APOD: 2023 March 30 - NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad 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 March 30 NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad Image Credit &Copyright:Matias Tomasello Explanation: The delightful Dark Doodad Nebula driftsthrough southern skies,a tantalizing target for binoculars toward the small constellationMusca, The Fly.The dusty cosmic cloudis seen against rich starfields just south of theCoalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross.Stretching for about 3 degrees across the center of this telephoto field of view, the Dark Doodadis punctuated near its southern tip (upper right) by yellowishglobular star clusterNGC 4372.Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo ofour Milky Way Galaxy,a background object some 20,000 light-years away and onlyby chance along our line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad.The Dark Doodad's well defined silhouette belongs to theMusca molecularcloud, but its better known alliterative moniker was firstcoined byastro-imager and writerDennis di Cicco in 1986 whileobserving Comet Halley from the Australian outback.The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distantand over 30 light-years long. Tomorrow's picture: tantalizing Titan <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry...
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 March 31 Seeing Titan Image Credit: VIMS Team, U. Arizona, U. Nantes, ESA,NASA Explanation: Shrouded in a thick atmosphere,Saturn's largest moon Titanreally is hard to see.Small particles suspended in the upper atmosphere cause an almostimpenetrable haze, strongly scattering light at visible wavelengthsand hiding Titan's surface features from prying eyes.But Titan'ssurface is better imaged atinfrared wavelengths wherescattering is weaker and atmospheric absorption is reduced.Arrayed around this visible light image (center) of Titan aresome of the clearest global infrared views of thetantalizing moon so far.In false color,the sixpanels present a consistent processing of 13 years ofinfrared image data from theVisual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on boardtheCassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn from 2004 to 2017.They offer a stunning comparison with Cassini's visible light view.NASA's revolutionary rotorcraftmission to Titan is due to launch in 2027. Tomorrow's picture: seriously <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| > 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...
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 March 30 NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad Image Credit &Copyright:Matias Tomasello Explanation: The delightful Dark Doodad Nebula driftsthrough southern skies,a tantalizing target for binoculars toward the small constellationMusca, The Fly.The dusty cosmic cloudis seen against rich starfields just south of theCoalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross.Stretching for about 3 degrees across the center of this telephoto field of view, the Dark Doodadis punctuated near its southern tip (upper right) by yellowishglobular star clusterNGC 4372.Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo ofour Milky Way Galaxy,a background object some 20,000 light-years away and onlyby chance along our line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad.The Dark Doodad's well defined silhouette belongs to theMusca molecularcloud, but its better known alliterative moniker was firstcoined byastro-imager and writerDennis di Cicco in 1986 whileobserving Comet Halley from the Australian outback.The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distantand over 30 light-years long. Tomorrow's picture: tantalizing Titan <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights...
APOD: 2023 March 24 - Outbound Comet ZTF 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 March 24 Outbound Comet ZTF Image Credit &Copyright:Rolando Ligustri Explanation: Former darlingof the northern sky Comet C/2022E3 (ZTF) hasfaded.During its closest approach to our fair planet inearly FebruaryComet ZTF was a mere 2.3 light-minutes distant.Then known as the green comet,this visitor from theremote Oort Cloudis now nearly 13.3 light-minutes away.In this deep image, composed of exposurescaptured on March 21,the comet still sports a broad, whitish dust tail andgreenish tinted coma though.Not far on the skyfrom Orion's bright star Rigel,Comet ZTF shares the field of viewwith faint, dusty nebulae and distant background galaxies.The telephoto frame iscrowded with Milky Way stars toward the constellation Eridanus.The influence of Jupiter's gravity on the comet's orbit as ZTFheaded for the inner solar system, may haveset the comet on an outbound journey,never to return. 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 Science Activation&...
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 March 25 Venus and the Da Vinci Glow Image Credit &Copyright:Giorgia Hofer Explanation: On March 23 early eveningskygazerscould watch Venus and a young crescent moon,both near the western horizon.On that date Earth's brilliant evening star,faint lunar night side and slender sunlit crescentwere captured in this telephoto skyscapeposing alongside a church tower fromDanta di Cadore, Dolomiti, Italy.Of course the subtle lunar illumination isearthshine,earthlight reflected from the Moon's night side.A description of earthshine, in terms of sunlightreflected by Earth's oceans illuminatingthe Moon's dark surface, was written over 500 years ago byLeonardo da Vinci.On March 24, fromsome locations the Mooncould be seen to occult or pass in front of Venus.Around the planet tonight,a waxing lunar crescent will appear nearthe Pleiades star cluster. Tomorrow's picture: wandering <| 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.
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 March 24 Outbound Comet ZTF Image Credit &Copyright:Rolando Ligustri Explanation: Former darlingof the northern sky Comet C/2022E3 (ZTF) hasfaded.During its closest approach to our fair planet inearly FebruaryComet ZTF was a mere 2.3 light-minutes distant.Then known as the green comet,this visitor from theremote Oort Cloudis now nearly 13.3 light-minutes away.In this deep image, composed of exposurescaptured on March 21,the comet still sports a broad, whitish dust tail andgreenish tinted coma though.Not far on the skyfrom Orion's bright star Rigel,Comet ZTF shares the field of viewwith faint, dusty nebulae and distant background galaxies.The telephoto frame iscrowded with Milky Way stars toward the constellation Eridanus.The influence of Jupiter's gravity on the comet's orbit as ZTFheaded for the inner solar system, may haveset the comet on an outbound journey,never to return. 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 Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.
APOD: 2023 March 23 - Spiral Galaxy NGC 2841 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 March 23 Spiral Galaxy NGC 2841 Image Credit &Copyright: Roberto Marinoni Explanation: A mere 46 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC 2841can be found in planet Earth'snight skytoward the northern constellation ofUrsa Major.Thissharp image centeredon the gorgeousisland universealso captures spiky foreground Milky Way starsand more distant background galaxies within the sametelescopic field of view.It shows off the bright nucleus of NGC 2841, along with itsinclined galactic disk, and faint outer regions. Dust lanes, small star-forming regions, and young star clustersare embedded in the galaxy's patchy, tightlywoundspiral arms.In contrast, many other spiralsexhibit broader, sweeping arms with large star-forming regions. NGC 2841 hasa diameter of over 150,000 light-years, making it even larger thanour own Milky Way.X-ray imagessuggest that extreme outflows from giant stars and stellar explosions createplumes of hot gas extending into a halo around NGC 2841. 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...
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 March 23 Spiral Galaxy NGC 2841 Image Credit &Copyright: Roberto Marinoni Explanation: A mere 46 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC 2841can be found in planet Earth'snight skytoward the northern constellation ofUrsa Major.Thissharp image centeredon the gorgeousisland universealso captures spiky foreground Milky Way starsand more distant background galaxies within the sametelescopic field of view.It shows off the bright nucleus of NGC 2841, along with itsinclined galactic disk, and faint outer regions. Dust lanes, small star-forming regions, and young star clustersare embedded in the galaxy's patchy, tightlywoundspiral arms.In contrast, many other spiralsexhibit broader, sweeping arms with large star-forming regions. NGC 2841 hasa diameter of over 150,000 light-years, making it even larger thanour own Milky Way.X-ray imagessuggest that extreme outflows from giant stars and stellar explosions createplumes of hot gas extending into a halo around NGC 2841. 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...
APOD: 2023 March 17 - The Medusa Nebula Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2023 March 17 The Medusa Nebula Image Credit &Copyright:Martin BradleyChesterfield Astronomical Society Explanation: Braided and serpentine filaments of glowing gassuggest this nebula's popular name, The Medusa Nebula.Also knownas Abell 21, this Medusa is an old planetary nebulasome 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Gemini.Like its mythologicalnamesake, the nebula is associated with a dramatic transformation.Theplanetary nebulaphase represents a final stage inthe evolutionof low mass stars like the sun as they transform themselves fromred giantsto hot white dwarf stars and in the process shrug off their outer layers.Ultravioletradiationfrom the hot star powers the nebular glow.The Medusa's transforming star is the faint one near the centerof the overall bright crescent shape.In this deep telescopic view, fainter filaments clearly extendbelow and right of the bright crescent region.The Medusa Nebula is estimated to be over4light-years across. Tomorrow's picture: supernova's prelude <| 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 March 18 Wolf-Rayet 124 Image Credit: NASA,ESA,CSA,STScI,Webb ERO Production Team Explanation: Driven by powerful stellar winds,expanding shrouds of gas and dustframehot, luminous star Wolf-Rayet 124 inthis sharp infrared view.The eye-catching 6-spike starpattern is characteristic ofstellar images made with the 18 hexagonal mirrors of theJames Webb Space Telescope.About 15,000 light-years distant toward the pointed northernconstellation Sagitta,WR 124 hasover 30 times the mass of the Sun.Produced in a brief and rarely spottedphase ofmassive star evolutionin the Milky Way, this star's turbulent nebula is nearly 6 light-yearsacross.It heraldsWR 124's impending stellar deathin a supernova explosion. Formed in the expanding nebula, dusty interstellar debris that survivesthe supernovawill influencethe formation of future generations of stars. Tomorrow's picture: Mayan Milky Way <| 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: 2023 March 16 - Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri 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 March 16 Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri Image Credit &Copyright:Neil Corke,Heaven's Mirror Observatory Explanation: Globular star clusterOmega Centauri,also known as NGC 5139, is 15,000 light-years away.The cluster is packed with about 10 millionstars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150 light-years indiameter.It's the largest and brightest of 200 or so knownglobularclusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age andcomposition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence ofdifferentstellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances.In fact,Omega Cen may betheremnantcore of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way.Omega Centauri's red giant stars (with ayellowish hue) are easy to pickout in thissharp, color telescopic view. Tomorrow's picture: serpentine <| 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.
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 March 17 The Medusa Nebula Image Credit &Copyright:Martin BradleyChesterfield Astronomical Society Explanation: Braided and serpentine filaments of glowing gassuggest this nebula's popular name, The Medusa Nebula.Also knownas Abell 21, this Medusa is an old planetary nebulasome 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Gemini.Like its mythologicalnamesake, the nebula is associated with a dramatic transformation.Theplanetary nebulaphase represents a final stage inthe evolutionof low mass stars like the sun as they transform themselves fromred giantsto hot white dwarf stars and in the process shrug off their outer layers.Ultravioletradiationfrom the hot star powers the nebular glow.The Medusa's transforming star is the faint one near the centerof the overall bright crescent shape.In this deep telescopic view, fainter filaments clearly extendbelow and right of the bright crescent region.The Medusa Nebula is estimated to be over4light-years across. Tomorrow's picture: supernova's prelude <| 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&...
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 March 16 Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri Image Credit &Copyright:Neil Corke,Heaven's Mirror Observatory Explanation: Globular star clusterOmega Centauri,also known as NGC 5139, is 15,000 light-years away.The cluster is packed with about 10 millionstars much older than the Sun within a volume about 150 light-years indiameter.It's the largest and brightest of 200 or so knownglobularclusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age andcomposition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence ofdifferentstellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances.In fact,Omega Cen may betheremnantcore of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way.Omega Centauri's red giant stars (with ayellowish hue) are easy to pickout in thissharp, color telescopic view. Tomorrow's picture: serpentine <| 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: 2023 March 10 - Orion and the Running Man 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 March 10 Orion and the Running Man Image Credit &Copyright:Abraham Jones Explanation: Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination likeThe Great Nebula in Orion.Visible as a faint celestial smudgeto the naked-eye,the nearest large star-forming region sprawls acrossthis sharp telescopic image,recorded on a cold January night in dark skiesfrom West Virginia, planet Earth.Also known asM42,the Orion Nebula's glowing gas surroundshot, young stars.About 40 light-years across, it lies at the edge of an immense interstellarmolecular cloudonly 1,500 light-years awaywithin the same spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy as the Sun.Along with dusty bluish reflection nebulaNGC 1977 and friendsnear the top of the frame,the eye-catching nebulae represent only asmall fraction of ourgalactic neighborhood'swealth of star-forming material.Within the well-studied stellar nursery,astronomers have also identifiedwhat appear to be numerousinfant solar systems. Tomorrow's picture: 3D 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 Science...
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 March 11 3D Bennu Image Credit: NASA, GSFC, U. Arizona -Stereo Image Copyright:PatrickVantuyne Explanation: Put on your red/blue glasses and float next to asteroid101955 Bennu.Shaped like a spinning toy topwith boulderslittering its rough surface,the tiny Solar System world is aboutone Empire State Building(less than 500 meters) across.Frames used to construct this 3D anaglyph were taken by PolyCam on theOSIRIS_REx spacecrafton December 3, 2018 from a distance of about 80 kilometers.With a sample from the asteroid'srocky surfaceon board, OSIRIS_REx departed Bennu's vicinity in May of 2021 and isnow enroute to planet Earth.The robotic spacecraft is scheduled to return the sample toEarth this September. Tomorrow's picture: mysteries of the sponge 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 Important NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.