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 June 28 Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud Image Credit &Copyright:Emmanuel Astronomono Explanation: Unlike most entriesin Charles Messier's famous catalog of deep sky objects,M24is not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.It's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allowsa view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral armof our Milky Way galaxy.Direct your gazethrough this gap with binoculars or small telescopeand you arelooking through a window over 300 light-years wide at stars some10,000 light-years or more from Earth.Sometimes called the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, M24's luminous stars fillthis gorgeous starscape. Covering over 3 degrees or the width of 6 full moons in theconstellation Sagittarius,the telescopic field of view includesdark markingsB92 and B93 near center, along with otherclouds of dust and glowing nebulae toward the center of the Milky Way. 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 NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC&...

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 June 27 MAVEN's Ultraviolet Mars Image Credit: MAVEN,Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Univ. Colorado,NASA Explanation: These two global views of Marswere captured at ultraviolet wavelengths,beyond the spectrumvisible to human eyes.Recorded by theMAVEN spacecraft'sImaging Ultraviolet Spectrographinstrument in July 2022 (left) and January 2023,three otherwise invisible ultraviolet bands are mapped intored, green, and blue colors.That color scheme presents theRed Planet's surfacefeatures in shades of tan and green.Haze and clouds appear white or blue, while high altitude ozone takeson a dramatic purple hue.On the left, Mars' south polar ice cap is in brilliant whiteat the bottom but shrinking duringthe southern hemisphere'ssummer season.On the right, the northern hemisphere's polar region is seenshrouded in clouds and atmospheric ozone.Known to some as the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft,MAVEN has been exploring Mars' tenuous upper atmosphere,ionosphere, and its interactions with the Sun and solar windsince 2014. Tomorrow's picture: galaxies away<| 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: 2023 June 23 - Giant Galaxies in Pavo 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 June 23 Giant Galaxies in Pavo Image Credit &Copyright: Mike Selby,Observatorio El Sauce Explanation: Over 500,000 light years across, NGC 6872(top right) is a trulyenormous barred spiral galaxy,at least 5 times the size of our own very large Milky Way.The appearance of thisgiant galaxy'sdistorted and stretched out spiral armssuggests the magnificent wings of a giant bird.Of course its popular moniker is the Condor galaxy.It lies about 200 million light-years distant toward the southern constellation Pavo, the Peacock.Lined withstar-forming regions, the distortedspiral arms are due to NGC 6872's gravitational interactionwith the nearby smallergalaxy IC 4970,seen just above the giant galaxy's core.The Pavo galaxy group'sdominant giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 6876is below and left of the soaring Condor galaxy. Tomorrow's picture: fifty first flights<| 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.

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 June 24 3D Ingenuity Image Credit: NASA,JPL-Caltech,MSSS,ASU Explanation: The multicolor, stereo imagingMastcam-Zon the Perseverance roverzoomed into capturethis 3D close-up (get out your red/blue glasses) of theMars Ingenuityhelicopteron mission sol 45.That's Earth-date 2021 April 5.Casting a shadowon the Martian surface, Ingenuity is standingalone on its four landing legs next to the rover's wheel tracks.The experimental helicopter's solar panel, charging batteries that keepit warm through thecold Martian nightsand power its flight, sits justabove Ingenuity's two 1.2 meter (4 foot) long counter-rotating blades.Thirteen sols later, on April 19,Ingenuity became the first aircraft to perform powered, controlledflight on another planet.It has since gone onto complete more than 50flights through the thin atmosphere of Mars. Tomorrow's picture: Jovian lightning<| 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: 2023 June 22 - Stars and Dust across Corona Australis 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 June 22 Stars and Dust across Corona Australis Image Credit &Copyright: Alessandro Cipolat Bares Explanation: Cosmic dust clouds cross a rich field of stars inthis telescopic vista near the northern boundary ofCorona Australis,the Southern Crown.Part of a sprawling molecular cloud complex this star formingregion is a mere 500 light-years away.That's about one third the distance ofthe more famous stellar nursery known as the Orion Nebula.The 2 degree wide frame would span 15 light-years atthe clouds' estimated distance.Mixed with bright nebulositiesthe dust cloudseffectively block light frommore distant background stars in theMilky Wayand obscure from view embedded starsstill in the processof formation.Large dark nebula Bernes 157 is on the left.To its right are a group ofpretty reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727, 6729, and IC 4812.Their characteristic blue color is produced as lightfrom hot stars is reflected by the cosmic dust.The more compact NGC 6729 surrounds young variable starR Coronae Australis.Just below it, filamentary arcs and loops are identified asHerbig Haro objects associatedwith energetic newborn stars.In...

