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...

APOD: 2023 August 17 - A Cosmic Zoo 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. 2023 August 17 A Cosmic Zoo in Cepheus Image Credit &Copyright: Yann Sainty Explanation: Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mixglowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds in this nearly12 degree wide fieldof view toward the northern constellationCepheusthe King.Energized by its central star IC 1396 (left),is hundreds of light-years across and some 3,000 light-years distant.The nebula's intriguing dark shapes includea winding dark cloud popularly known as theElephant's Trunk below and right of center.Tens of light-years long, it holds the raw material for star formation and is known to hideprotostarswithin.Located a similar distance from planet Earth, thebright knots and swept back ridges of emission of Sh2-129 on the rightsuggest its popular name, theFlying Bat Nebula.Within the Flying Bat, the most recently recognizedaddition to this royal cosmic zoo is the faint bluish emission from Ou4, theGiant Squid Nebula.Near the lower right edge of the frame, the suggestivedark marking on the sky cataloged as Barnard 150 is also known as thedark Seahorse Nebula. Notable submissions to APOD: Perseids Meteor...

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 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 APOD| Discuss|...

APOD: 2023 August 16 - Arp 93: A Cosmic Embrace 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 16 Arp 93: A Cosmic Embrace Image Credit &Copyright: Mike Selby,Observatorio El Sauce Explanation: Locked in a cosmic embrace,two large galaxies are mergingat the center of this sharp telescopic field of view.The interacting system catalogedas Arp 93 is some 200 millionlight-years distant toward the constellation Aquarius in planet Earth'ssky.Individually the galaxies are identified as NGC 7285 (right) and NGC 7284.Their bright cores are still separated by about20,000 light-years or so, but a massivetidal stream,a result of their ongoinggravitational interaction,extends over 200,000 light-yearstoward the bottom of the frame.Interacting galaxies do lookpeculiar,but are now understood to be common in the Universe.In fact, closer to home, the large spiral Andromeda Galaxy is known to beapproaching the Milky Way.Arp 93 may well present an analog of their distantfuture cosmic embrace. Notable submissions to APOD: Perseids Meteor Shower 2023 Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic zoo<| 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...

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 17 A Cosmic Zoo in Cepheus Image Credit &Copyright: Yann Sainty Explanation: Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mixglowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds in this nearly12 degree wide fieldof view toward the northern constellationCepheusthe King.Energized by its central star IC 1396 (left),is hundreds of light-years across and some 3,000 light-years distant.The nebula's intriguing dark shapes includea winding dark cloud popularly known as theElephant's Trunk below and right of center.Tens of light-years long, it holds the raw material for star formation and is known to hideprotostarswithin.Located a similar distance from planet Earth, thebright knots and swept back ridges of emission of Sh2-129 on the rightsuggest its popular name, theFlying Bat Nebula.Within the Flying Bat, the most recently recognizedaddition to this royal cosmic zoo is the faint bluish emission from Ou4, theGiant Squid Nebula.Near the lower right edge of the frame, the suggestivedark marking on the sky cataloged as Barnard 150 is also known as thedark Seahorse Nebula. Notable submissions to APOD: Perseids Meteor Shower 2023 Tomorrow's picture: northern...

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 16 Arp 93: A Cosmic Embrace Image Credit &Copyright: Mike Selby,Observatorio El Sauce Explanation: Locked in a cosmic embrace,two large galaxies are mergingat the center of this sharp telescopic field of view.The interacting system catalogedas Arp 93 is some 200 millionlight-years distant toward the constellation Aquarius in planet Earth'ssky.Individually the galaxies are identified as NGC 7285 (right) and NGC 7284.Their bright cores are still separated by about20,000 light-years or so, but a massivetidal stream,a result of their ongoinggravitational interaction,extends over 200,000 light-yearstoward the bottom of the frame.Interacting galaxies do lookpeculiar,but are now understood to be common in the Universe.In fact, closer to home, the large spiral Andromeda Galaxy is known to beapproaching the Milky Way.Arp 93 may well present an analog of their distantfuture cosmic embrace. Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic zoo<| 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 /GSFCNASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2023 August 11 - M51 in 255 Hours 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 11 Messier 51 in 255 Hours Image Credit &Copyright: The Deep Sky Collective -Carl Björk,Thomas Bähnck,Sebastian Donoso, Jake Gentillon,Antoine and Dalia Grelin,Stephen Guberski,Richard Hall,Tino Heuberger,Jason Jacks,Paul Kent, Brian Meyers,William Ostling, Nicolas Puig, Tim Schaeffer,Felix Schöfbänker, Mikhail Vasilev Explanation: An intriguing pair of interacting galaxies, M51 isthe 51st entryin Charles Messier's famous catalog.Perhaps theoriginal spiral nebula,the large galaxy with whirlpool-like spiral structure seen nearly face-onis also cataloged as NGC 5194.Itsspiral arms and dust lanessweep in front of a companion galaxy (right),NGC 5195.Some 31 million light-years distant,within the boundaries of the well-trained constellationCanesVenatici,M51 looks faint and fuzzy to the eye in direct telescopic views.But this remarkably deep imageshows off stunning details of the galaxy pair'sstriking colors and extensive tidal debris.A collaboration of astro-imagers using telescopes on planet Earthcombined over 10 days of exposure time tocreate this definitive galaxy portrait of M51.The image includes 118 hours of narrowband datathat also reveals a vast glowing cloud of reddish ionized hydrogen gasdiscovered in the M51system. Weekend Watch: Perseid Meteor Shower Tomorrow's...

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 12 Ghirigori - Star Scribbles Image Credit &Copyright: Paolo Palma Explanation: It's fun to scribble on thecanvas of the sky.You can use a creative photographic technique to causethe light of point-like stars to dance across a digitalimage by tapping lightly on the telescope while makingan exposure.The result will be a squiggly line traced by the star (or twosquiggles traced by binary stars) that can reveal the star's color.Colorful lines, dubbed Ghirigori,made from stars found inthe northern sky constellations Bootes,Corona Borealis, Ophiucus, and Coma Berenices, are capturedin this artistic mosaic.The 25 stars creating the varied and colorful squigglesare identified around the border.Of course, temperature determinesthe color of a star.While whitish stars tend to be close to the Sun's temperature,stars with bluer hues are hotter, and yellowand red colors are coolerthan the Sun. Weekend Watch: Perseid Meteor Shower Tomorrow's picture: a tip of the sombrero<| 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...

APOD: 2023 August 10 - Five Meters over Mars 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 10 Five Meters over Mars Image Credit:NASA,JPL-Caltech,Ingenuity Explanation: On mission sol 872 (Earth date August 3) Ingenuity snappedthis sharp imageon its 54th flightabove the surfaceof the Red Planet.During the flight the Mars Helicopter hovered about 5 meters,or just over 16 feet, above the Jezero crater floor.Tips of Ingenuity's landing legs peek over the left and right edgesin the camera's field of view.Tracks visible near the upper right corner lead to thePerseverance Mars Rover, seen looking on from a distanceat the top right edge of the frame.Plannedas a brief "pop-up" flight, Ingenuity's 54th flight lasted less than 25seconds.It followed Ingenuity's 53rd flight made on July 22 that resulted inan unscheduled landing. Tomorrow's picture: 255 hours<| 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 /GSFCNASA 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 August 11 Messier 51 in 255 Hours Image Credit &Copyright: The Deep Sky Collective -Carl Björk,Thomas Bähnck,Sebastian Donoso, Jake Gentillon,Antoine and Dalia Grelin,Stephen Guberski,Richard Hall,Tino Heuberger,Jason Jacks,Paul Kent, Brian Meyers,William Ostling, Nicolas Puig, Tim Schaeffer,Felix Schöfbänker, Mikhail Vasilev Explanation: An intriguing pair of interacting galaxies, M51 isthe 51st entryin Charles Messier's famous catalog.Perhaps theoriginal spiral nebula,the large galaxy with whirlpool-like spiral structure seen nearly face-onis also cataloged as NGC 5194.Itsspiral arms and dust lanessweep in front of a companion galaxy (right),NGC 5195.Some 31 million light-years distant,within the boundaries of the well-trained constellationCanesVenatici,M51 looks faint and fuzzy to the eye in direct telescopic views.But this remarkably deep imageshows off stunning details of the galaxy pair'sstriking colors and extensive tidal debris.A collaboration of astro-imagers using telescopes on planet Earthcombined over 10 days of exposure time tocreate this definitive galaxy portrait of M51.The image includes 118 hours of narrowband datathat also reveals a vast glowing cloud of reddish ionized hydrogen gasdiscovered in the M51system. Tomorrow's picture: 26 squiggles <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search|...

