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 30 A Harvest Moon over Tuscany Image Credit &Copyright: Antonio Tartarini Explanation: For northern hemisphere dwellers, September's Full Moon wasthe Harvest Moon.Reflecting warm hues at sunset, it risesbehind cypress trees huddled on a hill top in Tuscany, Italyin this telephoto view from September 28. Famed in festival, story, and song,Harvest Moon is just the traditional name of the full moon nearest theautumnalequinox. According to lore the name is a fitting one.Despite the diminishing daylight hours as thegrowing seasondrew to a close, farmers could harvest crops by the light of a full moonshining onfrom dusk to dawn.This Harvest Moon was also known to some as a supermoon,a term becoming a traditional name for afullmoon near perigee.It was the fourth and final supermoonfor 2023. Note: Non-NASA APOD mirror sites will be updated if the US goverment shuts down. Tomorrow's picture: new moon near apogee<| 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...
APOD: 2023 September 28 - The Deep Lagoon 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 28 The Deep Lagoon Image Credit &Copyright:Josep Drudis,Christian Sasse Explanation: Ridges of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust cloudsinhabit theturbulent, cosmic depthsof the Lagoon Nebula.Also known as M8, The bright star forming region is about5,000 light-years distant.It makes for a popular stop ontelescopic tours ofthe constellation Sagittarius toward the centerof our Milky Way Galaxy.Dominated by the telltale red emission of ionized hydrogen atomsrecombining with stripped electrons, thisdeep telescopic viewof the Lagoon's central reaches is about 40 light-years across.The bright hourglass shape near the centerof the frame is gas ionized and sculpted by energetic radiationand extreme stellar winds from amassive young star. Tomorrow's picture: just back from Bennu<| 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 29 Back from Bennu Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber Explanation: Back from asteroid 101955 Bennu,a 110-pound, 31-inch wide sample return capsulerests in adesert on planet Earthin this photo, taken at theDepartment of Defense Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake Citylast Sunday, September 24.Dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft, the capsule lookscharred from the extreme temperatures experienced during itsblistering descent through Earth's dense atmosphere.OSIRIS-Rex began its home-ward journey from Bennu in May of 2021.Delivered to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on September 25,the capsule's canister is expected to contain an uncontaminatedsample of about a half pound (250 grams) ofBennu's loosely packed regolith.Working in a new laboratory designed for the OSIRIS-REx mission,scientists and engineers will complete thecanister disassembly process,and plan to unveil the sample ofthe near-Earth asteroidin a broadcast event on October 11. Tomorrow's picture: shine on<| 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 September 28 The Deep Lagoon Image Credit &Copyright:Josep Drudis,Christian Sasse Explanation: Ridges of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust cloudsinhabit theturbulent, cosmic depthsof the Lagoon Nebula.Also known as M8, The bright star forming region is about5,000 light-years distant.It makes for a popular stop ontelescopic tours ofthe constellation Sagittarius toward the centerof our Milky Way Galaxy.Dominated by the telltale red emission of ionized hydrogen atomsrecombining with stripped electrons, thisdeep telescopic viewof the Lagoon's central reaches is about 40 light-years across.The bright hourglass shape near the centerof the frame is gas ionized and sculpted by energetic radiationand extreme stellar winds from amassive young star. Tomorrow's picture: just back from Bennu<| 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 22 - Cosmos in Reflection 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 22 Cosmos in Reflection Image Credit &Copyright:Jeff Dai(TWAN) Explanation: During the day,over 12,000 large mirrors reflectsunlight at the 100-megawatt, molten-salt, solar thermal power plant at thewestern edge of the Gobi desert nearDunhuang, Gansu Province, China.Individual mirror panels turn to track the sun like sunflowers.They conspire to act as a single super mirror reflectingthe sunlight toward a fixed position,the power station's central tower.During the nightthe mirrors stand motionless though.They reflect the light of the countless distant stars,clusters and nebulae of the Milky Wayand beyond.Thissci-finight skyscape was created with a camera fixedto a tripod near the edge of the giant mirror matrix onSeptember 15.The camera's combined sequence of digital exposures capturesconcentric arcs of celestialstar trails through the nightwith star trails insurreal mirrored reflection. Tomorrow's picture: analog analemma's afternoon<| 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 23 Afternoon Analemma Image Credit &Copyright:Ian Griffin(Otago Museum) Explanation: An analemma is that figure-8 curveyou get when you mark the positionof the Sun at the same time each day for one year.To make this one, a 4x5 pinholecamera was set up looking north insouthern New Zealand skies.The shutter was briefly opened each clear day in the afternoon at 4pmlocal time exposing the samephotosensitized glass platefor the year spanning September 23, 2022 to September 19, 2023.On two days, the winter and summer solstices,the shutter was opened again 15 minutes after the mainexposure and remained open until sunset to create the sun trails atthe bottom and top of the curve.The equinox dates correspond to positions in the middle of thecurve, not the crossover point.Of course,the curve itself is inverted compared to an analemma tracedfrom the northern hemisphere.And while fall begins todayat the Autumnal Equinox for the northern hemisphere,it's the Spring Equinox in the south. Tomorrow's picture: sunrise solar eclipse<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors...
APOD: 2023 September 21 - Tagging Bennu 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 21 Tagging Bennu Image Credit: OSIRIS-REx, University of Arizona,NASA, Goddard Scientific VisualizationStudio Explanation: The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's arm reached out and touched asteroid 101955 Bennuon October 20, 2020,after a careful approach tothe small, near-Earth asteroid's boulder-strewn surface.Dubbed aTouch-And-Go(TAG) sampling event, the 30 centimeter widesampling head (TAGSAM) appears to crush some of the rocks in thisclose-up recorded by the spacecraft's SamCam.The image was snapped just after surface contactsome 321 million kilometers from planet Earth.One second later, the spacecraft fired nitrogen gasfrom a bottle intended to blow a substantial amount ofBennu's regolithinto the sampling head, collecting theloose surface material.And now, nearly three years later, on Sunday, September 24,that sample of asteroid Bennu is scheduled toarrive on planet Earth.The sample return capsule will be dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rexspacecraft as it makes a close flyby of Earth.Twenty minutes after the drop-off, the spacecraft will fire itsthrusters to divert past Earth and continue on to orbit near-Earthasteroid 99942 Apophis. Tomorrow's picture: reflections of the cosmos<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education|...
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 21 Cosmos in Reflection Image Credit &Copyright:Jeff Dai(TWAN) Explanation: During the day,over 12,000 large mirrors reflectsunlight at the 100-megawatt, molten-salt, solar thermal power plant at thewestern edge of the Gobi desert nearDunhuang, Gansu Province, China.Individual mirror panels turn to track the sun like sunflowers.They conspire to act as a single super mirror reflectingthe sunlight toward a fixed position,the power station's central tower.During the nightthe mirrors stand motionless though.They reflect the light of the countless distant stars,clusters and nebulae of the Milky Wayand beyond.Thissci-finight skyscape was created with a camera fixedto a tripod near the edge of the giant mirror matrix onSeptember 15.The camera's combined sequence of digital exposures capturesconcentric arcs of celestialstar trails through the nightwith star trails insurreal mirrored reflection. Tomorrow's picture: analog analemma's afternoon<| 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 21 Tagging Bennu Image Credit: OSIRIS-REx, University of Arizona,NASA, Goddard Scientific VisualizationStudio Explanation: The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's arm reached out and touched asteroid 101955 Bennuon October 20, 2020,after a careful approach tothe small, near-Earth asteroid's boulder-strewn surface.Dubbed aTouch-And-Go(TAG) sampling event, the 30 centimeter widesampling head (TAGSAM) appears to crush some of the rocks in thisclose-up recorded by the spacecraft's SamCam.The image was snapped just after surface contactsome 321 million kilometers from planet Earth.One second later, the spacecraft fired nitrogen gasfrom a bottle intended to blow a substantial amount ofBennu's regolithinto the sampling head, collecting theloose surface material.And now, nearly three years later, on Sunday, September 24,that sample of asteroid Bennu is scheduled toarrive on planet Earth.The sample return capsule will be dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rexspacecraft as it makes a close flyby of Earth.Twenty minutes after the drop-off, the spacecraft will fire itsthrusters to divert past Earth and continue on to orbit near-Earthasteroid 99942 Apophis. Tomorrow's picture: reflections of the cosmos<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD|...
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 16 Fireball over Iceland Image Credit & Copyright: Jennifer Franklin Explanation: On September 12, from a location just south of the Arctic Circle,stones of Iceland'smodern Arctic Hengepoint skyward in this startling scene.Entertaining an intrepid group of aurora hunters during ageomagnetic storm,alluring northern lights dance across the darkened skywhen a stunningfireball meteorexplodes.Awestruck, the camera-equipped skygazerscaptured video and stillimagesof the boreal bolide, at its peak about as bright as a full moon.Though quickly fading from view, the fireball left a lingeringvisible trailor persistent train.The wraith-like trail was seen forminutes wafting in the upper atmosphere at altitudesof 60 to 90 kilometers along with theauroral glow. Tomorrow's picture: Magnified Moon Mountains<| 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 15 - Venus, Moon, and the Smoking Mountain 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,now appearing in planet Earth's predawn skiesas 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 twilightwith an old crescent Moon.Seen from this stratospheric perspective, mountain peaks andclouds appear in silhouette along a glowing eastern horizon.The dramatic, long, low cloud bank was created by ongoing 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.
APOD: 2023 September 14 - NGC 7331 and Beyond 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...
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...