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 September 15 Venus, Moon, and the Smoking Mountain Image Credit & Copyright: Luis Miguel Meade Rodríguez Explanation: Venus has returned as a brilliant morning star.From a window seat on a flight to Mexico City,the bright celestial beacon was captured just before sunrise inthis astronomical snapshot, taken on September 12.Venus, at the upper right, shared the early predawn skieswith an old crescent Moon.Seen from this stratospheric perspective, both mountain peaks andclouds appear in silhouette along a glowing eastern horizon.The dramatic, long, low cloud bank was created by ventingfrom planet Earth's active volcanoPopocatépetl. Tomorrow's picture: Fire over Ice<| 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 ScienceActivation& 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 September 14 NGC 7331 and Beyond Image Credit &Copyright: Ian Gorenstein Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxyNGC 7331is often touted as an analog to our ownMilky Way.About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellationPegasus,NGC 7331 was recognized early on asa spiral nebula and is actually one of the brightergalaxiesnot included in Charles Messier'sfamous18th century catalog.Since the galaxy's diskis inclined to our line-of-sight, longtelescopic exposures often result in images that evokes a strongsense of depth.The effect is further enhancedin this sharp imageby galaxies that lie beyond the gorgeousisland universe.The most prominent background galaxies are about one tenth theapparent sizeof NGC 7331 and so lie roughly ten times farther away.Their close alignment on the sky with NGC 7331occurs just by chance.Lingering abovethe plane of the Milky Way, this striking visual grouping of galaxies isknown to some as theDeer Lick Group. Tomorrow's picture: good morning 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...

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 September 12 Galaxy Cluster Abell 370 and Beyond Image Credit: NASA,ESA,Jennifer Lotz and theHFF Team(STScI) Explanation: Some 4 billion light-years away, massive galaxy cluster Abell 370is captured in this sharpHubble Space Telescope snapshot.The cluster of galaxies onlyappears to be dominated by two giant elliptical galaxiesand infested with faint arcs.In reality, the fainter, scattered bluish arcs, along with thedramatic dragon arcbelow and left of center, are images of galaxies that liefar beyond Abell 370.About twice as distant, their otherwise undetected light ismagnified and distorted by the cluster's enormous gravitational mass,overwhelmingly dominated by unseendark matter.Providing atantalizing glimpseof galaxies in the early universe, the effect is known as gravitationallensing.A consequence of warpedspacetime, lensing waspredicted by Einstein almost a century ago.Far beyondthe spiky foreground Milky Way star at lower right,Abell 370 is seen toward the constellation Cetus, the Sea Monster.It was the last of six galaxy clusters imaged in theFrontier Fields project. Tomorrow's picture: partly hidden<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell...

APOD: 2023 September 7 - The Large Cloud of Magellan 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 September 7 The Large Cloud of Magellan Image Credit &Copyright: Chris Willocks/ Telescope.Live Explanation: The 16th century Portuguese navigatorFerdinand Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during thefirst circumnavigation of planet Earth.As a result, two fuzzy cloud-likeobjects easily visible to southern hemisphere skygazers are known as theClouds of Magellan, now understood to besatellite galaxies of our much larger, spiral Milky Way galaxy.About 160,000 light-years distant in the constellationDorado, theLarge Magellanic Cloudis seen in thissharp galaxy portrait.Spanning about 15,000 light-years or so, it isthe most massive of the Milky Way'ssatellite galaxiesand is the home of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A. The prominent patch above center is 30 Doradus,also known as the magnificentTarantula Nebula, a giant star-forming region about 1,000 light-years across. Tomorrow's picture: large star factory<| 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...