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 10 Five Meters over Mars Image Credit:NASA,JPL-Caltech,Ingenuity Explanation: On mission sol 872 (Earth date August 3) Ingenuity snappedthis sharp imageon its 54th flightabove the surfaceof the Red Planet.During the flight the Mars Helicopter hovered about 5 meters,or just over 16 feet, above the Jezero crater floor.Tips of Ingenuity's landing legs peek over the left and right edgesin the camera's field of view.Tracks visible near the upper right corner lead to thePerseverance Mars Rover, seen looking on from a distanceat the top right edge of the frame.Plannedas a brief "pop-up" flight, Ingenuity's 54th flight lasted less than 25seconds.It followed Ingenuity's 53rd flight made on July 22 that resulted inan unscheduled landing. Tomorrow's picture: 255 hours<| 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 /GSFCNASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2023 August 4 - Moonrays 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 4 Moonrays of August Image Credit &Copyright:Gianni Tumino Explanation: A Full Moon rose as the Sun set on August 1.Near perigee, the closest point in its almost moonthly orbit,the brighter than average lunar diskilluminated night skies around planet Earth as the secondsupermoon of 2023.Seen here above Ragusa, Sicily, cloud banks cast diverging shadows throughthe supermoonlit skies, creating dramatic lunarcrepuscular rays.The next Full Moon in 2023 will alsoshine on an August night.Rising as the Sun sets on August 30/31, this secondFull Moon in a month is known as a Blue Moon.Blue moonsoccur only once every 2 or 3 yearsbecause lunar phases take almost a calendar month (29.5 days)to go through a complete cycle.But August's Blue Moon will also be near perigee, the third supermoonin 2023. Tomorrow's picture: a robin's egg<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFCNASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech....

