Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 25 Geminids and the Mittens Image Credit &Copyright:Chuck Derus Explanation: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon'sannualgift to planet Earthalways arrivesin December.Otherwise known asthe Geminid meteor shower,the source of the meteroid stream isdust shed along the orbit of themysterious asteroid.Near the December 13/14 peak of the shower's activity,geminid meteors are captured in this night skyscape,composited from 22 images of starry skytaken before the moon rose overMonument Valleyin the American southwest.The bright stars near the position of the shower's radiantare the constellation Gemini's twin starsCastor (blue) and Pollux (yellow).As Earth sweeps through the dusty stream,the parallel meteor trails appear to radiate from a pointon the sky in Gemini due to perspective,and so the yearly shower is named for the constellation.From the camera's perspective, this view of three prominentbuttes across Monument Valley also suggests appropriate names fortwo of them.The third one is calledMerrick Butte. Tomorrow's picture: the dragon's egg <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy...
APOD: 2022 December 23 - Cassini Looks Out from Saturn Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 23 Cassini Looks Out from Saturn Image Credit: NASA,JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute Explanation: This is what Saturn looks like from inside the rings.In 2017, for the first time, NASA directed the Cassini spacecraft to swoop between Saturn and its rings.During the dive, the robotic spacecraft took hundreds of images showing unprecedented detail for structures in Saturn's atmosphere.Looking back out, however, the spacecraft was also able to capture impressive vistas.In the featured image, taken a few hours before closest approach, Saturn's unusual northern hexagon is seen surrounding the North Pole.Saturn's B ring is the closest visible, while the dark Cassini Division separates B from the outer A. A close inspection will find the two small moons that shepherd the F-ring, the farthest ring discernable. A few months after this image was taken -- and after more than a decade of exploration and discovery -- the Cassini spacecraft ran low on fuel and was directed to enter Saturn's atmosphere, where it surely melted. Tomorrow's picture: the night...
Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 24 Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) Image Credit &Copyright:Dan Bartlett Explanation: Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at theZwicky Transient Facility this year in early March.Since then the newlong-period comethas brightened substantially and is nowsweeping across the northernconstellation Corona Borealis in predawn skies.It's still too dim to see without a telescope though.But this fine telescopic imagefrom December 19 does showthe comet'sbrighter greenish coma, short broad dust tail, and long faint ion tailstretching across a 2.5 degree wide field-of-view.On a voyage throughthe inner Solar System comet 2022 E3 will beat perihelion,its closest to the Sun, in the new year on January 12 and atperigee, its closest to our fair planet, on February 1.The brightness of comets isnotoriouslyunpredictable, but by then C/2022 E3 (ZTF)could become only just visible to the eye in dark night skies. Tomorrow's picture: stars and mittens <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy...
APOD: 2022 December 22 - NGC 1365: Majestic Island Universe Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 22 NGC 1365: Majestic Island Universe Image Credit &Copyright:Martin Pugh Explanation: Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majesticisland universe some 200,000light-years across.Located a mere 60 million light-years away toward the faint but heatedconstellationFornax,NGC 1365 is adominant member of the well-studiedFornax Clusterof galaxies.This impressivelysharp color imageshows the intense, reddish star forming regions near theends of the galaxy's central bar and along its spiral arms.Seen in fine detail, obscuring dust lanes cutacross the galaxy's bright core.At the core lies a supermassive black hole.Astronomers thinkNGC 1365'sprominent bar plays a crucial role in thegalaxy's evolution,drawing gas and dust into a star-forming maelstromand ultimately feeding material into thecentral black hole. Tomorrow's picture: northern Saturn <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.
Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 23 Cassini Looks Out from Saturn Image Credit: NASA,JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute Explanation: This is what Saturn looks like from inside the rings.In 2017, for the first time, NASA directed the Cassini spacecraft to swoop between Saturn and its rings.During the dive, the robotic spacecraft took hundreds of images showing unprecedented detail for structures in Saturn's atmosphere.Looking back out, however, the spacecraft was also able to capture impressive vistas.In the featured image, taken a few hours before closest approach, Saturn's unusual northern hexagon is seen surrounding the North Pole.Saturn's B ring is the closest visible, while the dark Cassini Division separates B from the outer A. A close inspection will find the two small moons that shepherd the F-ring, the farthest ring discernable. A few months after this image was taken -- and after more than a decade of exploration and discovery -- the Cassini spacecraft ran low on fuel and was directed to enter Saturn's atmosphere, where it surely melted. Tomorrow's picture: the night before <| Archive| Submissions |...