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 September 8 Star Factory Messier 17 Image Credit &Copyright: Kim Quick,Terry Hancock,andTom Masterson(Grand Mesa Observatory) Explanation: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation,the star factory known asMessier 17lies some 5,500 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellationSagittarius.At that distance, this 1/3 degree wide field of view spans over30 light-years.The sharp composite, color imagehighlights faint details of the region's gas anddust clouds against a backdrop of centralMilky Way stars.Stellar winds and energetic lightfrom hot, massive stars formed from M17's stock of cosmic gas and dust have slowly carved away at the remaining interstellar material,producing the cavernous appearance andundulating shapes.M17 is alsoknown as the Omega Nebula or the Swan Nebula. Tomorrow's picture: large galaxy cloud<| 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 ScienceActivation& 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 September 7 The Large Cloud of Magellan Image Credit &Copyright: Chris Willocks Explanation: The 16th century Portuguese navigatorFerdinand Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during thefirst circumnavigation of planet Earth.As a result, two fuzzy cloud-likeobjects easily visible to southern hemisphere skygazers are known as theClouds of Magellan, now understood to besatellite galaxies of our much larger, spiral Milky Way galaxy.About 160,000 light-years distant in the constellationDorado, theLarge Magellanic Cloudis seen in thissharp galaxy portrait.Spanning about 15,000 light-years or so, it isthe most massive of the Milky Way'ssatellite galaxiesand is the home of the closest supernova in modern times, SN 1987A. The prominent patch above center is 30 Doradus,also known as the magnificentTarantula Nebula, a giant star-forming region about 1,000 light-years across. Tomorrow's picture: large star factory<| 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 ScienceActivation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2023 September 1 - The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules 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 September 1 The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules Image Credit &Copyright: Serge Brunier, Jean-François Bax, David VernetOCA/C2PU Explanation: In 1716,English astronomerEdmond Halleynoted, "This is but a little Patch, but it shows itself to the naked Eye, whenthe Sky is serene and the Moon absent."Of course, M13is now less modestly recognized as the Great Globular Cluster inHercules, one of the brightestglobularstar clusters in the northern sky.Sharp telescopic views likethis onereveal the spectacular cluster'shundreds of thousands of stars.At a distance of 25,000 light-years, thecluster stars crowdinto a region 150 light-years in diameter.Approaching the cluster core, upwards of 100 stars could be containedin a cube just 3 light-years on a side.For comparison, theclosest star to the Sun is over4 light-years away.The remarkable range of brightnessrecorded in this image follows stars into the dense cluster core. Tomorrow's picture: wisdom in a flower<| 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. 2023 September 2 NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula Image Credit &Copyright: Lorand Fenyes Explanation: These cosmic clouds have blossomed 1,300 light-years awayin the fertile starfields of theconstellation Cepheus.Called the Iris Nebula,NGC 7023is not the only nebulato evoke the imagery of flowers.Still, thisdeep telescopic imageshows off the Iris Nebula's range ofcolors and symmetries embedded in surroundingfields of interstellar dust.Within the Iris itself, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot,young star.The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue,characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight.Centralfilamentsof the reflection nebula glow with a faint reddishphotoluminescence as some dust grainseffectively convertthe star's invisibleultraviolet radiation to visible red light.Infraredobservationsindicate that this nebula containscomplex carbon molecules known asPAHs.The dusty blue petals of the Iris Nebula span about six light-years. Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic souffle<| 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 ScienceActivation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2023 August 31 - The Crew 7 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. 2023 August 31 The Crew-7 Nebula Image Credit &Copyright: Michael Seeley Explanation: Not theJames Webb Space Telescope'slatest view of a distant galactic nebula,this illuminated cloud of gas and dust dazzledearly morning spacecoast skygazers on August 26.The snapshot was taken about 2 minutes after the launch ofa Falcon 9 rocket onthe SpaceX Crew-7 mission,the seventh commercial crew rotation mission for the InternationalSpace Station.It captures drifting plumes and exhaust from the separatedfirst and second stage illuminated against the still dark skies.Near the center of the image, within the ragged blueish ring,are two bright points of light.The lower one is the second stage of the rocketcarrying 4 humans to space in a Crew Dragon spacecraft.The bright point above is the Falcon 9first stage boosterorienting itself for the trip backto Landing Zone-1at Cape Canaveral, planet Earth. Tomorrow's picture: a great little patch<| 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. 2023 September 1 The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules Image Credit &Copyright: Serge Brunier, Jean-François Bax, David VernetOCA/C2PU Explanation: In 1716,English astronomerEdmond Halleynoted, "This is but a little Patch, but it shows itself to the naked Eye, whenthe Sky is serene and the Moon absent."Of course, M13is now less modestly recognized as the Great Globular Cluster inHercules, one of the brightestglobularstar clusters in the northern sky.Sharp telescopic views likethis onereveal the spectacular cluster'shundreds of thousands of stars.At a distance of 25,000 light-years, thecluster stars crowdinto a region 150 light-years in diameter.Approaching the cluster core, upwards of 100 stars could be containedin a cube just 3 light-years on a side.For comparison, theclosest star to the Sun is over4 light-years away.The remarkable range of brightnessrecorded in this image follows stars into the dense cluster core. Tomorrow's picture: wisdom in a flower<| 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...

APOD: 2023 August 30 - Full Moons of August 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 August 30 Full Moons of August Image Credit &Copyright: Gianni Tumino Explanation: Near perigee,the closest point in its almost moonthly orbit,a Full Moon rose as the Sun set on August 1.Its brighter than average lunar disk was captured in thisdramatic moonrise sequence over dense cloud banks along theeastern horizon from Ragusa, Sicily.Illuminating night skies around planet Earth it was the secondsupermoon of 2023.Yet again near perigee, the third supermoon of 2023 will alsoshine on an August night.Rising as the Sun sets tonightthis second Full Moon in August will be known to some as a Blue Moon,even though scattered sunlight gives the lunar disk a reddened hue.Defined as the second full moon in a calendar month,blue moonsoccur only once every 2 or 3 years.That's because lunar phases take 29.5 days,almost a calendar month, to go through a complete cycle.Tonight an August Blue Moonwill find itself beside bright planet Saturn. Tomorrow's picture: the Crew-7 nebula<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors &...

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 August 31 The Crew-7 Nebula Image Credit &Copyright: Michael Seeley Explanation: Not theJames Webb Space Telescope'slatest view of a distant galactic nebula,this illuminated cloud of gas and dust dazzledearly morning spacecoast skygazers on August 26.The snapshot was taken about 2 minutes after the launch ofof a Falcon 9 rocket onthe SpaceX Crew-7 mission,the seventh commercial crew rotation mission for the InternationalSpace Station.It captures drifting plumes and exhaust from the separatedfirst and second stage illuminated against the still dark skies.Near the center of the image, within the ragged blueish ring,are two bright points of light.The lower one is the second stage of the rocketcarrying 4 humans to space in a Crew Dragon spacecraft.The bright point above is the Falcon 9first stage boosterorienting itself for the trip backto Landing Zone-1at Cape Canaveral, planet Earth. Tomorrow's picture: a great little patch<| 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 August 30 Full Moons of August Image Credit &Copyright: Gianni Tumino Explanation: Near perigee,the closest point in its almost moonthly orbit,a Full Moon rose as the Sun set on August 1.Its brighter than average lunar disk was captured in thisdramatic moonrise sequence over dense cloud banks along theeastern horizon from Ragusa, Sicily.Illuminating night skies around planet Earth it was the secondsupermoon of 2023.Yet again near perigee, the third supermoon of 2023 will alsoshine on an August night.Rising as the Sun sets tonightthis second Full Moon in August will be known to some as a Blue Moon,even though scattered sunlight gives the lunar disk a reddened hue.Defined as the second full moon in a calendar month,blue moonsoccur only once every 2 or 3 years.That's because lunar phases take 29.5 days,almost a calendar month, to go through a complete cycle.Tonight an August Blue Moonwill find itself beside bright planet Saturn. Tomorrow's picture: the Crew-7 nebula<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry...

APOD: 2023 August 25 - A Season of 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. 2023 August 25 A Season of Saturn Image Credit &Copyright: Andy Casely Explanation: Ringed planet Saturnwill be at its 2023 opposition,opposite the Sun in Earth's skies, on August 27.While that puts the sixth planet from the Sun at itsbrightest and well-placedfor viewing, its beautiful ring system isn'tvisible to the unaided eye.Still, this sequence of telescopic images taken a yearapart over the last six yearsfollows both Saturn and rings as seen from inner planet Earth.The gas giant's ring plane tiltsfrom most open in 2018 to approaching edge-on in 2023 (top to bottom).That's summer to nearly the autumnequinox for Saturn's northern hemisphere.In the sharp planetary portraits Saturn's northernhexagon and a largestorm system are clearly visible in 2018.In 2023 ice moon Tethysis transiting, casting its shadow acrosssouthern hemisphere cloud bands whileSaturn's cold blue south pole is emergingfrom almost a decade of winter darkness. Tomorrow's picture: crescents of Venus<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific...

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 August 26 Crescents of Venus Image Credit &Copyright: Roberto Ortu Explanation: Just as the Moon goesthrough phases, Venus' visible sunlit hemispherewaxes and wanes.This sequence oftelescopicimagesillustrates the steady changes for Venus duringits recent 2023 apparition as our evening star.Gliding along its interior orbit between Earth and Sun, Venus growslarger during that period because it is approaching planet Earth.Its crescent narrows though, as the inner planet swings closer to ourline-of-sight to the Sun.Closest to the Earth-Sun line but passing about 8 degrees south of theSun, on August 13 Venus reached its (non-judgmental)inferior conjunction.And now Venus shines above the eastern horizon inpredawn skies, completing its transition to planet Earth'smorning star.On August 21, NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed its sixthgravity assist flyby of Venus, using the encounter to maneuverthe probe toward itsclosest approach yet to the Sun. Tomorrow's picture: Three Galaxies and a Comet<| 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...

APOD: 2023 August 24 - Meteors along the Milky Way 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 August 24 Meteors along the Milky Way Image Credit &Copyright: Ali Hosseini Nezhad Explanation: Under darkand mostly moonless night skies, manydenizens of planet Earthwere able to watch this year's Perseid meteor shower.Seen from a grassy hillside from Shiraz, Iran thesePerseid meteors streakalong the northern summer Milky Waybefore dawn on Sunday, August 13.Frames used to construct the composited imagewere captured near theactive annual meteor shower's peakbetween 02:00 AM and 04:30 AM local time.Not in this night skyscape, the shower's radiant inthe heroic constellation Perseus is far above the camera's fieldof view.But fans of northern summer nightscan still spota familiar asterism.Formed by bright stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair, theSummer Trianglespans the luminous band of the Milky Way. Tomorrow's picture: seasons of 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 ScienceActivation& 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 August 25 A Season of Saturn Image Credit &Copyright: Andy Casely Explanation: Ringed planet Saturnwill be at its 2023 opposition,opposite the Sun in Earth's skies, on August 27.While that puts the sixth planet from the Sun at itsbrightest and well-placedfor viewing, its beautiful ring system isn'tvisible to the unaided eye.Still, this sequence of telescopic images taken a yearapart over the last six yearsfollows both Saturn and rings as seen from inner planet Earth.The gas giant's ring plane tiltsfrom most open in 2018 to approaching edge-on in 2023 (top to bottom).That's summer to nearly the autumnequinox for Saturn's northern hemisphere.In the sharp planetary portraits, Saturn's northernhexagon and a largestorm system are clearly visible in 2018.In 2023, ice moon Tethysis transiting, casting its shadow acrosssouthern hemisphere cloud bands, whileSaturn's cold blue south pole is emergingfrom almost a decade of winter darkness. Tomorrow's picture: phases of Venus<| 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. 2023 August 24 Meteors along the Milky Way Image Credit &Copyright: Ali Hosseini Nezhad Explanation: Under darkand mostly moonless night skies, manydenizens of planet Earthwere able to watch this year's Perseid meteor shower.Seen from a grassy hillside from Shiraz, Iran thesePerseid meteors streakalong the northern summer Milky Waybefore dawn on Sunday, August 13.Frames used to construct the composited imagewere captured near theactive annual meteor shower's peakbetween 02:00 AM and 04:30 AM local time.Not in this night skyscape, the shower's radiant inthe heroic constellation Perseus is far above the camera's fieldof view.But fans of northern summer nightscan still spota familiar asterism.Formed by bright stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair, theSummer Trianglespans the luminous band of the Milky Way. Tomorrow's picture: seasons of 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 ScienceActivation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2023 August 18 - Northern Pluto 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 August 18 Northern Pluto Image Credit:NASA,Johns Hopkins Univ./APL,Southwest Research Institute Explanation: Gaze acrossthe frozen canyons of northern Pluto in this contrast enhanced color scene.The image data used to construct it was acquiredin July 2015 by the New Horizons spacecraft as it madethe first reconnaissance flight throughthe remote Pluto system six billion kilometers from the Sun.Now knownas Lowell Regio, the region wasnamed for Percival Lowell, founder of the Lowell Observatory.Also famous for his speculation that there were canals on Mars,Lowell started the search that ultimatelyled to Pluto's discoveryin 1930 byClyde Tombaugh.In this frame Pluto'sNorth Poleis above and left of center.The pale bluish floor of the broad canyon on the left is about 70kilometers (45 miles) wide, running vertically toward the south.Higher elevations take on a yellowish hue.New Horizon's measurementswere used to determine that in addition to nitrogen ice,methane ice is abundant across Lowell Regio.So far, Pluto is the onlySolar System world named by an 11-year-old girl. Tomorrow's picture: ringed ice giant<| 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. 2023 August 19 Ringed Ice Giant Neptune Image Credit: NASA,ESA,CSA,STScI,NIRCam Explanation: Ringed ice giant Neptunelies near the center of this sharpnear-infrared image from theJames Webb Space Telescope.The dim and distant world is thefarthest planet from the Sun,about 30 times farther away than planet Earth.But in the stunning Webb view, the planet's dark and ghostly appearanceis due to atmospheric methane that absorbs infrared light.High altitude clouds that reach above most of Neptune's absorbing methaneeasily stand out in the image though.Coated with frozen nitrogen, Neptune's largest moon Triton isbrighter than Neptune in reflected sunlight,seen at the upper left sporting the Webb telescope's characteristicdiffraction spikes.Including Triton, seven of Neptune's 14 known moons can beidentifiedin the field of view.Neptune's faint ringsare striking in this space-basedplanetary portrait.Details of the complex ring system are seen here for the firsttime since Neptune was visited by theVoyager 2 spacecraft in August 1989. Tomorrow's picture: long cloud<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights...