APOD: 2023 April 28 - Runaway Star Alpha Camelopardalis 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 April 28 Runaway Star Alpha Camelopardalis Image Credit:André Vilhena Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas, runaway starAlpha Camelopardalishas produced this graceful arcing bow wave or bow shock.The massive supergiant star moves at over 60kilometers per second through space, compressing theinterstellarmaterial in its path.At the centerof this nearly 6 degree wide view, Alpha Cam is about 25-30 timesas massive as the Sun, 5 times hotter (30,000 kelvins), andover 500,000 times brighter.About 4,000 light-years away in the long-necked constellationCamelopardalis,the star also produces a strong stellar wind.Alpha Cam's bow shock stands off about 10 light-years from the star itself.What set thisstar in motion?Astronomers have long thought that Alpha Cam was flung out ofa nearby cluster of young hot stars due to gravitational interactionswith other cluster members or perhaps by thesupernova explosion of a massive companion star. Tomorrow's picture: ship-borne astronomy <| 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 April 27 - The Tarantula Nebula from SuperBIT 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 April 27 The Tarantula Nebula from SuperBIT Image Credit:SuperBIT,NASA Explanation: TheTarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus,is more than a thousand light-years in diameter,a giant star forming region within nearby satellite galaxy theLarge Magellanic Cloud.About 160 thousand light-years away, it's the largest,most violent star forming region known in the whole LocalGroup of galaxies.The cosmic arachnid is near the center of this spectacular imagetaken during theflight of SuperBIT(Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope),NASA's balloon-borne 0.5 meter telescopenow floating near the edge of space.Within the well-studied Tarantula (NGC 2070),intense radiation,stellar winds and supernova shocks from the central young cluster ofmassive stars, cataloged as R136,energize the nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments.Around the Tarantulaare other star forming regions withyoung star clusters, filaments, and blown-outbubble-shaped clouds.SuperBIT's wide field of view spans over 2 degreesor 4 full moons in the southernconstellation Dorado. Tomorrow's picture: alpha camel leopard <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific...
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 April 28 Runaway Star Alpha Camelopardalis Image Credit:André Vilhena Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas, runaway starAlpha Camelopardalishas produced this graceful arcing bow wave or bow shock.The massive supergiant star moves at over 60kilometers per second through space, compressing theinterstellarmaterial in its path.At the centerof this nearly 6 degree wide view, Alpha Cam is about 25-30 timesas massive as the Sun, 5 times hotter (30,000 kelvins), andover 500,000 times brighter.About 4,000 light-years away in the long-necked constellationCamelopardalis,the star also produces a strong stellar wind.Alpha Cam's bow shock stands off about 10 light-years from the star itself.What set thisstar in motion?Astronomers have long thought that Alpha Cam was flung out ofa nearby cluster of young hot stars due to gravitational interactionswith other cluster members or perhaps by thesupernova explosion of a massive companion star. 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...
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 April 27 The Tarantula Nebula from SuperBIT Image Credit:SuperBIT,NASA Explanation: TheTarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus,is more than a thousand light-years in diameter,a giant star forming region within nearby satellite galaxy theLarge Magellanic Cloud.About 160 thousand light-years away, it's the largest,most violent star forming region known in the whole LocalGroup of galaxies.The cosmic arachnid is near the center of this spectacular imagetaken during theflight of SuperBIT(Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope),NASA's balloon-borne 0.5 meter telescopenow floating near the edge of space.Within the well-studied Tarantula (NGC 2070),intense radiation,stellar winds and supernova shocks from the central young cluster ofmassive stars, cataloged as R136,energize the nebular glow and shape the spidery filaments.Around the Tarantulaare other star forming regions withyoung star clusters, filaments, and blown-outbubble-shaped clouds.SuperBIT's wide field of view spans over 2 degreesor 4 full moons in the southernconstellation Dorado. Tomorrow's picture: alpha camel leopard <| 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 April 22 NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus Image Credit:Science -NASA,ESA,STScI,Processing - Varun Bajaj (STScI),Joseph DePasquale (STScI),Jennifer Mack (STScI) Explanation: In visible light NGC 1333 is seen as areflection nebula,dominated by bluish hues characteristic of starlight reflected byinterstellar dust.A mere 1,000 light-years distant toward the heroic constellationPerseus,it lies at the edge of a large, star-forming molecular cloud.This Hubble Space Telescopeclose-up frames a region just over 1 light-yearwide at the estimated distance of NGC 1333.It shows details of the dusty regionalong with telltale hints of contrasty red emission fromHerbig-Haroobjects, jets and shocked glowing gasemanating from recently formed stars.In fact, NGC 1333 contains hundreds of stars less thana million years old, most stillhidden from optical telescopesby the pervasive stardust.The chaotic environment may be similar to one in which our own Sunformed over 4.5 billion years ago.Hubble's stunning imageof the stellar nursery was released to celebratethe 33rd anniversary of the space telescope's launch. Watch: Planet Earth's annualLyrid Meteor Shower Tomorrow's picture: cloudy day <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD|...
APOD: 2023 April 21 - Solar Eclipse from Western Australia 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 April 21 Solar Eclipse from Western Australia Image Credit &Copyright:Gwenaël Blanck Explanation: Along a narrow paththat mostly avoided landfall,the shadow of the New Moon raced across planet Earth'ssouthern hemisphereon April 20 to create a rareannular-total orhybrid solar eclipse.A mere 62 seconds of totality could be seen though,when the dark central lunar shadow just grazed theNorth West Cape, a peninsula in western Australia.From top to bottom these panels capture the beginning, middle, andend of that fleetingtotal eclipse phase.At start and finish, solar prominences and beads of sunlightstream past the lunar limb.At mid-eclipse thecentral frame revealsthe sight onlyeasily visible during totality and mosttreasured by eclipse chasers, themagnificent coronaof the active Sun.Of course eclipsestend to come in pairs.On May 5, the next Full Moonwill just miss the dark inner part of Earth's shadowin a penumbral lunar eclipse. Total Solar Eclipse of 2023 April Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD Watch: Planet Earth's annualLyrid Meteor Shower Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss|...
APOD: 2023 April 20 - The Dark Seahorse 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 April 20 The Dark Seahorse in Cepheus Image Credit &Copyright:Jeff Herman Explanation: Spanning light-years, thissuggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebulaappears in silhouette against a rich, luminous background of stars.Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus,the dusty, obscuring clouds are part of a Milky Waymolecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant.It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182dark markings of the skycataloged in the early 20th century by astronomerE. E. Barnard.Packs of low mass stars are formingwithin,but their collapsing cores are only visible at longinfrared wavelengths.Still, the colorful stars of Cepheus add to thispretty, galactic skyscape. 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 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 April 21 Solar Eclipse from Western Australia Image Credit &Copyright:Gwenaël Blanck Explanation: Along a narrow paththat mostly avoided landfall,the shadow of the New Moon raced across planet Earth'ssouthern hemisphereon April 20 to create a rareannular-total orhybrid solar eclipse.A mere 62 seconds of totality could be seen though,when the dark central lunar shadow just grazed theNorth West Cape, a peninsula in western Australia.From top to bottom these panels capture the beginning, middle, andend of that fleetingtotal eclipse phase.At start and finish, solar prominences and beads of sunlightstream past the lunar limb.At mid-eclipse thecentral frame revealsthe sight onlyeasily visible during totality and mosttreasured by eclipse chasers, themagnificent coronaof the active Sun.Of course eclipsestend to come in pairs.On May 5, the next Full Moonwill just miss the dark inner part of Earth's shadowin a penumbral lunar eclipse. 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...
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 April 20 The Dark Seahorse in Cepheus Image Credit &Copyright:Jeff Herman Explanation: Spanning light-years, thissuggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebulaappears in silhouette against a rich, luminous background of stars.Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus,the dusty, obscuring clouds are part of a Milky Waymolecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant.It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182dark markings of the skycataloged in the early 20th century by astronomerE. E. Barnard.Packs of low mass stars are formingwithin,but their collapsing cores are only visible at longinfrared wavelengths.Still, the colorful stars of Cepheus add to thispretty, galactic skyscape. 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 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 April 15 When Z is for Mars Image Credit &Copyright:Tunc Tezel(TWAN) Explanation: A composite of imagescaptured about a week apartfrom mid August 2022 through late March 2023,this series traces theretrograde motion of ruddy-colored Mars.Progressing from lower right to upper leftMars makes aZ-shaped path as it wanderspast the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters,through the constellation Taurus in planet Earth's night sky.Seen about every two years, Mars doesn'tactually reverse the direction of its orbitto trace out the Z-shape though.Instead, the apparent backwards or retrograde motion withrespect to the background stars is areflection of the orbital motion of Earth itself.Retrograde motion can be seen each time Earth overtakesand laps planets orbiting farther from the Sun, theEarth moving more rapidly through its own relatively close-in orbit. High in northern hemisphere skies theRed Planet was opposite the Sunand at its closest and brightest on December 8,near the center of the frame.Seen close to Mars,a popular visitor to the inner Solar System,comet ZTF (C/2022 E3),was also captured on two dates, February 10 and February 16. Tomorrow's picture:...
APOD: 2023 April 14 - Portrait of NGC 3628 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 April 14 Portrait of NGC 3628 Image Credit &Copyright:Mike Selby &Mark Hanson Explanation: Sharp telescopic views ofNGC 3628show a puffy galactic disk divided by dark dust lanes.Of course,this portraitof the magnificent, edge-on spiral galaxy puts some astronomersin mind of its popular moniker,the Hamburger Galaxy.It also reveals a small galaxy nearby (below), likely a satellite ofNGC 3628, and a very faint but extensivetidal tail.The drawn out tail stretches for about 300,000light-years, even beyond the left edge of the frame.NGC 3628 shares its neighborhood in thelocal universe with two other large spiralsM65 andM66 in a groupingotherwise known as the Leo Triplet.Gravitationalinteractionswith itscosmic neighbors are likely responsible for creating the tidal tail,as well as the extended flare and warp of this spiral's disk.The tantalizingisland universeitself is about 100,000 light-years across and 35 million light-yearsaway in the northern springtime constellation Leo. Tomorrow's picture: Z is for Mars <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific...
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 April 14 Portrait of NGC 3628 Image Credit:Image Credit &Copyright:Mike Selby &Mark Hanson Explanation: Sharp telescopic views ofNGC 3628show a puffy galactic disk divided by dark dust lanes.Of course,this portraitof the magnificent, edge-on spiral galaxy puts some astronomersin mind of its popular moniker,the Hamburger Galaxy.It also reveals a small galaxy nearby (below), likely a satellite ofNGC 3628, and a very faint but extensivetidal tail.The drawn out tail stretches for about 300,000light-years, even beyond the left edge of the frame.NGC 3628 shares its neighborhood in thelocal universe with two other large spiralsM65 andM66 in a groupingotherwise known as the Leo Triplet.Gravitationalinteractionswith itscosmic neighbors are likely responsible for creating the tidal tail,as well as the extended flare and warp of this spiral's disk.The tantalizingisland universeitself is about 100,000 light-years across and 35 million light-yearsaway in the northern springtime constellation Leo. Tomorrow's picture: Z is for Mars <| 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 April 13 - NGC 2419: Intergalactic Wanderer 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 April 13 NGC 2419: Intergalactic Wanderer Image Credit:ESA/Hubble,NASA,S. Larsen et al. Explanation: Stars of the globular cluster NGC 2419 are packed into thisHubble Space Telescopefield of viewtoward the mostly stealthy constellationLynx.The two brighter spiky stars near the edge of the frame arewithin our own galaxy.NGC 2419itself is remote though, some 300,000 light-years away.In comparison, the Milky Way's satellite galaxy, theLarge Magellanic Cloud, is onlyabout 160,000 light-years distant.Roughly similar to other large globular star clusters likeOmega Centauri, NGC 2419is intrinsically bright, but appears faint becauseit is so far away.Its extreme distance makes it difficult tostudyand compare its properties with otherglobular clusters that roam the halo ofour Milky Way galaxy.Sometimes called "the Intergalactic Wanderer",NGC 2419 reallydoes seem to have come from beyond the Milky Way.Measurementsof the cluster's motion through space suggestit once belonged to theSagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy,another small satellite galaxy being disrupted by repeated encounterswith the much larger Milky Way. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| >...
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 April 13 NGC 2419: Intergalactic Wanderer Image Credit:ESA/Hubble,NASA,S. Larsen et al. Explanation: Stars of the globular cluster NGC 2419 are packed into thisHubble Space Telescopefield of viewtoward the mostly stealthy constellationLynx.The two brighter spiky stars near the edge of the frame arewithin our own galaxy.NGC 2419itself is remote though, some 300,000 light-years away.In comparison, the Milky Way's satellite galaxy, theLarge Magellanic Cloud, is onlyabout 160,000 light-years distant.Roughly similar to other large globular star clusters likeOmega Centauri, NGC 2419is intrinsically bright, but appears faint becauseit is so far away.Its extreme distance makes it difficult tostudyand compare its properties with otherglobular clusters that roam the halo ofour Milky Way galaxy.Sometimes called "the Intergalactic Wanderer",NGC 2419 reallydoes seem to have come from beyond the Milky Way.Measurementsof the cluster's motion through space suggestit once belonged to theSagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy,another small satellite galaxy being disrupted by repeated encounterswith the much larger Milky Way. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert...
APOD: 2023 April 12 - NGC 206 and the Star Clouds of Andromeda 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 April 12 NGC 206 and the Star Clouds of Andromeda Image Credit &Copyright: Howard Trottier Explanation: The large stellar association cataloged asNGC 206 isnestled within the dusty arms of the neighboringAndromeda galaxyalong with the galaxy's pinkish star-forming regions.Also known as M31,the spiral galaxy is a mere2.5 million light-years away.NGC 206 is found right of center inthis sharp and detailed close-up of the southwesternextent ofAndromeda's disk.The bright, bluestars of NGC 206indicate its youth.In fact, its youngest massive stars are less than 10 million years old.Much larger than the open or galactic clusters of young starsin the disk of our Milky Way galaxy,NGC 206spans about 4,000 light-years.That's comparable in size to the giant stellar nurseriesNGC 604 in nearby spiralM33 and theTarantula Nebulain the Large Magellanic Cloud. Tomorrow's picture: intergalactic wanderer <| 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...