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 June 23 Giant Galaxies in Pavo Image Credit &Copyright: Mike Selby,Observatorio El Sauce Explanation: Over 500,000 light years across, NGC 6872(top right) is a trulyenormous barred spiral galaxy,at least 5 times the size of our own very large Milky Way.The appearance of thisgiant galaxy'sdistorted and stretched out spiral armssuggests the magnificent wings of a giant bird.Of course its popular moniker is the Condor galaxy.It lies about 200 million light-years distant toward the southern constellation Pavo, the Peacock.Lined withstar-forming regions, the distortedspiral arms are due to NGC 6872's gravitational interactionwith the nearby smallergalaxy IC 4970,seen just above the giant galaxy's core.The Pavo galaxy group'sdominant giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 6876is below and left of the soaring Condor galaxy. 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& 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 June 22 Stars and Dust across Corona Australis Image Credit &Copyright: Alessandro Cipolat Bares Explanation: Cosmic dust clouds cross a rich field of stars inthis telescopic vista near the northern boundary ofCorona Australis,the Southern Crown.Part of a sprawling molecular cloud complex this star formingregion is a mere 500 light-years away.That's about one third the distance ofthe more famous stellar nursery known as the Orion Nebula.The 2 degree wide frame would span 15 light-years atthe clouds' estimated distance.Mixed with bright nebulositiesthe dust cloudseffectively block light frommore distant background stars in theMilky Wayand obscure from view embedded starsstill in the processof formation.Large dark nebula Bernes 157 is on the left.To its right are a group ofpretty reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727, 6729, and IC 4812.Their characteristic blue color is produced as lightfrom hot stars is reflected by the cosmic dust.The more compact NGC 6729 surrounds young variable starR Coronae Australis.Just below it, filamentary arcs and loops are identified asHerbig Haro objects associatedwith energetic newborn stars.In fact, at the heart of this...

APOD: 2023 June 16 - Sunset to Sunrise over the Baltic 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. 2023 June 16 Sunset to Sunrise over the Baltic Sea Image Credit &Copyright: Bernd Pröschold(TWAN) Explanation: This serene view fromthe coast of Sweden looks across the Baltic seaand compresses time, presenting the passage of one night in asingle photograph.From sunset to sunrise,moonlightilluminates the creative sea and skyscape.Fleeting clouds, fixed stars, and flowingnorthern lightsleave their traces inplanet Earth's sky.To construct the timelapse image,3296 video frames were recorded on the nightof a nearly full moon between 7:04pm and 6:35am local time.As time progressesfrom left to right,a single column of pixels was takenfrom the correspondingindividual frame and combined in sequence into a single digital image3296 pixels wide. HappyBirthdayAPOD 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& 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. Planet Earth at Night II Video Credit: NASA,Gateway to Astronaut Photography,ISS Expedition 53; Music: The Low Seas (The 126ers) Explanation: Recorded during 2017, timelapse sequences from theInternational Space Station are compiled in thisserene video of planet Earth at Night.Fans of low Earth orbit can start by enjoying the view asgreen and red aurora borealisslather up the sky.The night scene tracks from northwest to southeast across North America,toward the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida coast.A second sequence follows European city lights, crossesthe Mediterranean Sea, and passes over a bright Nile riverin northern Africa.Seen from the orbital outpost, erratic flashes of lightning appearin thunder storms below and stars rise above the planet's curvedhorizon through a faintatmospheric airglow.Of course, from home you can always check out thevital signs of Planet Earth Now. Tomorrow's picture: How many sides does northern Saturn have?<| 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 June 15 - M15: Dense Globular Star Cluster 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 June 15 M15: Dense Globular Star Cluster Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Ehsan Ebrahimian Explanation: Messier 15 isan immense swarm of over 100,000 stars.A 13 billion year old relic of the early formative yearsof our galaxy it's one of about 170 globular star clusters thatstill roam the halo of the Milky Way.Centered in this sharpreprocessed Hubble image, M15lies some 35,000 light-years away toward the constellation Pegasus.Its diameter is about 200 light-years,but more than half its stars are packed into the central 10light-years or so,making one of the densest concentrations of stars known.Hubble-basedmeasurements of the increasing velocities of M15's central starsare evidence that a massive black hole resides at the center of thedense cluster.M15 is also known toharbour a planetary nebula.Called Pease 1 (aka PN Ps 1), it can be seen in this image as asmall blue blob below and just right of center. Tomorrow's picture: when time lapses<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors:...

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 June 16 Sunset to Sunrise over the Baltic Sea Image Credit &Copyright: Bernd Pröschold(TWAN) Explanation: This serene view fromthe coast of Sweden looks across the Baltic seaand compresses time, presenting the passage of one night in asingle photograph.From sunset to sunrise,moonlightilluminates the creative sea and skyscape.Fleeting clouds, fixed stars, and flowingnorthern lightsleave their traces inplanet Earth's sky.To construct the timelapse image,3296 video frames were recorded on the nightof June's Full Moon between 7:04pm and 6:35am local time.As time progressesfrom left to right,a single column of pixels was takenfrom the correspondingindividual frame and combined in sequence into a single digital image3296 pixels wide. HappyBirthdayAPOD 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& 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 June 15 M15: Dense Globular Star Cluster Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Ehsan Ebrahimian Explanation: Messier 15 isan immense swarm of over 100,000 stars.A 13 billion year old relic of the early formative yearsof our galaxy it's one of about 170 globular star clusters thatstill roam the halo of the Milky Way.Centered in this sharpreprocessed Hubble image, M15lies some 35,000 light-years away toward the constellation Pegasus.Its diameter is about 200 light-years,but more than half its stars are packed into the central 10light-years or so,making one of the densest concentrations of stars known.Hubble-basedmeasurements of the increasing velocities of M15's central starsare evidence that a massive black hole resides at the center of thedense cluster.M15 is also known toharbour a planetary nebula.Called Pease 1 (aka PN Ps 1), it can be seen in this image as asmall blue blob below and just right of center. Tomorrow's picture: when time lapses<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA...

APOD: 2023 June 8 - Elephant's Trunk and Caravan 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 June 8 Elephant's Trunk and Caravan Image Credit &Copyright: SteveCannistra(StarryWonders) Explanation: Like an illustration in a galacticJust So Story,the Elephant's Trunk Nebulawinds through the emission region and young star clustercomplex IC 1396, in the high and far offconstellationof Cepheus.Seen on the left the cosmic elephant's trunk,also known as vdB 142, is over 20 light-years long.This detailed telescopic view features the bright swept-backridges and pockets of coolinterstellardust and gas that abound in the region.But thedark, tendril-shaped cloudscontain the raw material for star formation and hideprotostars within.Nearly 3,000light-yearsdistant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complexcovers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees.This renditionspans a 1 degree wide field of view though,about the angular size of 2 full moons.Of coursethe dark shapes below and to the right of the outstretched Elephant'sTrunk, are known to some as The Caravan. 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...

APOD: 2023 June 9 - Pandora's 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. 2023 June 9 Pandora's Cluster of Galaxies Image Credit:NASA,ESA,CSA,Ivo Labbe (Swinburne), Rachel Bezanson (University of Pittsburgh),Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Explanation: This deep field mosaicked imagepresents a stunning view of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 recorded bythe James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam.Also dubbed Pandora's Cluster, Abell 2744 itselfappears to be a ponderous merger of three different massive galaxyclusters.It lies some 3.5 billion light-years away, toward the constellation Sculptor.Dominated by dark matter,the mega-cluster warps and distortsthe fabric of spacetime,gravitationally lensingeven more distant objects.Redder than the Pandora cluster galaxiesmany of the lensed sources are very distant galaxies in the earlyUniverse, their lensed images stretched and distorted into arcs.Of course distinctivediffraction spikes mark foreground Milky Waystars.At the Pandora Cluster's estimateddistance this cosmic box spans about 6 million light-years.But don't panic.You can explore the tantalizing region in a2 minute video tour. 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...

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 June 10 Mars and the Beehive Image Credit &Copyright:Rolando Ligustri Explanation: This month, bright Mars and brilliant Venusare the prominent celestial beacons inplanet Earth's western skies after sunset.Wandering through the constellation Cancer the Crab, the Red Planet wascaptured hereon the evening of June 3 near the stars ofopen cluster Messier 44.Recognized since antiquity this nearby, naked-eye star cluster is also knownas the Praesepe or the Beehive cluster.A swarm of stars all much younger than the Sun, the Beehive cluster isa mere 600 light-years distant.Seen with a yellowish hue, Mars is about 17 light-minutes away.On June 12/13 Venuswill take its turn posing next to the stars ofthe Beehive cluster.But the dazzling light of Venus will make the Beehive starsdifficult to see by eye alone. Tomorrow's picture: the spectrum of the Sun<| 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: 2023 June 8 - Elephant s Trunk and Caravan 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 June 8 Elephant's Trunk and Caravan Image Credit &Copyright: SteveCannistra(StarryWonders) Explanation: Like an illustration in a galacticJust So Story,the Elephant's Trunk Nebulawinds through the emission region and young star clustercomplex IC 1396, in the high and far offconstellationof Cepheus.Seen on the left the cosmic elephant's trunk,also known as vdB 142, is over 20 light-years long.This detailed telescopic view features the bright swept-backridges and pockets of coolinterstellardust and gas that abound in the region.But thedark, tendril-shaped cloudscontain the raw material for star formation and hideprotostars within.Nearly 3,000light-yearsdistant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complexcovers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees.This renditionspans a 1 degree wide field of view though,about the angular size of 2 full moons.Of coursethe dark shapes below and to the right of the outstretched Elephant'sTrunk, are known to some as The Caravan. 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...

