APOD: 2024 January 10 - The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty 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. 2024 January 10 The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty Image Credit &Copyright: Gábor Galambos Explanation: This colorful skyscapespans about three full moons across nebula richstarfields along the plane ofour Milky Way Galaxy toward the royal northern constellationCepheus.Near the edge of the region's massive molecular cloud some 2,400light-years away, bright reddish emission regionSharpless(Sh)2-155 is at the center of the frame, also known as theCave Nebula.About 10 light-years across the cosmic cave's bright walls ofgas are ionized by ultraviolet light from the hot young stars around it.Dusty bluish reflection nebulae,like vdB155 at the left, and dense obscuring clouds of dust also abound on theinterstellar canvas.Astronomicalexplorations haverevealed otherdramatic signs of star formation,including the bright reddish fleck ofHerbig-Haro (HH) 168.At the upper left in the frame, the Herbig-Haro object emission isgenerated by energetic jets from anewborn star. Tomorrow's picture: unforgotten <| 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...
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. 2024 January 11 Quadrantids of the North Image Credit &Copyright: 염범석 Yeom Beom-seok Explanation: Named for aforgotten constellation, theQuadrantid Meteor Showerputs on an annual show for planet Earth's northern hemisphere skygazers.The shower's radiant on the skylies within the old, astronomically obsolete constellationQuadrans Muralis.That location is not far from the Big Dipper asterism,known to some as the Plough,at the boundaries of the modern constellations Bootes and Draco.In fact the Big Dipper "handle" stars are near the upperright corner in this frame, with the meteor shower radiant just below.North star Polaris is toward the top left.Pointing back toward the radiant,Quadrantid meteors streak through the night inthis skyscape from Jangsu, South Korea.The composite image was recorded in the hours aroundthe shower's peak on January 4, 2024.A likely source of the dust stream that producesQuadrantid meteors was identifiedin 2003as an asteroid. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| 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...
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. 2024 January 10 The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty Image Credit &Copyright: Gábor Galambos Explanation: This colorful skyscapespans about three full moons across nebula richstarfields along the plane ofour Milky Way Galaxy toward the royal northern constellationCepheus.Near the edge of the region's massive molecular cloud some 2,400light-years away, bright reddish emission regionSharpless(Sh)2-155 is at the center of the frame, also known as theCave Nebula.About 10 light-years across the cosmic cave's bright walls ofgas are ionized by ultraviolet light from the hot young stars around it.Dusty bluish reflection nebulae,like vdB155 at the left, and dense obscuring clouds of dust also abound on theinterstellar canvas.Astronomicalexplorations haverevealed otherdramatic signs of star formation,including the bright reddish fleck ofHerbig-Haro (HH) 168.At the upper left in the frame, the Herbig-Haro object emission isgenerated by energetic jets from anewborn star. Tomorrow's picture: unforgotten <| 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...
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. The Snows of Churyumov-Gerasimenko Images Credit: ESA, Rosetta, MPS, OSIRIS;UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; Animation: Jacint Roger Perez Explanation: You couldn't really be caughtin this blizzard while standing by a cliff onperiodic comet67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.Orbiting the comet in June of 2016, the Rosettaspacecraft's narrow angle camera did record streaks of dustand ice particles similar to snow as they drifted across thefield of view close to the camera andabove the comet's surface.Still, some of thebright specksin the scene are likely due to a rainof energetic charged particles orcosmic rayshitting the camera, and the dense background ofstars in the direction of the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major).In the video, the background stars are easy to spot trailing from top to bottom.The stunning movie was constructed from 33consecutive imagestaken over 25 minutes while Rosetta cruised some 13 kilometers from the comet's nucleus.In September 2016, the nucleus became the finalresting place for the Rosetta spacecraft after itsmission was ended with a successful controlled impact on67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Tomorrow's picture: cats in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD|...
APOD: 2024 January 5 - Trapezium: At the Heart of Orion 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. 2024 January 5 Trapezium: At the Heart of Orion Image Credit &Copyright: Fred Zimmer,Telescope Live Explanation: Near the center ofthis sharp cosmic portrait, atthe heart of the Orion Nebula,are four hot, massive starsknown asthe Trapezium.Gathered within a region about 1.5 light-years in radius,they dominate the core of the dense Orion Nebula Star Cluster.Ultravioletionizing radiation from the Trapezium stars,mostly from the brightest starTheta-1 Orionis Cpowers the complex star forming region's entire visible glow.About three million years old, the Orion Nebula Cluster waseven more compact in its younger years and adynamical studyindicates thatrunaway stellar collisionsat an earlier age may have formed ablack holewith more than 100 times the mass of the Sun.The presence of a black hole within the clustercould explain the observed high velocities of theTrapezium stars.The Orion Nebula's distance of some 1,500 light-years would make it oneof theclosest known black holesto planet Earth. Tomorrow's picture: snow day <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry...
APOD: 2024 January 4 - Zeta Oph: Runaway Star 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. 2024 January 4 Zeta Oph: Runaway Star Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech,Spitzer Space Telescope Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas,runaway star Zeta Ophiuchiproduces the arcing interstellar bow wave or bow shock seen in this stunning infrared portrait.In the false-color view, bluish Zeta Oph, a star about 20 times moremassive than the Sun, lies near the center of the frame, movingtoward the left at 24 kilometers per second.Its strong stellar wind precedes it, compressing and heating the dustyinterstellar materialand shaping the curved shock front.What set this star in motion?Zeta Oph was likely once a member of abinary star system, itscompanion star was more massive and hence shorter lived.When the companionexploded as a supernovacatastrophically losing mass, Zeta Oph was flung out of the system. About 460 light-years away, Zeta Ophis 65,000 times more luminous than theSun and would be one of the brighter starsin the sky if it weren't surrounded by obscuring dust.The image spans about 1.5 degrees or 12 light-yearsat the estimated distance ofZeta Ophiuchi.In January 2020, NASA...
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. 2024 January 5 Trapezium: At the Heart of Orion Image Credit &Copyright: Fred Zimmer,Telescope Live Explanation: Near the center ofthis sharp cosmic portrait, atthe heart of the Orion Nebula,are four hot, massive starsknown asthe Trapezium.Gathered within a region about 1.5 light-years in radius,they dominate the core of the dense Orion Nebula Star Cluster.Ultravioletionizing radiation from the Trapezium stars,mostly from the brightest starTheta-1 Orionis Cpowers the complex star forming region's entire visible glow.About three million years old, the Orion Nebula Cluster waseven more compact in its younger years and adynamical studyindicates thatrunaway stellar collisionsat an earlier age may have formed ablack holewith more than 100 times the mass of the Sun.The presence of a black hole within the clustercould explain the observed high velocities of theTrapezium stars.The Orion Nebula's distance of some 1,500 light-years would make it oneof theclosest known black holesto planet Earth. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend <| 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...
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. 2024 January 4 Zeta Oph: Runaway Star Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech,Spitzer Space Telescope Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas,runaway star Zeta Ophiuchiproduces the arcing interstellar bow wave or bow shock seen in this stunning infrared portrait.In the false-color view, bluish Zeta Oph, a star about 20 times moremassive than the Sun, lies near the center of the frame, movingtoward the left at 24 kilometers per second.Its strong stellar wind precedes it, compressing and heating the dustyinterstellar materialand shaping the curved shock front.What set this star in motion?Zeta Oph was likely once a member of abinary star system, itscompanion star was more massive and hence shorter lived.When the companionexploded as a supernovacatastrophically losing mass, Zeta Oph was flung out of the system. About 460 light-years away, Zeta Ophis 65,000 times more luminous than theSun and would be one of the brighter starsin the sky if it weren't surrounded by obscuring dust.The image spans about 1.5 degrees or 12 light-yearsat the estimated distance ofZeta Ophiuchi.In January 2020, NASA placed the Spitzer Space...
APOD: 2023 December 29 - Shakespeare in Space 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. 2023 December 29 Shakespeare in Space Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA,STScI Explanation: In 1986, Voyager 2 became the only spacecraftto exploreice giant planet Uranusclose up.Still, this newly released imagefrom the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera)on the James Webb Space Telescope offers adetailed look at the distant world.The tilted outer planet rotates on its axis once in about 17 hours.Its north pole is presently pointed near our line of sight,offering direct views of its northern hemisphere and afaint but extensive system of rings.Of the giant planet's 27 known moons, 14 areannotated in the image.Mixed with fuzzy background galaxies,the brighter moons show hints of Webb's characteristicdiffraction spikes.And though these worlds of the outer Solar Systemwere unknown inShakespearean times,all but two of the 27 Uranian moons arenamedfor characters in the English bard's plays. Tomorrow's picture: the cold and tired moon <| 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...
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. 2023 December 29 Shakespeare in Space Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA,STScI Explanation: In 1986, Voyager 2 became the only spacecraftto exploreice giant planet Uranusclose up.Still, this newly released imagefrom the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera)on the James Webb Space Telescope offers adetailed look at the distant world.The tilted outer planet rotates on its axis once in about 17 hours.Its north pole is presently pointed near our line of sight,offering direct views of its northern hemisphere and afaint but extensive system of rings.Of the giant planet's 27 known moons, 14 areannotated in the image.The brighter ones show hints of Webb's characteristicdiffraction spikes.And though these worlds of the outer Solar Systemwere unknown inShakespearean times,all but two of the 27 Uranian moons arenamedfor characters in the English Bard's plays. Tomorrow's picture: the cold and tired moon <| 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: 2023 December 28 - Jupiter and the Geminid 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. 2023 December 28 Jupiter and the Geminid Image Credit &Copyright:Gaurav Singh Explanation: For a brief moment,this brilliant fireball meteor outshoneJupiter in planet Earth's night.The serendipitous image was captured while hunting meteors undercold Canadian skies with a camera intimelapse mode on December 14,near the peak of theGeminid meteor shower.The Geminid meteor shower,asteroid 3200 Phaethon's annual gift,always arrives in December.Dust shed along the orbit of the mysterious asteroidcauses the meteor streaks, as the vaporizing grainsplow through our fair planet's upper atmosphereat 22 kilometers per second.Of course Geminid shower meteorsappear to radiatefrom a point in the constellation of the Twins.That's below and left of this frame.With bright Jupiter on the right, also in theDecember nightskyview are thePleiades andHyadesstar clusters. Tomorrow's picture: Shakespeare in space <| 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. 2023 December 28 Jupiter and the Geminid Image Credit &Copyright:Gaurav Singh Explanation: For a brief moment,this brilliant fireball meteor outshoneJupiter in planet Earth's night.The serendipitous image was captured while hunting meteors undercold Canadian skies with a camera intimelapse mode on December 14,near the peak of theGeminid meteor shower.The Geminid meteor shower,asteroid 3200 Phaethon's annual gift,always arrives in December.Dust shed along the orbit of the mysterious asteroidcauses the meteor streaks, as the vaporizing grainsplow through our fair planet's upper atmosphereat 22 kilometers per second.Of course Geminid shower meteorsappear to radiatefrom a point in the constellation of the Twins.That's below and left of this frame.With bright Jupiter on the right, also in theDecember nightskyview are thePleiades andHyadesstar clusters. Tomorrow's picture: Shakespeare in space <| 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. 2023 December 23 A December Summer Night Image Credit &Copyright:Ian Griffin(Otago Museum) Explanation: Colours of a serene evening sky are captured in this8 minute exposure, made nearthis December's solsticefrom New Zealand, southern hemisphere,planet Earth.Looking south, star trails form the short concentric arcs aroundthe rotating planet's south celestial polepositioned just off the top of the frame.At top and left of center are trails of the Southern Cross starsand a dark smudge from theMilky Way's Coalsack Nebula.Alpha and BetaCentauri make the brighter yellow and blue tinted trails,reflected below in the waters of Hoopers Inlet in the Pacific coast of the South Island'sOtago Peninsula.On that short December summer night,aurora australis alsogave luminous, green and reddish hues to the sky above the hills.An upper atmospheric glowdistinct from the auroraexcited by collisions with energetic particles,pale greenish bands of airglow caused bya cascade of chemical reactionsexcited by sunlightcan be traced in diagonal bands near the top left. Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic cocoon <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors:...
APOD: 2023 December 22 - 183 Days in the Sun 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. 2023 December 22 183 Days in the Sun Image Credit &Copyright:José Zarcos Palma Explanation: A single 183 day exposure with a pinhole camera and photographic paperresulted in this long-durationsolargraph.Recorded fromsolstice to solstice,June 21 to December 21, in 2022,it follows the Sun's daily arcing paththrough planet Earth's skies from Mertola, Portugal.On June 21,the Sun's highest point and longest arc represents the longestday and the astronomical beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere.The solstice date with the fewest hours of daylight is atthe beginning of winter in the north,corresponding to the Sun's shortest and lowest arc in the 2022 solargraph.For 2023, the northern winter solstice was on December 22 at 3:27 UTC.That's December 21for North America time zones. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend <| 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.