxy will surely continue.

Total Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's picture:
hot star mess
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 16
Complex filaments of many colors cross the image in front of a starry
background. Some regions have a diffuse red or orange glow. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.

Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
Image Credit: CTIO, NOIRLab, DOE, NSF, AURA; Processing: T. A. Rector
(U. Alaska Anchorage), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (CÇÖs NOIRLab)

Explanation: The explosion is over, but the consequences continue.
About eleven thousand years ago, a star in the constellation of Vela
could be seen to explode, creating a strange point of light briefly
visible to humans living near the beginning of recorded history. The
outer layers of the star crashed into the interstellar medium, driving
a shock wave that is still visible today. The featured image captures
some of that filamentary and gigantic shock in visible light. As gas
flies away from the detonated star, it decays and reacts with the
interstellar medium, producing light in many different colors and
energy bands. Remaining at the center of the Vela Supernova Remnant is
a pulsar, a star as dense as nuclear matter that spins around more than
ten times in a single second.

Monday's Eclipse Imagery: Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's
picture: two eclipse comets
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 17
The totally eclipsed Sun from 2024 April 8 is shown in the center. Two
comets and two planets are also visible, and labeled as 12P, Mercury,
SOHO-5008, and Venus. The two comets are shown in expanded form at the
top in two inset images. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Total Eclipse and Comets
Image Credit & Copyright: Lin Zixuan (Tsinghua U.)

Explanation: Not one, but two comets appeared near the Sun during last
week's total solar eclipse. The expected comet was Comet
12P/Pons-Brooks, but it was disappointingly dimmer than many had hoped.
However, relatively unknown Comet SOHO-5008 also appeared in long
duration camera exposures. This comet was the 5008th comet identified
on images taken by ESA & NASA's Sun-orbiting SOHO spacecraft. Likely
much smaller, Comet SOHO-5008 was a sungrazer which disintegrated
within hours as it passed too near the Sun. The featured image is not
only unusual for capturing two comets during an eclipse, but one of the
rare times that a sungrazing comet has been photographed from the
Earth's surface. Also visible in the image is the sprawling corona of
our Sun and the planets Mercury (left) and Venus (right). Of these
planets and comets, only Venus was easily visible to millions of people
in the dark shadow of the Moon that crossed North America on April 8.

Solar Eclipse Imagery: 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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 18

Facing NGC 1232
Image Credit & Copyright: Neil Corke

Explanation: From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy, we see NGC
1232 face-on. Nearly 200,000 light-years across, the big, beautiful
spiral galaxy is located some 47 million light-years away in the
flowing southern constellation of Eridanus. This sharp, multi-color,
telescopic image of NGC 1232 includes remarkable details of the distant
island universe. From the core outward, the galaxy's colors change from
the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young blue star
clusters and reddish star forming regions along the grand, sweeping
spiral arms. NGC 1232's apparent, small, barred-spiral companion galaxy
is cataloged as NGC 1232A. Distance estimates place it much farther
though, around 300 million light-years away, and unlikely to be
interacting with NGC 1232. Of course, the prominent bright star with
the spiky appearance is much closer than NGC 1232 and lies well within
our own Milky Way.

Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 19

The Great Carina Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Demison Lopes

Explanation: A jewel of the southern sky, the Great Carina Nebula is
more modestly known as NGC 3372. One of our Galaxy's largest star
forming regions, it spans over 300 light-years. Like the smaller, more
northerly Great Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is easily visible to
the unaided eye. But at a distance of 7,500 light-years it lies some 5
times farther away. This stunning telescopic view reveals remarkable
details of the region's glowing filaments of interstellar gas and
obscuring cosmic dust clouds. The Carina Nebula is home to young,
extremely massive stars, including the still enigmatic variable Eta
Carinae, a star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun. Eta
Carinae is the bright star above the central dark notch in this field
and left of the dusty Keyhole Nebula (NGC 3324).

Tomorrow's picture: diamond in the sky
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 20

Diamonds in the Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Wright Dobbs

Explanation: When the dark shadow of the Moon raced across North
America on April 8, sky watchers along the shadow's narrow central path
were treated to a total solar eclipse. During the New Moon's shadow
play diamonds glistened twice in the eclipse-darkened skies. The
transient celestial jewels appeared immediately before and after the
total eclipse phase. That's when the rays of a vanishing and then
emerging sliver of solar disk are just visible behind the silhouetted
Moon's edge, creating the appearance of a shiny diamond set in a dark
ring. This dramatic timelapse composite from north-central Arkansas
captures both diamond ring moments of this total solar eclipse. The
diamond rings are separated by the ethereal beauty of the solar corona
visible during totality.

