APOD: 2022 September 11 - Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins 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. Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins Video Credit: NASA, Animation: James O'Donoghue (JAXA) Explanation: How does your favorite planet spin?Does it spin rapidly around a nearly vertical axis, or horizontally, or backwards? The featured video animates NASA images of all eight planets in our Solar System to show them spinning side-by-side for an easy comparison.In the time-lapse video, a day on Earth -- one Earth rotation -- takes just a few seconds. Jupiter rotates the fastest, while Venus spins not only the slowest (can you see it?), but backwards. The inner rocky planets across the top underwent dramatic spin-altering collisions during the early days of the Solar System. Why planets spin and tilt as they do remains a topic of research with much insight gained from modern computer modeling and the recent discovery and analysis of hundreds of exoplanets: planets orbiting other stars. Tomorrow's picture: stars and sprites <| 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. Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins Video Credit: NASA, Animation: James O'Donoghue (JAXA) Explanation: How does your favorite planet spin?Does it spin rapidly around a nearly vertical axis, or horizontally, or backwards? The featured video animates NASA images of all eight planets in our Solar System to show them spinning side-by-side for an easy comparison.In the time-lapse video, a day on Earth -- one Earth rotation -- takes just a few seconds. Jupiter rotates the fastest, while Venus spins not only the slowest (can you see it?), but backwards. The inner rocky planets, across the top, most certainly underwent dramatic spin-altering collisions during the early days of the Solar System. The reasons why planets spin and tilt as they do remains a topic of research with much insight gained from modern computer modeling and the recent discovery and analysis of hundreds of exoplanets: planets orbiting other stars. Tomorrow's picture: stars and sprites <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU)...

APOD: 2022 September 10 - Galaxy by the Lake 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 September 10 Galaxy by the Lake Image Credit &Copyright: Gerardo Ferrarino Explanation: This 180 degree panoramicnight skyscape captures ourMilky Way Galaxyas it arcs above the horizon on a winter's night in August.Near midnight, the galactic center is close to the zenith withthe clear waters of Lake Traful, Neuquen, Argentina,South America, planet Earth below.Zodiacal light,dust reflected sunlight along the Solar System's ecliptic plane,is also visible in the region's very dark night sky.The faint band of light reaches up from the distant snowy peakstoward the galaxy's center.Follow the arcof the Milky Way to the left to find thesouthern hemispherestellar beaconsAlpha and Beta Centauri.Close to the horizon bright star Vega is reflected in the calmmountain lake. Tomorrow's picture: tilt and spin<| 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. 2022 September 10 Galaxy by the Lake Image Credit &Copyright: Gerardo Ferrarino Explanation: This 180 degree panoramicnight skyscape captures ourMilky Way Galaxyas it arcs above the horizon on a winter's night in August.Near midnight, the galactic center is close to the zenith withthe clear waters of Lake Traful, Neuquen, Argentina,South America, planet Earth below.Zodiacal light,dust reflected sunlight along the Solar System's ecliptic plane,is also visible in the region's very dark night sky.The faint band of light reaches up from the distant snowy peakstoward the galaxy's center.Follow the arcof the Milky Way to the left to find thesouthern hemispherestellar beaconsAlpha and Beta Centauri.Close to the horizon bright star Vega is reflected in the calmmountain lake. Tomorrow's picture: tilt and spin<| 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: 2022 September 9 - Interstellar Voyager 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 September 9 Interstellar Voyager Poster Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager Explanation: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 on agrand tour of the outer planets of the Solar System.They have become the longest operating and most distantspacecraft from Earth.Both have traveledbeyond the heliosphere,the realm defined by the influence of the solar windand the Sun's magnetic field.On the 45th yearof their journey toward the starsVoyager 1 and 2 reached nearly 22 light-hours and 18 light-hoursfrom the Sun respectively and remainthe only spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.Each spacecraft carries a12-inch gold-plated copper disk with recordingsof sounds, pictures and messages.The Golden Recordsare intended to communicatea story of life and culture on planet Earth, preservedin a medium that can survive an interstellar journey fora billion years. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA 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. 2022 September 9 Interstellar Voyager Poster Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager Explanation: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 on agrand tour of the outer planets of the Solar System.They have become the longest operating and most distantspacecraft from Earth.Both have traveledbeyond the heliosphere,the realm defined by the influence of the solar windand the Sun's magnetic field.On the 45th yearof their journey toward the starsVoyager 1 and 2 reached nearly 22 light-hours and 18 light-hoursfrom the Sun respectively and remainthe only spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.Each spacecraft carries a12-inch gold-plated copper disk with recordingsof sounds, pictures and messages.The Golden Recordsare intended to communicatea story of life and culture on planet Earth, preservedin a medium that can survive an interstellar journey fora billion years. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA ScienceActivation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2022 September 8 - North America and the Pelican 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 September 8 North America and the Pelican Image Credit &Copyright: Frank Sackenheim Explanation: Fans of our fair planetmight recognize the outlines of thesecosmicclouds.On the left, bright emission outlined by dark, obscuring dust lanesseems to trace a continental shape, lending the popular nameNorth America Nebulato the emission region cataloged as NGC 7000.To the right, just off the North America Nebula's east coast,is IC 5070, whose avianprofile suggeststhePelican Nebula. The two bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away,part of the samelarge and complexstar forming region, almost as nearby as thebetter-known Orion Nebula.At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would span80 light-years.This careful cosmic portraituses narrowband images combined to highlight the brightionization frontsand the characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, and oxygengas.These nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location. Look northeast of bright starDeneb in Cygnus the Swan, soaring high in the northern summernight sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors &...

