APOD: 2021 August 6 - Stars and Dust Across Corona Australis 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. 2021 August 6 Stars and Dust Across Corona Australis Image Credit &Copyright:Vikas Chander Explanation: Cosmic dust clouds cross a rich field of stars inthis telescopic vista near the northern boundary ofCorona Australis, the Southern Crown.Less than 500 light-years away the dust cloudseffectively block light frommore distant background stars in theMilky Way.Top to bottom the frame spans about 2 degrees or over 15 light-years atthe clouds' estimated distance.At top right is a groupof lovely reflection nebulae cataloged asNGC 6726, 6727, 6729,and IC 4812.A characteristic blue color is produced as lightfrom hot stars is reflected bythe cosmic dust.The dust also obscures from view starsin the regionstill in the process of formation.Just above the bluish reflection nebulae a smaller NGC 6729 surroundsyoung variable starR Coronae Australis.To its right are telltale reddish arcs and loops identified asHerbig Haro objectsassociated with energetic newborn stars.Magnificent globular star cluster NGC 6723is at bottom left in the frame.Though NGC 6723 appearsto be partof the group,its ancient stars actually lie nearly 30,000 light-years away,far beyond...

APOD: 2021 August 5 - Tycho and Clavius 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. 2021 August 5 Tycho and Clavius Image Credit &Copyright:Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau Explanation: South is upin this detailed telescopic view across the Moon's ruggedsouthern highlands.Captured on July 20, the lunar landscape features the Moon's young and old,the large craters Tycho and Clavius.About 100 million years young,Tycho isthe sharp-walled 85 kilometerdiameter crater near center, its 2 kilometer tall central peakin bright sunlight anddark shadow.Debris ejected during the impact that created Tycho still make it thestandout lunar crater when theMoon is near full, producinga highly visible radiating system of light streaks,bright rays that extend across much of the lunar near side.In fact, some of the material collected at the Apollo 17 landing site,about 2,000 kilometers away, likely originatedfrom the Tycho impact. One of the oldest and largest craters on the Moon's near side,225 kilometer diameterClavius is due south(above) of Tycho.Clavius crater'sown ray system resulting from its original impact eventwould have faded long ago.The old crater's worn walls and smooth floor are now overlayed bysmaller craters from impacts that occurred after Clavius wasformed.Observations...

APOD: 2021 August 4 - EHT Resolves Central Jet from Black Hole in Cen A 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. 2021 August 4 EHT Resolves Central Jet from Black Hole in Cen A Image Credit: Radboud University; CSIRO/ATNF/I.Feain et al., R.Morganti et al., N.Junkes et al.; ESO/WFI; MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A. Weiss et al.; NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al.; TANAMI/C. Mueller et al.; EHT/M. Janssen et al. Explanation: How do supermassive black holes create powerful jets?To help find out, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) imaged the center of the nearby active galaxy Centaurus A. The cascade of featured inset images shows Cen A from it largest, taking up more sky than many moons, to its now finest, taking up only as much sky as an golf ball on the moon.The new image shows what may look like two jets -- but is actually two sides of a single jet. This newly discovered jet-edge brightening does not solve the jet-creation mystery, but does imply that the particle outflow is confined by a strong pressure -- possibly involving a magnetic field. The EHT is a coordination of radio...

APOD: 2021 August 3 - A Perseid Meteor and the Milky Way 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. 2021 August 3 A Perseid Fireball and the Milky Way Image Credit & Copyright: Dandan Huang Explanation: It was bright and green and flashed as it moved quickly along the Milky Way.It left a trail that took 30 minutes to dissipate. Given the day, August 12, and the direction, away from Perseus, it was likely a small bit from the nucleus of Comet Swift-Tuttle plowing through the Earth's atmosphere -- and therefore part of the annual Perseids meteor shower. The astrophotographer captured the fireball as it shot across the sky in 2018 above a valley in Yichang, Hubei, China.The meteor's streak, also caught on video, ended near the direction of Mars on the lower left.Next week, the 2021 Perseids meteor shower will peak again. This year the Moon will set shortly after the Sun, leaving a night sky ideal for seeing lots of Perseids from dark and clear locations across planet Earth. Follow APOD in English on: Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter Tomorrow's picture: Event Horizon...

APOD: 2021 August 2 - The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in Light and Sound 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. 2021 August 2 The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in Light and Sound Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Sonification: G. Salvesen (UCSB); Data: M. Rafelski et al. Explanation: Have you heard about the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field? Either way, you've likely not heard about it like this -- please run your cursor over the featured image and listen! The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) was created in 2003-2004 with the Hubble Space Telescope staring for a long time toward near-empty space so that distant, faint galaxies would become visible. One of the most famous images in astronomy, the HUDF is featured here in a vibrant way -- with sonified distances.Pointing to a galaxy will play a note that indicates its approximate redshift.Because redshifts shift light toward the red end of the spectrum of light, they are depicted here by a shift of tone toward the low end of the spectrum of sound. The further the galaxy, the greater its cosmological redshift (even if it appears blue),...

APOD: 2021 August 1 - Pluto in Enhanced Color 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. 2021 August 1 Pluto in Enhanced Color Image Credit: NASA,Johns Hopkins Univ./APL,Southwest Research Inst. Explanation: Pluto is more colorful than we can see.Color data and high-resolution images of our Solar System's most famous dwarf planet, taken by the robotic New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby in 2015 July, have been digitally combined to give an enhanced-color view of this ancient world sporting an unexpectedly young surface.The featured enhanced color image is not only esthetically pretty but scientifically useful, making surface regions of differing chemical composition visually distinct.For example, the light-colored heart-shaped Tombaugh Regio on the lower right is clearly shown here to be divisible into two regions that are geologically different, with the leftmost lobe Sputnik Planitia also appearing unusually smooth.After Pluto, New Horizons continued on, shooting past asteroid Arrokoth in 2019 and has enough speed to escape our Solar System completely. Pluto-Related Images with Brief Explanations: APOD Pluto Search Tomorrow's picture: deep galaxy sounds <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| >...

APOD: 2021 July 31 - Remembering NEOWISE 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. 2021 July 31 Remembering NEOWISE Image Credit &Copyright:Petr Horalek /Institute of Physics in Opava Explanation: It was just last July.If you could see the stars ofthe Big Dipper, you could findComet NEOWISE in your evening sky.After sunsetdenizens of the north could look for the naked-eye cometbelow the bowl of that famous celestial kitchen utensiland above the northwestern horizon.The comet looked like a fuzzy 'star' with a tail, though probably not so long a tail as in thismemorable skyviewrecorded from the Czech Republic on July 23th, 2020, near the comet'sclosest approach to planet Earth.Photographs ofC/2020 F3(NEOWISE) often did show the comet's broad dust tail and fainter butseparate bluish ion tail extendingfarther than the eye could follow.Skygazers around the world weredelightedto witness Comet NEOWISE,surprise visitor from the outer Solar System. Notable Comet NEOWISE Images 2020: July 3130, 29,28,27,26,25,24 Tomorrow's picture: better than Pluto<| 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...

APOD: 2021 July 30 - Mimas in Saturnlight 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. 2021 July 30 Mimas in Saturnlight Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA,NASA Explanation: Peering from the shadows, theSaturn-facing hemisphere of Mimas lies in near darkness alongside adramatic sunlit crescent.The mosaic was captured near the Cassinispacecraft's finalclose approach on January 30, 2017.Cassini's camera was pointed in anearly sunward direction only 45,000 kilometers from Mimas.The result is one of the highest resolution views of the icy, crater-pocked,400kilometer diameter moon.An enhanced version better reveals the Saturn-facing hemisphere ofthe synchronously rotating moon lit by sunlight reflected fromSaturn itself.To see it, slide your cursor over the image (orfollow this link).Other Cassini images of Mimas include the small moon's large and ominousHerschel Crater. Tomorrow's picture: remember when <| 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& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2021 July 29 - 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. 2021 July 29 The Tulip and Cygnus X-1 Image Credit &Copyright:Carlos Uriarte Explanation: This tall telescopic field of viewlooks out along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxytoward the nebula rich constellationCygnusthe Swan.Popularly called the Tulip Nebula,the brightest glowing cloud of interstellar gas and dustabove center is 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, shown in aHubble palette image that maps the glow of thenebula's sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen ions intored, green, and blue colors.Ultraviolet radiation from young energetic starsat 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.Driven by powerful jets from a black hole accretion disk,its fainter bluish curved shock front isonly just visible though, directlyabove the cosmic Tulip's petals near the top of the frame. Tomorrow's picture: Saturnshine<| Archive| Submissions |...