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 5 NGC 1360: The Robin's Egg Nebula Image Credit &Copyright:Dong Liang Explanation: This pretty nebulalies some 1,500 light-years away,its shape and color in this telescopic viewreminiscent of a robin's egg.The cosmic cloud spans about 3 light-years, nestled securely within theboundaries of the southern constellation Fornax.Recognizedas a planetary nebula, egg-shaped NGC 1360 doesn't represent a beginningthough.Instead it corresponds to a brief and final phase in theevolution of an aging star.In fact,visible at the center of the nebula, the central star of NGC 1360is known to be a binary star system likely consisting of two evolvedwhite dwarf stars,less massive but much hotter than the Sun. Their intense and otherwise invisible ultraviolet radiation hasstripped away electrons from the atoms in their mutuallysurrounding gaseous shroud.The predominant blue-green hue of NGC 1360 seen here is thestrong emission produced as electrons recombine withdoubly ionized oxygen atoms. Tomorrow's picture: supernova remnant<| 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 August 3 - The Falcon and the Redstone 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 3 The Falcon and the Redstone Image Credit &Copyright:Matt Haskell Explanation: In a photo from the early hours of July 29 (UTC),a Redstone rocket and Mercury capsuleare on display at Cape CanaveralLaunch Complex 5.Beyond the Redstone, the 8 minute long exposure hascaptured the arcing launch streak of a SpaceXFalcon Heavy rocket.The Falcon's heavycommunications satellite payload, at a record setting 9 metric tons,is bound forgeosynchronous orbitsome 22,000 miles above planet Earth.The historic launch of a Redstone rocketcarried astronautAlan Shepardon a suborbital spaceflight in May 1961to an altitude of about 116 miles.Near the top of the frame, this Falcon rocket's tworeusable side boosters separate and execute brief entry burns.Theyreturnedto land side by side at Canaveral's Landing Zone 1 and 2in the distance. Tomorrow's picture: moonrays<| 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 /GSFCNASA 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 August 4 Moonrays of August Image Credit &Copyright:Gianni Tumino Explanation: A Full Moon rose as the Sun set on August 1.Near perigee, the closest point in its almost moonthly orbit,the brighter than average lunar diskilluminated night skies around planet Earth as the secondsupermoon of 2023.Seen here above Ragusa, Sicily, cloud banks cast diverging shadows throughthe supermoonlit skies, creating dramatic lunarcrepuscular rays.The next Full Moon in 2023 will alsoshine on an August night.Rising as the Sun sets on August 30/31, this secondFull Moon in a month is known as a Blue Moon.Blue moonsoccur only once every 2 or 3 yearsbecause lunar phases take almost a calendar month (29.5 days)to go through a complete cycle.But August's Blue Moon will also be near perigee, the third supermoonin 2023. Tomorrow's picture: a robin's egg<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFCNASA 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 August 3 The Falcon and the Redstone Image Credit &Copyright:Matt Haskell Explanation: In a photo from the early hours of July 29 (UTC),a Redstone rocket and Mercury capsuleare on display at Cape CanaveralLaunch Complex 5.Beyond the Redstone, the 8 minute long exposure hascaptured the arcing launch streak of a SpaceXFalcon Heavy rocket.The Falcon's heavycommunications satellite payload, at a record setting 9 metric tons,is bound forgeosynchronous orbitsome 22,000 miles above planet Earth.The historic launch of a Redstone rocketcarried astronautAlan Shepardon a suborbital spaceflight in May 1961to an altitude of about 116 miles.Near the top of the frame, this Falcon rocket's tworeusable side boosters separate and execute brief entry burns.Theyreturnedto land side by side at Canaveral's Landing Zone 1 and 2in the distance. Tomorrow's picture: moonrays<| 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 /GSFCNASA 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 July 29 Apollo 11: Catching Some Sun Image Credit:Apollo 11,NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague) Explanation: Bright sunlight glints as long dark shadows mark this image of thesurface of the Moon.It was takenfifty-fouryears ago, July 20, 1969, by Apollo 11 astronautNeil Armstrong,the first to walk on the lunar surface.Picturedis the mission's lunar module, the Eagle,and spacesuited lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin.Aldrin is unfurling a long sheet of foil also known as theSolar Wind Composition Experiment.Exposed facing the Sun, the foil trapped particles streamingoutward in the solar wind, catching a sample ofmaterial from the Sun itself.Along with moon rocks and lunar soil samples,the solar wind collector was returned for analysisin earthbound laboratories. Tomorrow's picture: Sunday's Childe<| 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 /GSFCNASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2023 July 28 - Young Stars, Stellar Jets 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 July 28 Young Stars, Stellar Jets Image Credit:NASA,ESA,CSA,Processing: Joseph DePasquale(STScI) Explanation: High-speed outflows of molecular gas from a pair of actively formingyoung stars shine in infrared light, revealing themselves inthis NIRcam imagefrom the James Webb Space Telescope.Cataloged as HH (Herbig-Haro) 46/47, the young stars arelodged within a dark nebulathat is largely opaque when viewed in visible light. The pair lie at the center of the prominent reddishdiffraction spikesin the NIRcam image. Theirenergetic stellar jetsextend for nearly a light-year,burrowing intothe dark interstellar material.A tantalizing object to explore with Webb's infrared capabilities, thisyoung star systemis relatively nearby,located only some 1,140 light-years distant in the nauticalconstellation Vela. 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 /GSFCNASA 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 July 28 Young Stars, Stellar Jets Image Credit:NASA,ESA,CSA,Processing: Joseph DePasquale(STScI) Explanation: High-speed outflows of molecular gas from a pair of actively formingyoung stars shine in infrared light, revealing themselves inthis NIRcam imagefrom the James Webb Space Telescope.Cataloged as HH (Herbig-Haro) 46/47, the young stars arelodged within a dark nebulathat is largely opaque when viewed in visible light. The pair lie at the center of the prominent reddishdiffraction spikesin the NIRcam image. Theirenergetic stellar jetsextend for nearly a light-year,burrowing intothe dark interstellar material.A tantalizing object to explore with Webb's infrared capabilities, thisyoung star systemis relatively nearby,located only some 1,140 light-years distant in the nauticalconstellation Vela. 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 /GSFCNASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2023 July 27 - Galaxies in the River 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 July 27 Galaxies in the River Image Credit &License:CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA; R. Colombari, M. Zamani & D. de Martin(NSF’s NOIRLab) Explanation: Large galaxies grow by eating small ones.Even our own galaxy engages ina sort of galacticcannibalism, absorbing small galaxies that are too close andare captured bythe Milky Way's gravity.In fact, thepractice is commonin the universe and illustrated by this striking pair of interactinggalaxiesfrom the banks of the southern constellationEridanus,The River.Located over 50 million light years away,the large, distorted spiral NGC 1532 is seenlocked in a gravitational struggle withdwarf galaxy NGC 1531, a struggle the smaller galaxy willeventually lose.Seen nearly edge-on, spiral NGC 1532 spans about 100,000 light-years.The merging galaxies are capturedin this sharp image from theDark Energy Camera mounted on the National Science Foundation’sBlanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-AmericanObservatory in Chile.The NGC 1532/1531 pair is thought to be similarto the well-studied system of face-on spiral and small companionknown as M51. Tomorrow's picture: stellar jets<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors &...