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.
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 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.
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 &...
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 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: pixels in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU)...