APOD: 2022 September 7 - Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb 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 September 7 Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb Images Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team Explanation: Near the center of a nearby star-forming region lies a massive cluster containing some of the largest and hottest stars known. Collectively known as star cluster NGC 2070, these stars are part of the vast Tarantula Nebula and were captured in two kinds of infrared light by the new Webb Space Telescope. The main image shows the group of stars at NGC 2070's center -- known as R136 -- in near-infrared, light just a bit too red for humans to see.In contrast, the rollover image captures the cluster center in mid-infrared light, light closer to radio waves. Since R136's brightest stars emit more of their light in the near infrared, they are much more prominent on that image.This LMC cluster's massive stars emit particle winds and energetic light that are evaporating the gas cloud from which they formed.The Webb images, released yesterday, shows details of R136...

APOD: 2022 September 6 - An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China 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 September 6 An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China Image Credit & Copyright: Jiaqi Sun （孙嘉琪） Explanation: Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining?Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud, a group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size andso together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts. The featured image was taken last month in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China.Also captured were unusual cloud ripples above the pileus cloud. The formation of a rare pileus cloud capping a common cumulus cloud is an indication that the lower cloud is expanding upward and might well develop into a storm. Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: tarantula's webb <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2022 September 5 - Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope 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 September 5 Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Explanation: Stars created these cliffs.Specifically, the destructive winds and energetic light from the stars in the open cluster NGC 3324 eroded away part of a mountain of dark interstellar dust in the northern part of the Carina Nebula.Several of these stars are visible toward the top of this highly detailed image taken recently by the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest astronomical telescope ever launched.Webb's large mirror and ability to see dust-piercing infrared light has enabled it to capture fascinating details in the dust, hundreds of previously hidden stars, and even some galaxies far in the distance. The featured jagged cliffs occur in part of Carina known as the Gabriela Mistral Nebula -- because when viewed in another orientation, they appear similar to the facial profile of the famous Chilean poet. These nebular cliffs occur about 7,600 light years away toward the southern constellation of Carina. Astrophysicists: Browse 2,800+...

APOD: 2022 September 4 - Sea and Sky Glows over the Oregon Coast 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 September 4 Sea and Sky Glows over the Oregon Coast Image Credit & Copyright: Rudy Montoya Explanation: Every step caused the sand to light up blue.That glow was bioluminescence -- a blue radiance that also lights the surf in this surreal scene captured in mid-2018 at Meyer's Creek Beach in Oregon, USA.Volcanic stacks dot the foreground sea, while a thin fog layer scatters light on the horizon.The rays of light spreading from the left horizon were created by car headlights on the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101), while the orange light on the right horizon emanates from a fishing boat. Visible far in the distance is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy, appearing to rise from a dark rocky outcrop. Sixteen images were added together to bring up the background Milky Way and to reduce noise. Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995) Tomorrow's picture: space cliffs <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education|...

APOD: 2022 September 3 - Sun and Moon and ISS 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 September 3 Sun and Moon and ISS Image Credit &Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night),Jin Ma (Beijing Planetarium) Explanation: On August 25 Sun and Moon could both be seen in planet Earth's daytimeskies.And so could theInternational Space Station.The ISS crossed the disk of the waning crescent Moon as seenfrom Shunyi district, Beijing, China at about 11:02 am local time.Some 40 kilometers to the southwest, in Fengtai district,the ISS was seen to cross the Sun's disk too.The solar transit was observed only 29 seconds later.Both transits are compared in these panels, composed of processedand stacked video frames from the two locations.The coordinated captures were made with different equipment,but adjusted to show the Sun and Moon at the same scale.The ISS was at a calculated range of 435 kilometers for thelunar transitand 491 kilometers when passing in frontof the Sun. Artemis I: Launch Update Tomorrow's picture: sea and sky<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell...

APOD: 2022 September 8 - North America and the Pelican 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 September 8 North America and the Pelican Image Credit &Copyright: Frank Sackenheim Explanation: Fans of our fair planetmight recognize the outlines of thesecosmicclouds.On the left, bright emission outlined by dark, obscuring dust lanesseems to trace a continental shape, lending the popular nameNorth America Nebulato the emission region cataloged as NGC 7000.To the right, just off the North America Nebula's east coast,is IC 5070, whose avianprofile suggeststhePelican Nebula. The two bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away,part of the samelarge and complexstar forming region, almost as nearby as thebetter-known Orion Nebula.At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would span80 light-years.This careful cosmic portraituses narrowband images combined to highlight the brightionization frontsand the characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, and oxygengas.These nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location. Look northeast of bright starDeneb in Cygnus the Swan, soaring high in the northern summernight sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors &...

APOD: 2022 September 7 - Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb 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 September 7 Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb Images Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team Explanation: Near the center of a nearby star-forming region lies a massive cluster containing some of the largest and hottest stars known. Collectively known as star cluster NGC 2070, these stars are part of the vast Tarantula Nebula and were captured in two kinds of infrared light by the new Webb Space Telescope. The main image shows the group of stars at NGC 2070's center -- known as R136 -- in near-infrared, light just a bit too red for humans to see.In contrast, the rollover image captures the cluster center in mid-infrared light, light closer to radio waves. Since R136's brightest stars emit more of their light in the near infrared, they are much more prominent on that image.This LMC cluster's massive stars emit particle winds and energetic light that are evaporating the gas cloud from which they formed.The Webb images, released yesterday, shows details of R136...

APOD: 2022 September 6 - An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China 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 September 6 An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China Image Credit & Copyright: Jiaqi Sun （孙嘉琪） Explanation: Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining?Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud, a group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size andso together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts. The featured image was taken last month in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China.Also captured were unusual cloud ripples above the pileus cloud. The formation of a rare pileus cloud capping a common cumulus cloud is an indication that the lower cloud is expanding upward and might well develop into a storm. Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: tarantula's webb <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.NASA WebPrivacy Policy and Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2022 September 5 - Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope 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 September 5 Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Explanation: Stars created these cliffs.Specifically, the destructive winds and energetic light from the stars in the open cluster NGC 3324 eroded away part of a mountain of dark interstellar dust in the northern part of the Carina Nebula.Several of these stars are visible toward the top of this highly detailed image taken recently by the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest astronomical telescope ever launched.Webb's large mirror and ability to see dust-piercing infrared light has enabled it to capture fascinating details in the dust, hundreds of previously hidden stars, and even some galaxies far in the distance. The featured jagged cliffs occur in part of Carina known as the Gabriela Mistral Nebula -- because when viewed in another orientation, they appear similar to the facial profile of the famous Chilean poet. These nebular cliffs occur about 7,600 light years away toward the southern constellation of Carina. Astrophysicists: Browse 2,800+...

APOD: 2022 September 4 - Sea and Sky Glows over the Oregon Coast 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 September 4 Sea and Sky Glows over the Oregon Coast Image Credit & Copyright: Rudy Montoya Explanation: Every step caused the sand to light up blue.That glow was bioluminescence -- a blue radiance that also lights the surf in this surreal scene captured in mid-2018 at Meyer's Creek Beach in Oregon, USA.Volcanic stacks dot the foreground sea, while a thin fog layer scatters light on the horizon.The rays of light spreading from the left horizon were created by car headlights on the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101), while the orange light on the right horizon emanates from a fishing boat. Visible far in the distance is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy, appearing to rise from a dark rocky outcrop. Sixteen images were added together to bring up the background Milky Way and to reduce noise. Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995) Tomorrow's picture: space cliffs <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education|...

APOD: 2022 September 3 - Sun and Moon and ISS 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 September 3 Sun and Moon and ISS Image Credit &Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night),Jin Ma (Beijing Planetarium) Explanation: On August 25 Sun and Moon could both be seen in planet Earth's daytimeskies.And so could theInternational Space Station.The ISS crossed the disk of the waning crescent Moon as seenfrom Shunyi district, Beijing, China at about 11:02 am local time.Some 40 kilometers to the southwest, in Fengtai district,the ISS was seen to cross the Sun's disk too.The solar transit was observed only 29 seconds later.Both transits are compared in these panels, composed of processedand stacked video frames from the two locations.The coordinated captures were made with different equipment,but adjusted to show the Sun and Moon at the same scale.The ISS was at a calculated range of 435 kilometers for thelunar transitand 491 kilometers when passing in frontof the Sun. Artemis I: Launch Update Tomorrow's picture: sea and sky<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell...

APOD: 2022 September 2 - M51: The Whirlpool 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 September 2 M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy Image Credit &Copyright: Fabian Neyer Explanation: Find the Big Dipper andfollow the handle away from the dipper's bowluntil you get to the last bright star.Then, just slide your telescope a little south and west andyou'llcome upon this stunning pair of interacting galaxies,the 51st entryin Charles Messier's famous catalog.Perhaps theoriginal spiralnebula,the large galaxy withwell defined spiral structure is also cataloged as NGC 5194.Itsspiral arms and dust lanesclearly sweep in front of its companion galaxy (left),NGC 5195.The pair are about 31 million light-years distant andofficially lie within the angular boundaries ofthe small constellationCanesVenatici.In direct telescopic views, M51 looks faint and fuzzy to the eye.But this remarkably deep imageshows off details of the interacting galaxy'sstriking colors and galactic tidal debris.The image includes nearly 90 hours of narrowband datathat also reveals a vast glowing cloud of reddish ionized hydrogen gasdiscovered in the M51 system. Tomorrow's picture: 29 seconds later<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert...

APOD: 2022 September 1 - The Tulip and Cygnus X-1 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 September 1 The Tulip and Cygnus X-1 Image Credit &Copyright: Peter Kohlmann Explanation: Framing a bright emission region,this telescopic viewlooks out alongthe plane of our Milky Way Galaxy toward the nebula rich constellationCygnus the Swan.Popularly called the Tulip Nebula,the reddish glowing cloud of interstellar gas and dustis also found in the1959 catalogby astronomer Stewart Sharplessas Sh2-101.Nearly 70 light-years across, the complex and beautiful Tulip Nebulablossoms about 8,000 light-years away.Ultraviolet radiation from young energetic stars at the edge of the CygnusOB3 association,includingO star HDE 227018,ionizes the atomsand powers the emission from the Tulip Nebula.Also in the field of view is microquasarCygnus X-1,one of the strongest X-ray sources in planet Earth's sky.Blasted by powerful jets from alurking black holeits fainter bluish curved shock front isonly just visible though, beyondthe cosmic Tulip's petals near the right side of the frame. Back to School? Learn Science with NASA Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU)...