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 June 9 Pandora's Cluster of Galaxies Image Credit:NASA,ESA,CSA,Ivo Labbe (Swinburne), Rachel Bezanson (University of Pittsburgh),Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Explanation: This deep field mosaicked imagepresents a stunning view of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 fromthe James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam.Also dubbed Pandora's Cluster, Abell 2744 itselfappears to be a ponderous merger of three different massive galaxy clusterssome 3.5 billion light-years away toward the constellation Sculptor.Dominated by dark matter,the mega-cluster warps and distortsthe fabric of spacetime,gravitationally lensingeven more distant objects.Redder than the Pandora cluster galaxiesmany of the lensed sources are very distant galaxies in the earlyUniverse, stretched and distorted into arcs.Of course distinctivediffraction spikes mark foreground Milky Waystars.At the Pandora Cluster's estimateddistance this cosmic box spans about 6 million light-years.But don't panic.You can explore the tantalizing region in a2 minute video tour. 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& 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 June 8 Elephant's Trunk and Caravan Image Credit &Copyright: SteveCannistra(StarryWonders) Explanation: Like an illustration in a galacticJust So Story,the Elephant's Trunk Nebulawinds through the emission region and young star clustercomplex IC 1396, in the high and far offconstellationof Cepheus.Seen on the left the cosmic elephant's trunk,also known as vdB 142, is over 20 light-years long.This detailed telescopic view features the bright swept-backridges and pockets of coolinterstellardust and gas that abound in the region.But thedark, tendril-shaped cloudscontain the raw material for star formation and hideprotostars within.Nearly 3,000light-yearsdistant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complexcovers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees.This renditionspans a 1 degree wide field of view though,about the angular size of 2 full moons.Of coursethe dark shapes below and to the right of the outstretched Elephant'sTrunk, are known to some as The Caravan. 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...

APOD: 2023 June 2 - Messier 101 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 June 2 Messier 101 Image Credit: NASA,ESA,CFHT,NOAO;Acknowledgement -K.Kuntz (GSFC),F.Bresolin (U.Hawaii),J.Trauger (JPL),J.Mould (NOAO),Y.-H.Chu (U. Illinois) Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is one of the last entries inCharles Messier'sfamous catalog, but definitely notone of the least.About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous, almosttwice the size of our own Milky Way.M101 was also one of the originalspiral nebulaeobserved by Lord Rosse's large 19th century telescope, theLeviathanof Parsontown.Assembled from 51 exposures recorded by theHubble Space Telescopein the 20th and 21stcenturies, with additional data from ground based telescopes,this mosaic spans about 40,000 light-years across the central regionof M101 in one of the highest definitionspiral galaxy portraits ever released from Hubble.The sharp image shows stunning featuresof the galaxy's face-on disk of stars and dust along withbackground galaxies, some visible right through M101 itself.Also known as thePinwheel Galaxy, M101lies within the boundaries of the northern constellationUrsa Major, about 25 million light-years away. Tomorrow's picture: Portrait of Charon<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU)...

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 June 3 Charon: Moon of Pluto Image Credit: NASA,Johns Hopkins Univ./APL,Southwest Research Institute,U.S. Naval Observatory Explanation: A darkened and mysterious north polar regionknown to some asMordor Macula caps this premier high-resolution view.Theportrait of Charon, Pluto's largest moon,was captured by New Horizons near the spacecraft's closestapproach on July 14, 2015.The combined blue, red,and infrared data was processed to enhance colorsand follow variations in Charon's surface propertieswith a resolution of about 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles).A stunning image of Charon's Pluto-facing hemisphere, it alsofeatures a clear view of an apparentlymoon-girdling belt offractures and canyons that seems toseparate smooth southern plains from varied northern terrain.Charon is 1,214 kilometers (754 miles) across.That's about 1/10th the size of planet Earthbut a whopping 1/2 the diameter ofPlutoitself, and makes it the largest satellite relative to itsparent body in the Solar System.Still, the moon appears as a small bump at about the 1 o'clock positionon Pluto's disk in the grainy, negative,telescopic picture insetat upper left.That view was used by James Christy and Robert Harringtonat the U.S. Naval Observatory in...