APOD: 2021 July 28 - Ring Galaxy AM 0644 741 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. 2021 July 28 Ring Galaxy AM 0644-741 Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Jonathan Lodge Explanation: The rim of the large blue galaxy at the rightis an immense ring-like structure 150,000 light years in diameter composed of newly formed, extremely bright, massive stars. AM 0644-741is known as a ring galaxy and was caused by an immense galaxy collision. When galaxies collide, they pass through each other and their individual stars rarely come into contact. The large galaxy's ring-like shape is the result of the gravitational disruption caused by a small intruder galaxy passing through it.When this happens, interstellar gas and dust become compressed, causing a wave of star formation to move out from the impact point like a ripple across the surface of a pond. Other galaxies in the field of view are background galaxies, notinteracting with AM 0644-741.Foreground spiky stars are within our own Milky Way.But the smaller intruder galaxy is caughtabove and right, near the top of the frame taken by the Hubble Space...

APOD: 2021 July 27 - Flemings Triangular Wisp 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. 2021 July 27 Fleming's Triangular Wisp Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Saab Explanation: Chaotic in appearance,these tangled filaments of shocked, glowing gas are spread acrossplanet Earth's sky toward the constellation of Cygnus as part of theVeil Nebula.The Veil Nebula itself is a largesupernova remnant, an expandingcloud born of the death explosion of a massive star.Light from the original supernova explosion likely reachedEarth over 5,000 years ago.The glowing filaments are really more like long ripples in a sheet seenalmost edge on, remarkably well separated intothe glow of ionized hydrogen atoms shown in blue and oxygen in red hues.Also known as the Cygnus Loop and cataloged as NGC 6979, theVeil Nebula now spans about 6 times the diameter of the full Moon.The length of the wisp corresponds to about 30 light years, given its estimated distance of 2,400 light years. Often identified as Pickering's Trianglefor a director of Harvard College Observatory, it is also named for its discoverer,astronomer Williamina Fleming, asFleming'sTriangular Wisp. Tomorrow's picture: ring of fire galaxy <| Archive| Submissions...

APOD: 2021 July 26 - CG4: A Ruptured Cometary Globule 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. 2021 July 26 CG4: A Ruptured Cometary Globule Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Rolland & Martin Pugh Explanation: Can a gas cloud grab a galaxy? It's not even close. The "claw" of this odd looking "creature" in the featured photo is a gas cloud known as a cometary globule. This globule, however, has ruptured. Cometary globules are typically characterized by dusty heads andelongated tails. These features cause cometary globules to have visual similarities to comets, but in reality they are very much different. Globules are frequently the birthplaces of stars, and many show very young stars in their heads.The reason for the rupture in the head of this object is not yet known.The galaxy to the left of the globule is huge, very far in the distance, and only placed near CG4 by chance superposition. Tomorrow's picture: wisp of star death <| 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...

APOD: 2021 July 25 - Crescent Neptune and Triton 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. 2021 July 25 Crescent Neptune and Triton Image Credit: NASA,Voyager 2 Explanation: Gliding silently through the outerSolar System, theVoyager 2 spacecraft camera capturedNeptune andTriton together in crescent phase. The elegant picture of theice-giant planet and itscloudy moon was taken from behind just afterclosest approach in 1989. It could not have been taken fromEarth becauseNeptune never shows a crescent phase to sunward Earth.Theunusual vantage point also robsNeptune of its familiar blue hue,as sunlight seen from here is scattered forward,and so is reddened like thesetting Sun. Neptune is smaller but more massive thanUranus, has severaldark rings, and emits more light than it receives from the Sun. Tomorrow's picture: galaxy grabber <| 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& Michigan Tech. U.

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APOD: 2021 July 24 - The Edge of Space 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. 2021 July 24 The Edge of Space Image Credit &Copyright: Ralf Rohner Explanation: Where does space begin?For purposes of spaceflight some would say at theKarman line,currently defined as an altitude of 100 kilometers (60 miles).Others might place a line 80 kilometers (50 miles) above Earth's mean sea level.But there is no sharp physicalboundary that marks the end ofatmosphere and the beginning of space.In fact, the Karman line itself is near the transition between theupper mesophere and lower thermosphere.Night shining or noctilucent cloudsare high-latitude summer apparitionsformed at altitudes near the top of the mesophere,up to 80 kilometers or so, also known as polar mesopheric clouds.Auroral bandsof the northern (and southern) lights caused byenergetic particles exciting atoms in the thermosphere canextend above 80 kilometers to over 600 kilometers altitude.Taken from a cockpit while flying at an altitude of 10 kilometers(33,000 feet) in the realm ofstratospheric aeronautics,this snapshot captures bothnoctilucent clouds and aurora borealis under a starry sky,looking toward planet Earth's horizonand the edge of space. Tomorrow's picture: crescent father and...

I think Orbit is unamused...

APOD: 2021 July 23 - Elephant, Bat, and Squid 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. 2021 July 23 Elephant, Bat, and Squid Image Credit &Copyright: Patrick Hsieh Explanation: Sprawling emission nebulae IC 1396 and Sh2-129 mixglowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds inthis 10 degree wide fieldof view toward the northern constellationCepheus the King.Energized by its bluish central star IC 1396 (left)is hundreds of light-years across and some 3,000 light-years distant.The nebula's intriguing dark shapes includea winding dark cloud popularly known as theElephant's Trunk below and right of center.Tens of light-years long, it holds the rawraw material for star formation and is known to hideprotostarswithin.Located a similar distance from planet Earth, thebright knots and swept back ridges of emission of Sh2-129 on the rightsuggest its popular name, theFlying Bat Nebula.Within the Flying Bat, the most recently recognizedaddition to this royal cosmic zoo is the faint bluish emission from Ou4, theGiant Squid nebula. Tomorrow's picture: at the edge of space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights...

APOD: 2021 July 22 - NGC 7814: Little Sombrero with Supernova 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. 2021 July 22 NGC 7814: Little Sombrero with Supernova Image Credit &Copyright: CHART32 Team Explanation: Point your telescope toward the high flying constellationPegasusand you can find thisexpanseof Milky Way stars and distant galaxies.NGC 7814 is centered in the prettyfield of view that would almostbe covered by a full moon.NGC 7814 issometimes called the Little Sombrero for itsresemblance to the brighter more famous M104,the Sombrero Galaxy.Both Sombrero and Little Sombrero are spiral galaxiesseen edge-on, and both haveextensive halosand centralbulges cut by a thin disk with thinner dust lanes in silhouette.In fact, NGC 7814is some 40 million light-years away and an estimated 60,000 light-yearsacross.That actually makes theLittle Sombreroabout the same physical size asits better known namesake, appearing smaller and fainteronly because it is farther away.In this telescopic view from July 17, NGC 7814 is hosting a newlydiscovered supernova, dominant immediately to the left of the galaxy's core.Cataloged as SN 2021rhu,the stellar explosion has been identified as aType Iasupernova, useful toward calibrating thedistance scaleofthe universe. Tomorrow's picture: cosmic zoo<|...

APOD: 2021 July 21 - Colors: Ring Nebula versus Stars 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. 2021 July 21 Colors: Ring Nebula versus Stars Image Credit: Robert Vanderbei(Princeton U.) Explanation: What if you could see, separately, all thecolors of the Ring?And of the surrounding stars?There's technology for that.The featured image shows the Ring Nebula (M57) and nearby stars through such technology: in this case, a prism-like diffraction grating. The Ring Nebula is seen only a few times because it emits light, primarily, in only a few colors.The two brightest emitted colors are hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue), appearing as nearly overlapping images to the left of the image center. The image just to the right of center is the color-combined icon normally seen. Stars, on the other hand, emit most of their light in colors all across the visible spectrum. These colors, combined, make a nearly continuous streak -- which is why stars appear accompanied by multicolored bars. Breaking object light up into colors is scientifically useful because it can reveal the elements that compose that object, how fast that object is moving,...

APOD: 2021 July 20 - Thors Helmet 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. 2021 July 20 Thor's Helmet Image Credit & Copyright: Bernard Miller Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages.Heroically sized even for aNorse god,Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across.In fact, the cosmic head-covering is more likean interstellar bubble, blown with a fastwind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center.Known as aWolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief,pre-supernova stage of evolution.NGC 2359 is located about15,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the Great Overdog.This remarkably sharp imageis a mixed cocktail of data from broadband and narrowband filters,capturing not only natural looking stars but details ofthe nebula'sfilamentary structures.The star in the center of Thor's Helmet is expected to explode in a spectacularsupernova sometime within the next few thousand years. Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: colors of ring <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD|...