Tomorrow's picture: perijove 16
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 21

Perijove 16: Passing Jupiter
Video Credit & License: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS, Gerald Eichstadt;
Music: The Planets, IV. Jupiter (Gustav Holst); USAF Heritage of
America Band (via Wikipedia)

Explanation: Watch Juno zoom past Jupiter. NASA's robotic spacecraft
Juno is continuing on its now month-long, highly-elongated orbits
around our Solar System's largest planet. The featured video is from
perijove 16, the sixteenth time that Juno passed near Jupiter since it
arrived in mid-2016. Each perijove passes near a slightly different
part of Jupiter's cloud tops. This color-enhanced video has been
digitally composed from 21 JunoCam still images, resulting in a
125-fold time-lapse. The video begins with Jupiter rising as Juno
approaches from the north. As Juno reaches its closest view -- from
about 3,500 kilometers over Jupiter's cloud tops -- the spacecraft
captures the great planet in tremendous detail. Juno passes light zones
and dark belts of clouds that circle the planet, as well as numerous
swirling circular storms, many of which are larger than hurricanes on
Earth. As Juno moves away, the remarkable dolphin-shaped cloud is
visible. After the perijove, Jupiter recedes into the distance, now
displaying the unusual clouds that appear over Jupiter's south. To get
desired science data, Juno swoops so close to Jupiter that its
instruments are exposed to very high levels of radiation.

Tomorrow's picture: volcano emits rings
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2024 April 22
A dark mountain ridge is pictured across the foreground at the bottom.
Smoke is rising about the ridge, and a close inspection reveals that
some of this smoke form rings. The background has a reddish hue, and a
crescent Moon is visible on the upper left. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.

Moon and Smoke Rings from Mt. Etna
Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile

Explanation: Yes, but can your volcano do this? To the surprise of
some, Mt. Etna emits, on occasion, smoke rings. Technically known as
vortex rings, the walls of the volcano slightly slow the outside of
emitted smoke puffs, causing the inside gas to move faster. A circle of
low pressure develops so that the emitted puff of volcanic gas and ash
loops around in a ring, a familiar geometric structure that can be
surprisingly stable as it rises. Smoke rings are quite rare and need a
coincidence of the right geometry of the vent, the right speed of
ejected smoke, and the relative calmness of the outside atmosphere. In
the featured image taken about two weeks ago from Gangi, Sicily, Italy,
multiple volcanic smoke rings are visible. The scene is shaded by the
red light of a dawn Sun, while a crescent Moon is visible in the
background.

Tomorrow's picture: sky X
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 23
Two airplane contrails, crossing in an X, are shown across the middle
of the image. They are bright white against a dark blue background. A
high cloud deck is seen above the crossing, sunlit, contrails. A low
Sun creates a dark shadow X on the high while clouds. A row of
buildings runs across the lower part of the image. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

Contrail Shadow X
Image Credit & Copyright: Fatih Ekmen

Explanation: What created this giant X in the clouds? It was the shadow
of contrails illuminated from below. When airplanes fly, humid engine
exhaust may form water droplets that might freeze in Earth's cold upper
atmosphere. These persistent streams of water and ice scatter light
from the Sun above and so appear bright from below. On rare occasions,
though, when the Sun is near the horizon, contrails can be lit from
below. These contrails cast long shadows upwards, shadows that usually
go unseen unless there is a high cloud deck. But that was just the case
over Istanbul, T+'rkiye, earlier this month. Contrails occur all over
planet Earth and, generally, warm the Earth when the trap infrared
light but cool the Earth when they efficiently reflect sunlight. The
image was taken by a surprised photographer in the morning on the way
to work.

Tomorrow's picture: a star's art
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 24
A blue star is seen in the center of a red nebula itself surrounded by
a faint blue nebula. The surrounding starfield itself has a faint
red-brown emission clouds. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Dragon's Egg Bipolar Emission Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Rowan Prangley

Explanation: How did a star form this beautiful nebula? In the middle
of emission nebula NGC 6164 is an unusually massive star. The central
star has been compared to an oyster's pearl and an egg protected by the
mythical sky dragons of Ara. The star, visible in the center of the
featured image and catalogued as HD 148937, is so hot that the
ultraviolet light it emits heats up gas that surrounds it. That gas was
likely thrown off from the star previously, possibly the result of a
gravitational interaction with a looping stellar companion. Expelled
material might have been channeled by the magnetic field of the massive
star, in all creating the symmetric shape of the bipolar nebula. NGC
6164 spans about four light years and is located about 3,600 light
years away toward the southern constellation Norma.

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Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 25

NGC 604: Giant Stellar Nursery
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Explanation: Located some 3 million light-years away in the arms of
nearby spiral galaxy M33, giant stellar nursery NGC 604 is about 1,300
light-years across. That's nearly 100 times the size of the Milky Way's
Orion Nebula, the closest large star forming region to planet Earth. In
fact, among the star forming regions within the Local Group of
galaxies, NGC 604 is second in size only to 30 Doradus, also known as
the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Cavernous bubbles
and cavities in NGC 604 fill this stunning infrared image from the
James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam. They are carved out by energetic
stellar winds from the region's more than 200 hot, massive, young
stars, all still in early stages of their lives.

Tomorrow's picture: Regulus and the Dwarf Galaxy
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 26

Regulus and the Dwarf Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Markus Horn

Explanation: In northern hemisphere spring, bright star Regulus is easy
to spot above the eastern horizon. The alpha star of the constellation
Leo, Regulus is the spiky star centered in this telescopic field of
view. A mere 79 light-years distant, Regulus is a hot, rapidly spinning
star that is known to be part of a multiple star system. Not quite lost
in the glare, the fuzzy patch just below Regulus is diffuse starlight
from small galaxy Leo I. Leo I is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy, a member
of the Local Group of galaxies dominated by our Milky Way Galaxy and
the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). About 800 thousand light-years away, Leo I
is thought to be the most distant of the known small satellite galaxies
orbiting the Milky Way. But dwarf galaxy Leo I has shown evidence of a
supermassive black hole at its center, comparable in mass to the black
hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Tomorrow's picture: all around eclipse
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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written by a professional astronomer.

2024 April 27

All Sky Moon Shadow
Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel (TWAN)

Explanation: If the Sun is up but the sky is dark and the horizon is
bright all around, you might be standing in the Moon's shadow during a
total eclipse of the Sun. In fact, the all-sky Moon shadow shown in
this composited panoramic view was captured from a farm near Shirley,
Arkansas, planet Earth. The exposures were made under clear skies
during the April 8 total solar eclipse. For that location near the
center line of the Moon's shadow track, totality lasted over 4 minutes.
Along with the solar corona surrounding the silhouette of the Moon
planets and stars were visible during the total eclipse phase. Easiest
to see here are bright planets Venus and Jupiter, to the lower right
and upper left of the eclipsed Sun.

Tomorrow's picture: rings around the ring
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 28
In the center is a colorful nebula, the most usually seen part of the
Ring Nebula. Several layers of red-glowing gas with different
structures are seen surrounding this center. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.

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 and become a white dwarf
star. The Ring Nebula is about 2,500 light-years away toward the
musical constellation Lyra.

Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
(post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: comet, planet, moon
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 April 29
A starry sky is seen over a dark grassy landscape. Three bright objects
are seen in the sky. They are Jupiter on the upper left, a crescent
Moon on the upper right, and Comet Pons-Brooks below them, making a
triangle. Two tails are seen extending nearly upwards from the comet.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Comet, Planet, Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN)

Explanation: Three bright objects satisfied seasoned stargazers of the
western sky just after sunset earlier this month. The most familiar was
the Moon, seen on the upper left in a crescent phase. The rest of the
Moon was faintly visible by sunlight first reflected by the Earth. The
bright planet Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, is seen
to the upper left. Most unusual was Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, below the
Moon and showing a stubby dust tail on the right but an impressive ion
tail extending upwards. The featured image, a composite of several
images taken consecutively at the same location and with the same
camera, was taken near the village of Llers, in Spain's Girona
province. Comet Pons-Brooks passed its closest to the Sun last week and
is now dimming as it moves into southern skies and returns to the outer
Solar System.

Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: nova surprise
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 April 30
A faint nebula runs vertically in the image. In the center is a red
envelope surrounding diffuse blue emission. In the center is a bright
multicolored nebula that is nearly circular. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.

GK Per: Nova and Planetary Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Deep Sky Collective

Explanation: The star system GK Per is known to be associated with only
two of the three nebulas pictured. At 1500 light years distant, Nova
Persei 1901 (GK Persei) was the second closest nova yet recorded. At
the very center is a white dwarf star, the surviving core of a former
Sun-like star. It is surrounded by the circular Firework nebula, gas
that was ejected by a thermonuclear explosion on the white dwarf's
surface -- a nova -- as recorded in 1901. The red glowing gas
surrounding the Firework nebula is the atmosphere that used to surround
the central star. This gas was expelled before the nova and appears as
a diffuse planetary nebula. The faint gray gas running across is
interstellar cirrus that seems to be just passing through coincidently.
In 1901, GK Per's nova became brighter than Betelgeuse. Similarly, star
system T CrB is expected to erupt in a nova later this year, but we
don't know exactly when nor how bright it will become.

Tomorrow's picture: sky fish
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 May 1
A colorful star forming region is shown that resembles a fish swimming
to the right. Dark dust is apparent across the lower right, and a
sparse starfield is visible all over the image. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

IC 1795: The Fishhead Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari & Mauro Narduzzi

Explanation: To some, this nebula looks like the head of a fish.
However, this colorful cosmic portrait really features glowing gas and
obscuring dust clouds in IC 1795, a star forming region in the northern
constellation Cassiopeia. The nebula's colors were created by adopting
the Hubble color palette for mapping narrowband emissions from oxygen,
hydrogen, and sulfur atoms to blue, green and red colors, and further
blending the data with images of the region recorded through broadband
filters. Not far on the sky from the famous Double Star Cluster in
Perseus, IC 1795 is itself located next to IC 1805, the Heart Nebula,
as part of a complex of star forming regions that lie at the edge of a
large molecular cloud. Located just over 6,000 light-years away, the
larger star forming complex sprawls along the Perseus spiral arm of our
Milky Way Galaxy. At that distance, IC 1795 would span about 70
light-years across.

Open Science: Browse 3,300+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
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

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2024 May 2

M100: A Grand Design Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Drew Evans

Explanation: Majestic on a truly cosmic scale, M100 is appropriately
known as a grand design spiral galaxy. The large galaxy of over 100
billion stars has well-defined spiral arms, similar to our own Milky
Way. One of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies,
M100, also known as NGC 4321 is 56 million light-years distant toward
the well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. In this telescopic
image, the face-on grand design spiral shares a nearly 1 degree wide
field-of-view with slightly less conspicuous edge-on spiral NGC 4312
(at upper right). The 21 hour long equivalent exposure from a dark sky
site near Flagstaff, Arizona, planet Earth, reveals M100's bright blue
star clusters and intricate winding dust lanes which are hallmarks of
this class of galaxies. Measurements of variable stars in M100 have
played an important role in determining the size and age of the
Universe.

Tomorrow's picture: cloudy exoplanet
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 May 3

Temperatures on Exoplanet WASP-43b
Illustration Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
Science: Taylor Bell (BAERI), Joanna Barstow (The Open University),
Michael Roman (University of Leicester)

Explanation: A mere 280 light-years from Earth, tidally locked,
Jupiter-sized exoplanet WASP-43b orbits its parent star once every 0.8
Earth days. That puts it about 2 million kilometers (less than 1/25th
the orbital distance of Mercury) from a small, cool sun. Still, on a
dayside always facing its parent star, temperatures approach a torrid
2,500 degrees F as measured at infrared wavelengths by the MIRI
instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope. In this
illustration of the hot exoplanet's orbit, Webb measurements also show
nightside temperatures remain above 1,000 degrees F. That suggests that
strong equatorial winds circulate the dayside atmospheric gases to the
nightside before they can completely cool off. Exoplanet WASP-43b is
now formally known as Astrol+íbos, and its K-type parent star has been
christened Gnomon. Webb's infrared spectra indicate water vapor is
present on the nightside as well as the dayside of the planet,
providing information about cloud cover on Astrol+íbos.

Tomorrow's picture: a new hope
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 May 4

3 ATs
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas
Observatory, TWAN)

Explanation: Despite their resemblance to R2D2, these three are not the
droids you're looking for. Instead, the enclosures house 1.8 meter
Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert
region of Chile. The ATs are designed to be used for interferometry, a
technique for achieving extremely high resolution observations, in
concert with the observatory's 8 meter Very Large Telescope units. A
total of four ATs are operational, each fitted with a transporter that
moves the telescope along a track allowing different arrays with the
large unit telescopes. To work as an interferometer, the light from
each telescope is brought to a common focal point by a system of
mirrors in underground tunnels. Above these three ATs, the Large and
Small Magellanic Clouds are the far, far away satellite galaxies of our
own Milky Way. In the clear and otherwise dark southern skies, planet
Earth's greenish atmospheric airglow stretches faintly along the
horizon.

Tomorrow's picture: death by black hole
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 May 5
An illustration shows a small black dot in the center which is a black
hole. A red stream or gas arcs in from the top. The black hole is also
surrounded by a dark and dusty disk. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.

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 its outer
layers, 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.

Hole New Worlds: It's Black Hole Week at NASA!
Tomorrow's picture: ringing out the sun
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 6

A Total Solar Eclipse from Sliver to Ring
Video Credit & Copyright: Reinhold Wittich; Music: Sunrise from Also
sprach Zarathusra (R. Strauss) by Sascha Ende

Explanation: This is how the Sun disappeared from the daytime sky last
month. The featured time-lapse video was created from stills taken from
Mountain View, Arkansas, USA on 2024 April 8. First, a small sliver of
a normally spotted Sun went strangely dark. Within a few minutes, much
of the background Sun was hidden behind the advancing foreground Moon.
Within an hour, the only rays from the Sun passing the Moon appeared
like a diamond ring. During totality, most of the surrounding sky went
dark, making the bright pink prominences around the Sun's edge stand
out, and making the amazing corona appear to spread into the
surrounding sky. The central view of the corona shows an accumulation
of frames taken during complete totality. As the video ends, just a few
minutes later, another diamond ring appeared -- this time on the other
side of the Moon. Within the next hour, the sky returned to normal.

Celebrate the Voids: It's Black Hole Week at NASA!
Tomorrow's picture: black hole
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2024 May 7
A swirling blue disk is illustrated with a deep colorful indentation in
the middle. A light colored jet shoots out of this middle, from a small
dot that is a black hole. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Black Hole Accreting with Jet
Illustration Credit: NASA, Swift, Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State U.)

Explanation: What happens when a black hole devours a star? Many
details remain unknown, but observations are providing new clues. In
2014, a powerful explosion was recorded by the ground-based robotic
telescopes of the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (Project
ASAS-SN), with followed-up observations by instruments including NASA's
Earth-orbiting Swift satellite. Computer modeling of these emissions
fit a star being ripped apart by a distant supermassive black hole. The
results of such a collision are portrayed in the featured artistic
illustration. The black hole itself is a depicted as a tiny black dot
in the center. As matter falls toward the hole, it collides with other
matter and heats up. Surrounding the black hole is an accretion disk of
hot matter that used to be the star, with a jet emanating from the
black hole's spin axis.

Fall towards eternity: It's Black Hole Week at NASA!
Tomorrow's picture: space, distorted
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 8

Visualization: A Black Hole Accretion Disk
Visualization Credit: NASACÇÖs Goddard Space Flight Center, Jeremy
Schnittman

Explanation: What would it look like to circle a black hole? If the
black hole was surrounded by a swirling disk of glowing and accreting
gas, then the great gravity of the black hole would deflect light
emitted by the disk to make it look very unusual. The featured animated
video gives a visualization. The video starts with you, the observer,
looking toward the black hole from just above the plane of the
accretion disk. Surrounding the central black hole is a thin circular
image of the orbiting disk that marks the position of the photon sphere
-- inside of which lies the black hole's event horizon. Toward the
left, parts of the large main image of the disk appear brighter as they
move toward you. As the video continues, you loop over the black hole,
soon looking down from the top, then passing through the disk plane on
the far side, then returning to your original vantage point. The
accretion disk does some interesting image inversions -- but never
appears flat. Visualizations such as this are particularly relevant
today as black holes are being imaged in unprecedented detail by the
Event Horizon Telescope.

Singularity Impressive: It's Black Hole Week at NASA!
Tomorrow's picture: famous black hole
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 9

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 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, between the 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 been enhanced to
reveal a sharper view of the famous supermassive black hole.

It's inescapable: Black Hole Week at NASA!
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in spacetime
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 10

Simulation: Two Black Holes Merge
Simulation Credit: Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes Project

Explanation: Relax and watch two black holes merge. Inspired by the
first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015, this simulation
plays in slow motion but would take about one third of a second if run
in real time. Set on a cosmic stage, the black holes are posed in front
of stars, gas, and dust. Their extreme gravity lenses the light from
behind them into Einstein rings as they spiral closer and finally merge
into one. The otherwise invisible gravitational waves generated as the
massive objects rapidly coalesce cause the visible image to ripple and
slosh both inside and outside the Einstein rings even after the black
holes have merged. Dubbed GW150914, the gravitational waves detected by
LIGO are consistent with the merger of 36 and 31 solar mass black holes
at a distance of 1.3 billion light-years. The final, single black hole
has 63 times the mass of the Sun, with the remaining 3 solar masses
converted into energy radiated in gravitational waves.

Today's Event Horizon: It's Black Hole Week at NASA!
Tomorrow's picture: What's 42-5?
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 11
The Sun is shown in black and white showing dark sunspots on the far
right. The large sunspot group is expanded in an inset image at the
bottom left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

AR 3664: Giant Sunspot Group
Image Credit & Copyright: Franco Fantasia & Guiseppe Conzo (Gruppo
Astrofili Palidoro)

Explanation: Right now, one of the largest sunspot groups in recent
history is crossing the Sun. Active Region 3664 is not only big -- it's
violent, throwing off clouds of particles into the Solar System. Some
of these CMEs are already impacting the Earth, and others might follow.
At the extreme, these solar storms could cause some Earth-orbiting
satellites to malfunction, the Earth's atmosphere to slightly distort,
and electrical power grids to surge. When impacting Earth's upper
atmosphere, these particles can produce beautiful auroras, with some
auroras already being reported unusually far south. Pictured here,
AR3664 and its dark sunspots were captured yesterday in visible light
from Rome, Italy. The AR3664 sunspot group is so large that it is
visible just with glasses designed to view last month's total solar
eclipse. This weekend, skygazing enthusiasts will be keenly watching
the night skies all over the globe for bright and unusual auroras.

Gallery: Active Region 6443 on the Sun
Tomorrow's picture: active sky
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 12
Red and purple aurora appear over a field in Poland. A tree is seen to
the right, and a person stands in the distance holding a glowing phone.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Red Aurora over Poland
Image Credit & Copyright: Mariusz Durlej

Explanation: Northern lights don't usually reach this far south.
Magnetic chaos in the Sun's huge Active Region 3664, however, produced
a surface explosion that sent a burst of electrons, protons, and more
massive, charged nuclei into the Solar System. A few days later, that
coronal mass ejection (CME) impacted the Earth and triggered auroras
that are being reported unusually far from our planet's north and south
poles. The free sky show might not be over -- the sunspot rich AR3664
has ejected even more CMEs that might also impact the Earth tonight or
tomorrow. That active region is now near the Sun's edge, though, and
will soon be rotating away from the Earth. Pictured, a red and rayed
aurora was captured in a single 6-second exposure from Racib+|rz, Poland
early last night. The photographer's friend, seeing an aurora for the
first time, is visible in the distance also taking images of the
beautifully colorful nighttime sky.

Gallery: Global Aurora from Solar Active Region 6443
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn 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.

2024 May 13
A distant Sun is seen over water and between foreground trees. On the
lower part of the Sun is the gigantic active region AR 3664 visible by
its dark sunspots. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

AR 3664 on a Setting Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Meniero

Explanation: It was larger than the Earth. It was so big you could
actually see it on the Sun's surface without magnification. It
contained powerful and tangled magnetic fields as well as numerous dark
sunspots. Labelled AR 3664, it developed into one of the most energetic
areas seen on the Sun in recent years, unleashing a series of
explosions that led to a surge of energetic particles striking the
Earth, which created beautiful auroras. And might continue. Although
active regions on the Sun like AR 3664 can be quite dangerous, this
region's Coronal Mass Ejections have not done, as yet, much damage to
Earth-orbiting satellites or Earth-surface electrical grids. Pictured,
the enormous active region was captured on the setting Sun a few days
ago from Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy. The composite image includes a
very short exposure taken of just the Sun's surface, but mimics what
was actually visible. Finally, AR 3664 is now rotating away from the
Earth, although the region may survive long enough to come around
again.

Gallery: Earth Aurora from Solar Active Region 6443
Tomorrow's picture: What is 42 - 5?
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 14

The 37 Cluster
Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Eguivar

Explanation: For the mostly harmless denizens of planet Earth, the
brighter stars of open cluster NGC 2169 seem to form a cosmic 37. Did
you expect 42? From our perspective, the improbable numerical asterism
appears solely by chance. It lies at an estimated distance of 3,300
light-years toward the constellation Orion. As far as galactic or open
star clusters go, NGC 2169 is a small one, spanning about 7
light-years. Formed at the same time from the same cloud of dust and
gas, the stars of NGC 2169 are only about 11 million years old. Such
clusters are expected to disperse over time as they encounter other
stars, interstellar clouds, and experience gravitational tides while
hitchhiking through the galaxy. Over four billion years ago, our own
Sun was likely formed in a similar open cluster of stars.

Gallery: Earth Aurora from Solar Active Region 3664
Tomorrow's picture: green space arch
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 May 15
Part of the Sun is pictured, oriented as the right edge. The surface is
textured like a carpet. Over the edge a long multi-pronged prominence
stands out. Behind the Sun is the darkness of space. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

AR 3664 at the Sun's Edge
Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastian Voltmer

Explanation: What did the monster active region that created the recent
auroras look like when at the Sun's edge? There, AR 3664 better showed
its 3D structure. Pictured, a large multi-pronged solar prominence was
captured extending from chaotic sunspot region AR 3664 out into space,
just one example of the particle clouds ejected from this violent solar
region. The Earth could easily fit under this long-extended prominence.
The featured image was captured two days ago from this constantly
changing region. Yesterday, the strongest solar flare in years was
expelled (not shown), a blast classified in the upper X-class.
Ultraviolet light from that flare quickly hit the Earth's atmosphere
and caused shortwave radio blackouts across both North and South
America. Although now rotated to be facing slightly away from the
Earth, particles from AR 3664 and subsequent coronal mass ejections
(CMEs) might still follow curved magnetic field lines across the inner
Solar System and create more Earthly auroras.

Gallery: Earth Aurora from Solar Active Region 6443
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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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.

2024 July 17

Villarrica Volcano Against the Sky
Video Credit & Copyright: Gabriel Mu+#oz; Text: Natalia Lewandowska
(SUNY Oswego)

Explanation: When Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, swings his
blacksmith's hammer, the sky is lit on fire. A recent eruption of
Chile's Villarrica volcano shows the delicate interplay between this
fire -- actually glowing steam and ash from melted rock -- and the
light from distant stars in our Milky Way galaxy and the Magellanic
Clouds galaxies. In the featured timelapse video, the Earth rotates
under the stars as Villarrica erupts. With about 1350 volcanoes, our
planet Earth rivals Jupiter's moon Io as the most geologically active
place in the Solar System. While both have magnificent beauty, the
reasons for the existence of volcanoes on both worlds are different.
Earth's volcanoes typically occur between slowly shifting outer shell
plates, while Io's volcanoes are caused by gravitational flexing
resulting from Jupiter's tidal gravitational pull.

Tomorrow's picture: open 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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 July 18

Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Christopher Freeburn

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 are left
of center in this gorgeous starscape. Covering over 6 degrees or the
width of 12 full moons in the constellation Sagittarius, the telescopic
field of view includes dark markings B92 and B93 near the center of
M24, along with other clouds of dust and glowing nebulae toward the
center of the Milky Way.

Tomorrow's picture: festival of planets
__________________________________________________________________

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,
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 July 19

Anticrepuscular Rays at the Planet Festival
Image Credit & Copyright: Pavel Gabzdyl

Explanation: For some, these subtle bands of light and shadow stretched
across the sky as the Sun set on July 11. Known as anticrepuscular
rays, the bands are formed as a large cloud bank near the western
horizon cast long shadows through the atmosphere at sunset. Due to the
camera's perspective, the bands of light and shadow seem to converge
toward the eastern (opposite) horizon at a point seen just above a 14th
century hilltop castle near Brno, Czech Republic. In the foreground,
denizens of planet Earth are enjoying the region's annual Planet
Festival in the park below the Brno Observatory and Planetarium. And
while crepuscular and anticrepuscular rays are a relatively common
atmospheric phenomenon, this festival's 10 meter diameter inflatable
spheres representing bodies of the Solar System are less often seen on
planet Earth.

Tomorrow's picture: panorama on another world
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 July 20

Apollo 11 Landing Panorama
Image Credit: Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11, NASA

Explanation: Have you seen a panorama from another world lately?
Assembled from high-resolution scans of the original film frames, this
one sweeps across the magnificent desolation of the Apollo 11 landing
site on the Moon's Sea of Tranquility. The images were taken 55 years
ago by Neil Armstrong looking out his window on the Eagle Lunar Module
shortly after the July 20, 1969 landing. The frame at the far left
(AS11-37-5449) is the first picture taken by a person on another world.
Thruster nozzles can be seen in the foreground on the left (toward the
south), while at the right (west), the shadow of the Eagle is visible.
For scale, the large, shallow crater on the right has a diameter of
about 12 meters. Frames taken from the Lunar Module windows about an
hour and a half after landing, before walking on the lunar surface,
were intended to document the landing site in case an early departure
was necessary.

Tomorrow's picture: hoodoo
__________________________________________________________________

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,
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the 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 July 21
The band of the Milky Way runs across a night sky filled with stars.
Colorful clouds are on the right horizon. A strange rock structure
appears in the image center with a base and an extended arm that seems
to point to the colorful horizon. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

King of Wings Hoodoo under the Milky Way
Image Credit & Copyright: Wayne Pinkston (LightCrafter Photography)

Explanation: This rock structure is not only surreal -- it's real.
Perhaps the reason it's not more famous is that it is smaller than one
might guess: the capstone rock overhangs only a few meters. Even so,
the King of Wings outcrop, located in New Mexico, USA, is a fascinating
example of an unusual type of rock structure called a hoodoo. Hoodoos
may form when a layer of hard rock overlays a layer of eroding softer
rock. Figuring out the details of incorporating this hoodoo into a
night-sky photoshoot took over a year. Besides waiting for a suitably
picturesque night behind a sky with few clouds, the foreground had to
be artificially lit just right relative to the natural glow of the
background. After much planning and waiting, the final shot, featured
here, was taken in May 2016. Mimicking the horizontal bar, the
background sky features the band of our Milky Way Galaxy stretching
overhead.

Tomorrow's picture: find the galaxy
__________________________________________________________________

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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 July 22
The featured image shows a dark nebula complex involving thick dust
appearing brown and making a big

Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas
Image Credit & Copyright: Chang Lee

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
36.6-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its
own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors creating a brown hue.
Contrastingly blue, the bright star Beta Chamaeleontis is visible on
the upper right, 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 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: Chandra Crab (25)
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2024 July 23
A multi-colored nebula is shown that is the expanding remnant of an
exploded star. The central white and purple colors show X-ray light,
while the outer red and blue colors show visible light. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

The Crab Nebula from Visible to X-Ray
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, ASI, Hubble, Chandra, IXPE

Explanation: What powers the Crab Nebula? A city-sized magnetized
neutron star spinning around 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 10 light-years across, the spectacular picture of
the Crab Nebula (M1) frames a swirling central disk and complex
filaments of surrounding and expanding glowing gas. The picture
combines visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope in red and blue
with X-ray light from the Chandra X-ray Observatory shown in white, and
diffuse X-ray emission detected by Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer
(IXPE) in diffuse purple. The central pulsar powers the Crab Nebula's
emission and expansion by slightly slowing its spin rate, which drives
out a wind of energetic electrons. The featured image released today,
the 25th Anniversary of the launch of NASA's flagship-class X-ray
Observatory: Chandra.

Many Discoveries: Chandra Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Tomorrow's picture: spikey moon
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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,
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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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.

2024 July 24
Earth's Moon is shown with the heights of surface features all greatly
exaggerated. Also, the colors of the Moon have been exaggerated so
areas of blue and red are more easily seen. Please see the explanation
for more detailed information.

Exaggerated Moon
Credit: Data: NASA, Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter; Image & Processing:
Ildar Ibatullin

Explanation: Our Moon doesn't really have craters this big. Earth's
Moon, Luna, also doesn't naturally show this spikey texture, and its
colors are more subtle. But this digital creation is based on reality.
The featured image is a digital composite of a good Moon image and
surface height data taken from NASA's Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter
(LOLA) mission -- and then exaggerated for educational understanding.
The digital enhancements, for example, accentuate lunar highlands and
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: open 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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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the 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 July 28

Sun Dance
Video Credit: NASA, SDO; Processing: Alan Watson via Helioviewer

Explanation: Sometimes, the surface of our Sun seems to dance. In the
middle of 2012, for example, NASA's Sun-orbiting Solar Dynamic
Observatory spacecraft imaged an impressive prominence that seemed to
perform a running dive roll like an acrobatic dancer. The dramatic
explosion was captured in ultraviolet light in the featured time-lapse
video covering about three hours. A looping magnetic field directed the
flow of hot plasma on the Sun. The scale of the dancing prominence is
huge -- the entire Earth would easily fit under the flowing arch of hot
gas. A quiescent prominence typically lasts about a month and may erupt
in a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), expelling hot gas into the Solar
System. The energy mechanism that creates a solar prominence is still a
topic of research. Like in 2012, this year the Sun's surface is again
quite active and features many filaments and prominences.

Tomorrow's picture: milky way mound
__________________________________________________________________

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,
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