APOD: 2022 February 2 - The Galactic Center in Radio from MeerKAT 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 February 2 The Galactic Center in Radio from MeerKAT Image Credit: Ian Heywood (Oxford U.), SARAO; Color Processing: Juan Carlos Munoz-Mateos(ESO) Explanation: What's happening at the center of our galaxy?It's hard to tell with optical telescopes since visible light is blocked by intervening interstellar dust.In other bands of light, though, such as radio, the galactic center can be imaged and shows itself to be quite an interesting and active place. The featured picture shows the latest image of our Milky Way's center by the MeerKAT array of 64 radio dishes in South Africa.Spanning four times the angular size of the Moon (2 degrees), the image is impressively vast, deep, and detailed. Many known sources are shown in clear detail, including many with a prefix of Sgr, since the galactic center is in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. In our Galaxy's Center lies Sgr A, found here in the image center, which houses the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole. Other sources in the...
APOD: 2022 February 1 - Moon Phases 2022 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. Moon Phases 2022 Video Credit: Data: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ; Animation: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio; Music: Build the Future (Universal Production Music), Alexander Hitchens Explanation: What will the Moon phase be on your birthday this year? It is hard to predict because the Moon's appearance changes nightly. As theMoon orbits theEarth,the half illuminated by theSunfirst becomes increasingly visible, then decreasingly visible.The featured video animates images and altitude data taken by NASA's Moon-orbiting Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to show all 12 lunations that appear this year, 2022 --as seen from Earth's northern (southern)hemisphere.A single lunation describes one full cycle of our Moon, including all of its phases.A fulllunation takes about 29.5 days, just under a month(moon-th).As each lunation progresses, sunlight reflects from theMoon at different angles, and so illuminates different features differently. During all of this, of course, the Moonalways keeps the same face toward the Earth.What is less apparent night-to-night is that the Moon's apparent size changes slightly,and that a slight wobble called alibration occurs as the Moon progresses along...
APOD: 2022 January 31 - Carina Nebula 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 January 31 Carina Nebula North Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari Explanation: The Great Carina Nebula is home to strange stars and iconic nebulas.Named for its home constellation, the huge star-forming region is larger and brighter than the Great Orion Nebula but less well known because it is so far south -- and because so much of humanity lives so far north. The featured image shows in great detail the northern-most part of the Carina Nebula.Visible nebulas include the semi-circular filaments surrounding the active star Wolf-Rayet 23 (WR23) on the far left. Just left of center is the Gabriela Mistral Nebula consisting of an emission nebula of glowing gas (IC 2599) surrounding the small open cluster of stars (NGC 3324).Above the image center is the larger star cluster NGC 3293, while to its right is the relatively faint emission nebula designated Loden 153. The most famous occupant of the Carina Nebula, however, is not shown.Off the image to the lower right is the bright, erratic, and doomed star...
APOD: 2022 January 29 - The Fornax Cluster of Galaxies 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 January 29 The Fornax Cluster of Galaxies Image Credit &Copyright:Marco Lorenzi,Angus Lau,Tommy Tse Explanation: Named for the southern constellationtoward which most of its galaxies can be found, theFornaxCluster is one of the closest clusters of galaxies.About 62 million light-years away, it is almost 20 times moredistant than our neighboringAndromeda Galaxy, andonly about 10 percent farther than the better known and morepopulated Virgo Galaxy Cluster.Seen across this two degree wide field-of-view, almost everyyellowish splotch on the image is an elliptical galaxy in the Fornaxcluster.Elliptical galaxiesNGC 1399 and NGC 1404are the dominant, bright cluster members toward the upper left(but not the spiky foreground stars).A standout barred spiral galaxyNGC 1365is visible on the lower right as a prominent Fornax cluster member. Tomorrow's picture: miasma of plasma <| 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& Michigan Tech. U.
APOD: 2022 January 28 - Western Moon, Eastern Sea 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 January 28 Western Moon, Eastern Sea Image Credit &Copyright:Tom Glenn Explanation: The Mare Orientale,Latin for Eastern Sea, is one of the most strikinglarge scale lunar features.The youngest of the large lunar impact basins it's very difficult to see from anearthbound perspective.Still, taken during a period of favorable tilt, or libration of the lunarnearside, the Eastern Sea can be found near top center in this sharptelescopic view, extremely foreshortenedalong the Moon's western edge.Formed by the impact of an asteroid over 3 billion yearsago and nearly 1000 kilometers across, theimpact basin'sconcentric circular features are ripples in the lunar crust.But they are a little easier to spot inmore direct images of the region taken fromlunar orbit.So why is the Eastern Sea at the Moon's western edge?The Mare Orientale lunar feature was named before 1961.That's when the convention labelingeast and west on lunar mapswas reversed. Tomorrow's picture: galaxies in the furnace <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell...