APOD: 2022 December 21 - Sun Halo at Sixty-three Degrees North Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 21 Sun Halo at Sixty-three Degrees North Image Credit &Copyright:Goran Strand Explanation: Happy Solstice!Today is the December solstice,marking an astronomical beginning ofsummer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the north.On its yearly trek through planet Earth's skies,at this solstice the Sun reaches its southern most declination,23.5 degreessouth, at 21:48UTC.About 4 days ago the Sun was near this seasonal southern limit and so only justabove the horizon at local noonfrom Ostersund in central Sweden.This view looking overthe far northern lakeside city finds the midday Sun with a beautifulsolar ice halo.Naturally occurringatmospheric ice crystalscan produce thetantalizing halo displays,refracting and reflecting the sunlight through their hexagonal geometry. Still, with the Sun low and near the horizon in the clear sky, likely sources of the ice crystals producing thisintense halo are snow cannons.Operating at a local ski area, the snowmaking machines createa visible plume at the top of the nearby island Froson towardthe right side of the panorama. Tomorrow's picture: southern spiral <| Archive| Submissions | Index|...
Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 22 NGC 1365: Majestic Island Universe Image Credit &Copyright:Martin Pugh Explanation: Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majesticisland universe some 200,000light-years across.Located a mere 60 million light-years away toward the faint but heatedconstellationFornax,NGC 1365 is adominant member of the well-studiedFornax Cluster of galaxies.This impressivelysharp color imageshows the intense, reddish star forming regions near theends of central bar and along the spiral arms,with details of the obscuring dust lanes cuttingacross the galaxy's bright core.At the core lies a supermassive black hole.Astronomers thinkNGC 1365'sprominent bar plays a crucial role in thegalaxy's evolution,drawing gas and dust into a star-forming maelstromand ultimately feeding material into thecentral black hole. Tomorrow's picture: northern Saturn <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.
APOD: 2022 December 20 - Thors Helmet Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 20 Thor's Helmet Image Credit & Copyright: Hannah Rochford Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages.Heroically sized even for aNorse god,Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across.In fact, the cosmic head-covering is more likean interstellar bubble, blown with a fastwind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center.Known as aWolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief,pre-supernova stage of evolution.NGC 2359 is located about15,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the Great Overdog.This remarkably sharp imageis a mixed cocktail of data from narrowband filters,capturing not only natural looking stars but details ofthe nebula'sfilamentary structures.The star in the center of Thor's Helmet is expected to explode in a spectacularsupernova sometime within the next few thousand years. Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: solstice sun <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| >...
Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 21 Sun Halo at Sixty-three Degrees North Image Credit &Copyright:Goran Strand Explanation: Happy Solstice!Today is the December solstice,marking an astronomical beginning ofsummer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the north.On its yearly trek through planet Earth's skies,at this solstice the Sun reaches its southern most declination,23.5 degreessouth, at 21:48UTC.About 4 days ago the Sun was near this seasonal southern limit and so only justabove the horizon at local noon over Ostersund in central Sweden.This view looking over the far northern lakeside city finds the middaySun with a beautifulsolar ice halo.Naturally occurringatmospheric ice crystalscan produce thetantalizing halo displays,refracting and reflecting the sunlight through their hexagonal geometry. Still, with the Sun low and near the horizon in the clear sky, likely sources of the ice crystals producing thisintense halo are snow cannons.Operating at a local ski area, the snowmaking machines createa visible plume at the top of the nearby island Froson towardthe right side of the panorama. Tomorrow's picture: northern spiral <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About...
Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 20 Thor's Helmet Image Credit & Copyright: Hannah Rochford Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages.Heroically sized even for aNorse god,Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across.In fact, the cosmic head-covering is more likean interstellar bubble, blown with a fastwind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center.Known as aWolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief,pre-supernova stage of evolution.NGC 2359 is located about15,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the Great Overdog.This remarkably sharp imageis a mixed cocktail of data from narrowband filters,capturing not only natural looking stars but details ofthe nebula'sfilamentary structures.The star in the center of Thor's Helmet is expected to explode in a spectacularsupernova sometime within the next few thousand years. Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: solstice sun <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors &...
APOD: 2022 December 19 - The Tadpole Nebula in Gas and Dust Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 19 The Tadpole Nebula in Gas and Dust Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks(Utah Desert Remote Observatories) Explanation: What's causing the commotion in the Tadpole Nebula?Star formation. Dusty emission in the Tadpole Nebula, IC 410, lies about 12,000 light-years away in the northern constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga).The cloud of glowing gas is over 100 light-years across,sculpted bystellar winds and radiation from embedded open star cluster NGC 1893.Formed in the interstellar clouda mere4 million years ago, bright newly formed cluster stars are seen all around the star-forming nebula. Notable on the lower-right of the featured image are two relatively dense streamers of material trailing away from the nebula's central regions.Potentially sites of ongoing star formation in IC 410, thesecosmic tadpoleshapes are about 10 light-years long.The image was processed highlighting the emission from sulfur (red), hydrogen (green), and oxygen (blue) gas -- but with the stars digitally removed. Tomorrow's picture: Big Thor <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss|...
APOD: 2022 December 18 - The 25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 18 25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky Image Credit & Copyright: Tragoolchitr Jittasaiyapan Explanation: Do you know the names of some of the brightest stars?It's likely that you do, even though some bright stars have names so old they date back to near the beginning of written language.Many world cultures have their own names for the brightest stars, and it is culturally and historically important to remember them. In the interest of clear global communication, however, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has begun to designate standardized star names. Featured here in true color are the 25 brightest stars in the night sky, currently as seen by humans, coupled with their IAU-recognized names.Some star names have interesting meanings, including Sirius ("the scorcher" in Latin), Vega ("falling" in Arabic), and Antares ("rival to Mars" in Greek).You are likely even familiar with the name of at least one startoo dim to make this list:Polaris. Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: interstellar tadpoles <|...
Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 19 The Tadpole Nebula in Gas and Dust Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks(Utah Desert Remote Observatories) Explanation: What's causing the commotion in the Tadpole Nebula?Star formation. Dusty emission in the Tadpole Nebula, IC 410, lies about 12,000 light-years away in the northern constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga).The cloud of glowing gas is over 100 light-years across,sculpted bystellar winds and radiation from embedded open star cluster NGC 1893.Formed in the interstellar clouda mere4 million years ago, bright newly formed cluster stars are seen all around the star-forming nebula. Notable on the lower-right of the featured image are two relatively dense streamers of material trailing away from the nebula's central regions.Potentially sites of ongoing star formation in IC 410, thesecosmic tadpoleshapes are about 10 light-years long.The image was processed highlighting the emission from sulfur (red), hydrogen (green), and oxygen (blue) gas -- but with the stars digitally removed. Tomorrow's picture: Big Thor <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry...
APOD: 2022 December 17 - Apollo 17 VIP Site Anaglyph Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 17 Apollo 17 VIP Site Anaglyph Image Credit: Gene Cernan,Apollo 17,NASA;Anaglyph byErik van Meijgaarden Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and check out thisstereo scene from Taurus-Littrow valleyon the Moon!The color anaglyph features a detailed 3D view ofApollo 17's Lunar Roverin the foreground -- behind it lies the Lunar Module anddistant lunar hills.Because the world was going to be ableto watchthe Lunar Module'sascent stage liftoff via the rover's TV camera, thisparking place was also known as the VIP Site.Fifty years ago,in December of 1972,Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and HarrisonSchmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon, while colleague Ronald Evansorbited overhead.The crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples,more than from any of the other lunar landing sites.Cernan and Schmittare stillthe lastto walk(or drive)on the Moon. Tomorrow's picture: the brightest stars <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA...
Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 December 18 25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky Image Credit & Copyright: Tragoolchitr Jittasaiyapan Explanation: Do you know the names of some of the brightest stars?It's likely that you do, even though some bright stars have names so old they date back to near the beginning of written language.Many world cultures have their own names for the brightest stars, and it is culturally and historically important to remember them. In the interest of clear global communication, however, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has begun to designate standardized star names. Featured here in true color are the 25 brightest stars in the night sky, currently as seen by humans, coupled with their IAU-recognized names.Some star names have interesting meanings, including Sirius ("the scorcher" in Latin), Vega ("falling" in Arabic), and Antares ("rival to Mars" in Greek).You are likely even familiar with the name of at least one startoo dim to make this list:Polaris. Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: interstellar tadpoles <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education|...