APOD: 2022 January 27 - South 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. 2022 January 27 South of Orion Image Credit &Copyright:Vikas Chander Explanation: South of the large star-forming region known as theOrion Nebula, lies bright blue reflection nebulaNGC 1999.At the edge of theOrion molecularcloud complex some 1,500 light-years distant, NGC 1999'sillumination is provided by the embedded variable star V380 Orionis.The nebula is marked with a dark sideways T-shape at center right inthis telescopic vistathat spans about two full moons on the sky.Its dark shape was once assumed tobe an obscuring dust cloud seen in silhouette.But infrared datasuggest the shape is likely a hole blown through the nebulaitself by energetic young stars.In fact,this region aboundswith energetic young starsproducing jets and outflows with luminous shock waves.Cataloged as Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, named for astronomersGeorge Herbig and Guillermo Haro,the shocks have intense reddish hues.HH1 and HH2 are just below and right of NGC 1999.HH222, also known as theWaterfall nebula,looks like a red gash near top right in the frame.To create the shocks stellar jets push throughthe surrounding material at speeds ofhundreds of kilometers per second....
APOD: 2022 January 26 - Stars, Dust, and Gas Near Antares 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 January 26 Stars, Dust, and Gas Near Antares Image Credit & Copyright: Mario Cogo (Galax Lux) Explanation: Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi so dusty yet colorful? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes. Fine dust -- illuminated from the front by starlight -- produces bluereflection nebulae.Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultraviolet starlight produce reddish emission nebulae.Backlit dust clouds block starlight and soappear dark. Antares,a red supergiant and one of the brighter stars in the night sky, lights up the yellow-red clouds on the lower right of the featured image.The Rho Ophiuchi star system lies at the center of the blue reflection nebula on the top left. The distant globular cluster of starsM4 is visible above and to the right of Antares.These star clouds are even more colorful than humans can see,emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum. Tomorrow's picture: open space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors:...
APOD: 2022 January 25 - Video: Comet Leonard over One Hour 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. Video: Comet Leonard over One Hour Video Credit & Copyright: Matipon Tangmatitham (NARIT); Text: Matipon Tangmatitham Explanation: Which direction is this comet heading? Judging by the tail, one might imagine that Comet Leonard is traveling towards the bottom right, but a full 3D analysis shows it traveling almost directly away from the camera. With this perspective, the dust tail is trailed towards the camera and can only be seen as a short yellow-white glow near the head of the comet. The bluish ion tail, however, is made up of escaping ions that are forced directly away from the Sun by the solar wind -- but channeled along the Sun's magnetic field lines. The Sun's magnetic field is quite complex, however, and occasionally solar magnetic reconnection will break the ion tail into knots that are pushed away from the Sun.One such knot is visible in the featured one-hour time-lapse video captured in late December from Thailand. Comet Leonard is now fading as it heads out of our...
APOD: 2022 January 24 - Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula 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 January 24 Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: José Mtanous Explanation: By starlight this eerie visage shines in the dark,a crooked profile evoking its popular name, theWitch Head Nebula.In fact, this entrancingtelescopic portrait gives the impression thatthe witch has fixed her gaze on Orion's bright supergiantstar Rigel.More formally known asIC 2118,the Witch Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years andis composed of interstellar dust grains reflecting Rigel's starlight.The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and of the dust surroundingRigelis caused not only by Rigel's intense blue starlight but because thedust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red.The samephysical process causesEarth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers inEarth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen.Rigel, the Witch Head Nebula, and gas and dust that surrounds them lie about 800 light-years away. Tomorrow's picture: comet time-lapse <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific...
APOD: 2022 January 23 - Saturn, Tethys, Rings, and Shadows 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 January 23 Saturn, Tethys, Rings, and Shadows Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA,NASA Explanation: Seen fromice moon Tethys, rings and shadows would display fantasticviews of the Saturnian system.Haven't dropped in on Tethys lately?Thenthisgorgeous ringscape from the Cassini spacecraftwill have to do for now.Caught in sunlightjust below and left of picture center in 2005,Tethys itself is about 1,000 kilometers in diameter andorbits not quite five saturn-radii from the center of the gas giant planet.At that distance (around 300,000 kilometers) it is well outside Saturn'smainbright rings, but Tethys is stillone of fivemajor moons that find themselves within the boundaries ofthe faint and tenuous outerE ring.Discovered in the 1980s, two very small moonsTelesto and Calypso are locked in stablealong Tethys' orbit.Telesto precedes and Calypso follows Tethys as the triocircles Saturn. Tomorrow's picture: witch star? <| 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...
APOD: 2022 January 22 - The Full Moon and the Dancer 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 January 22 The Full Moon and the Dancer Image Credit &Copyright:Elena Pinna Explanation: On Monday, January'sFull Moonrose as the Sun set.Spotted near the eastern horizon, its warm hues are seenin this photo taken near Cagliari, capital city of the Italianisland of Sardinia.Of course the familiar patterns of light and dark acrossthe Moon's nearsideare created by bright rugged highlands and dark smooth lunar maria.Traditionally the patterns are seenas pareidolia,giving the visual illusion of a human face like theMan in the Moon,or familiar animal like theMoon rabbit.But for a moment theswarming murmuration,also known as a flock of starlings,frozen in the snapshot's field of view lendsanother pareidolic element to the scene.Some see the graceful figure of a dancer enchantedby moonlight. Tomorrow's picture: moons, rings, and shadows <| 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& Michigan Tech. U.
APOD: 2022 January 21 - Young Star Jet MHO 2147 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 January 21 Young Star Jet MHO 2147 Image Credit &License:International Gemini Observatory /NOIRLab /NSF /AURA Acknowledgments: L. Ferrero (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba) Explanation: Laserguide stars andadaptive optics sharpened this stunningground-based image of stellar jets from theGemini South Observatory,Chilean Andes, planet Earth.Thesetwin outflows of MHO 2147are from a young starin formation.It lies toward the central Milky Way and theboundary of the constellations Sagittarius and Ophiuchus atan estimated distance of some 10,000 light-years.At center, the star itself is obscured by a dense region of cold dust.But the infrared image still traces the sinuous jets across aframe that would span about 5 light-years at the system's estimated distance.Driven outwardby the young rotating star,the apparent wandering direction of the jets is likely due to precession.Part of a multiple star system, the young star's rotational axiswould slowly precess or wobble like a top under the gravitation influenceof its nearby companions. Tomorrow's picture: The Full Moon and the Dancer<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors...
APOD: 2022 January 20 - NGC 7822 in Cepheus 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 January 20 NGC 7822 in Cepheus Image Credit &Copyright:Mark Carter Explanation: Hot, young stars andcosmic pillarsof gas and dust seem to crowd into NGC 7822.At the edge of a giantmolecular cloud toward the northernconstellation Cepheus, the glowing star forming regionlies about 3,000 light-years away.Within the nebula, bright edges and dark shapes stand out in thiscolorfultelescopic skyscape.The image includes data from narrowband filters,mapping emission from atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue,green, and red hues.The emission line and color combination has become well-known as theHubble palette. The atomic emission ispowered by energetic radiation fromthe central hot stars.Their powerful winds and radiation sculpt and erodethe denser pillar shapes and clear out acharacteristic cavity light-years acrossthe center of the natal cloud.Stars could still be forming inside the pillars bygravitational collapse but as the pillars areeroded away, any forming stars will ultimately be cutoff from theirreservoir ofstar stuff.This field of view spans about 40 light-years at the estimated distanceof NGC 7822. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search|...
APOD: 2022 January 19 - M31: The Andromeda Galaxy 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 January 19 M31: The Andromeda Galaxy Image Credit: Subaru (NAOJ), Hubble(NASA/ESA), Mayall(NSF); Processing & Copyright: R. Gendler & R. Croman Explanation: The most distant object easily visible to the unaided eye isM31,the great Andromeda Galaxy.Even at some two and a half million light-years distant, this immense spiral galaxy -- spanning over200,000 light years -- is visible, although as a faint, nebulous cloud in theconstellationAndromeda.In contrast, a bright yellow nucleus, dark winding dust lanes, andexpansive spiral arms dotted with blue star clusters and red nebulae, are recorded in this stunning telescopic image which combines data from orbiting Hubble with ground-based images from Subaru and Mayall.In only about 5 billion years, the Andromeda galaxy may be even easier to see -- as it will likely span the entire night sky -- just before it merges with our Milky Way Galaxy. Tomorrow's picture: open space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights...