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. 2022 October 14 The Falcon and the Hunter's Moon Image Credit &Copyright: Michael Seeley Explanation: The Full Moon of October 9thwas the second Full Moon after thenorthern hemisphere autumnal equinox, traditionally called theHunter's Moon.According to lore, the name is a fitting one because thisFull Moon lights the night during a time for huntingin preparation for the coming winter months.In this snapshot, a nearly full Hunter's Moonwas captured just after sunset on October 8, rising in skies overFlorida's Space Coast.Rising from planet Eartha Falcon 9 rocket pierces the bright lunar diskfrom the photographer's vantage point.Ripples and fringes along the edge of the lunar disk appear assupersonicshock waves generated by therocket's passagechange the atmosphere's index of refraction. 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 ScienceActivation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2022 October 12 - Ou4: The Giant Squid 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. 2022 October 12 Ou4: The Giant Squid Nebula Image Credit &Copyright: Tommy Lease Explanation: A mysterious squid-like cosmic cloud, this nebulais very faint, but also very large in planet Earth's sky.In the image,composed with 30 hours of narrowband image data,it spans nearly three full moons toward the royal constellation Cepheus.Discovered in 2011 byFrench astro-imagerNicolas Outters,the Squid Nebula'sbipolar shape is distinguished hereby the telltale blue-greenemission fromdoubly ionized oxygen atoms.Though apparentlysurrounded bythe reddish hydrogen emission region Sh2-129,the true distance and nature of the SquidNebula have been difficult to determine.Still, a morerecent investigationsuggests Ou4 really does liewithin Sh2-129some 2,300 light-years away.Consistent with that scenario, the cosmic squidwould represent a spectacular outflow of material driven by atriple systemof hot, massive stars, cataloged as HR8119,seen near the center of the nebula.If so, this truly giant squid nebula would physically be over50 light-years across. Tomorrow's picture: dust shells in space<| 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. 2022 October 13 Dust Shells around WR 140 from Webb Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA,JWST, MIRI,ERS Program 1349; Processing: Judy Schmidt Explanation: What are those strange rings?Rich in dust, the rings are likely 3D shells -- but how they were created remains a topic of research. Where they were created is well known: in a binary star system that lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus) -- a system dominated by the Wolf-Rayet star WR 140. Wolf-Rayet stars are massive, bright, and known for their tumultuous winds.They are also known for creating and dispersing heavy elements such as carbon which is a building block of interstellar dust.The other star in the binary is also bright and massive -- but not as active. The two great stars joust in an oblong orbit as they approach each other about every eight years.When at closest approach, the X-ray emission from the system increases, as, apparently, does the dust expelled into space -- creating another shell. The featured infrared image...

APOD: 2022 October 11 - Stars, Dust, Pillars, and Jets in the Pelican 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. 2022 October 11 Stars, Dust, Pillars, and Jets in the Pelican Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Adriano Almeida Explanation: What dark structures arise within the Pelican Nebula?On the whole, the nebula appears like a bird (a pelican) and is seen toward the constellation of a different bird: Cygnus, a Swan.But inside, the Pelican Nebula is a place lit up by new stars and befouled by dark dust.Smoke-sized dust grains start as simple carbon compounds formed in the cool atmospheres of young stars but are dispersed by stellar winds and explosions. Two impressive Herbig-Haro jets are seen emitted by the star HH 555 on the right, and these jets are helping to destroy the light year-long dust pillar that contains it. Other pillars and jets are also visible.The featured image was scientifically-colored to emphasize light emitted by small amounts of heavy elements in a nebula made predominantly of the light elementshydrogen and helium. The Pelican Nebula (IC 5067 and IC 5070) is about 2,000...

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. 2022 October 12 Ou4: The Giant Squid Nebula Image Credit &Copyright: Tommy Lease Explanation: A mysterious squid-like cosmic cloud, this nebulais very faint, but also very large in planet Earth's sky.In the image,composed with 30 hours of narrowband image data,it spans nearly three full moons toward the royal constellation Cepheus.Discovered in 2011 byFrench astro-imagerNicolas Outters,the Squid Nebula'sbipolar shape is distinguished hereby the telltale blue-greenemission fromdoubly ionized oxygen atoms.Though apparentlysurrounded bythe reddish hydrogen emission region Sh2-129,the true distance and nature of the SquidNebula have been difficult to determine.Still, a morerecent investigationsuggests Ou4 really does liewithin Sh2-129some 2,300 light-years away.Consistent with that scenario, the cosmic squidwould represent a spectacular outflow of material driven by atriple systemof hot, massive stars, cataloged as HR8119,seen near the center of the nebula.If so, this truly giant squid nebula would physically be over50 light-years across. Tomorrow's picture: dust shells 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...

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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. 2022 October 11 Stars, Dust, Pillars, and Jets in the Pelican Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Adriano Almeida Explanation: What dark structures arise within the Pelican Nebula?On the whole, the nebula appears like a bird (a pelican) and is seen toward the constellation of a different bird: Cygnus, a Swan.But inside, the Pelican Nebula is a place lit up by new stars and befouled by dark dust.Smoke-sized dust grains start as simple carbon compounds formed in the cool atmospheres of young stars but are dispersed by stellar winds and explosions. Two impressive Herbig-Haro jets are seen emitted by the star HH 555 on the right, and these jets are helping to destroy the light year-long dust pillar that contains it. Other pillars and jets are also visible.The featured image was scientifically-colored to emphasize light emitted by small amounts of heavy elements in a nebula made predominantly of the light elementshydrogen and helium. The Pelican Nebula (IC 5067 and IC 5070) is about 2,000 light-years away and can be found with a small...

APOD: 2022 October 9 - Auroras over Northern Canada 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. 2022 October 9 Auroras over Northern Canada Image Credit & Copyright: Kwon, O Chul(TWAN) Explanation: Gusting solar windsand blasts of charged particles from the Sunresulted in several rewarding nights of aurorasback in 2014 December, near the peak of the last 11-year solar cycle. The featured image captured dramatic auroras stretching across a sky near the town of Yellowknife in northern Canada. The auroras were so bright that they not only inspired awe, but were easily visible on an image exposure of only 1.3 seconds.A video taken concurrently shows the dancing sky lights evolving in real time as tourists, many there just to see auroras, respond with cheers.The conical dwellings on the image right are tipis, while far in the background, near the image center, is the constellation of Orion. Auroras may increase again over the next few years as our Sun again approaches solar maximum. Tomorrow's picture: double lunar analemma <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU)...

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APOD: 2022 October 8 - Two Comets in Southern Skies 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. 2022 October 8 Two Comets in Southern Skies Image Credit &Copyright: Jose J. Chambo (Cometografia) Explanation: Heading for its closest approach to the Sunor perihelion on December 20, cometC/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) remains a sightfor telescopic observers as it sweepsthrough planet Earth's southern hemisphere skies. First time visitorfrom theremote Oort cloudthis comet PanSTARRS sportsa greenish coma and whitish dust tail about half adegree long at the upper left in a deep image from September 21.It also shares the starry field of view toward the constellationScorpius with another comet,73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3,seen about 1 degreebelow and rightof PanSTARRS.Astronomers estimate that first time visitor cometC/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS)has been inbound from the Oort cloud for some 3 million yearsalong a hyperbolic orbit.Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is more familiar though. The periodic comet loops through its ownelliptical orbit, from just beyond the orbit of Jupiter to the vicinityof Earth's orbit, once every 5.4 years.Just passing in the night, this comet PanSTARRS is about 20light-minutes from Earth in theSeptember 21 image.Seen to be disintegrating since 1995,Schwassmann-Wachmann 3was...

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. 2022 October 9 Auroras over Northern Canada Image Credit & Copyright: Kwon, O Chul(TWAN) Explanation: Gusting solar windsand blasts of charged particles from the Sunresulted in several rewarding nights of aurorasback in 2014 December, near the peak of the last 11-year solar cycle. The featured image captured dramatic auroras stretching across a sky near the town of Yellowknife in northern Canada. The auroras were so bright that they not only inspired awe, but were easily visible on an image exposure of only 1.3 seconds.A video taken concurrently shows the dancing sky lights evolving in real time as tourists, many there just to see auroras, respond with cheers.The conical dwellings on the image right are tipis, while far in the background, near the image center, is the constellation of Orion. Auroras may increase again over the next few years as our Sun again approaches solar maximum. Tomorrow's picture: double lunar analemma <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official:...

APOD: 2022 October 7 - In Ganymede's Shadow 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. 2022 October 7 In Ganymede's Shadow Image Credit &Copyright: Andrew McCarthy Explanation: At opposition,opposite the Sun in Earth's sky,late last month Jupiter is also approaching perihelion,the closest point to the Sun in its elliptical orbit,early next year.That makesJupiter exceptionally closeto our fair planet,currently resulting in excellent views of theSolar System's ruling gas giant.On September 27, thissharp image of Jupiterwas recorded with a small telescope from a backyard in Florence, Arizona.The stacked video frames reveal the massive worldbounded byplanet girdling winds.Dark belts and light zones span the gas giant, along with rotatingoval storms and its signatureGreat Red Spot.Galilean moon Ganymede is below and right in the frame.TheSolar System's largest moonand its shadow are in transit across the southernJovian cloud tops. Tomorrow's picture: two comets<| 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. 2022 October 8 Two Comets in Southern Skies Image Credit &Copyright: Jose J. Chambo (Cometografia) Explanation: Heading for its closest approach to the Sunor perihelion on December 20, cometC/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) remains a sightfor telescopic observers as it sweepsthrough planet Earth's southern hemisphere skies. First time visitorfrom theremote Oort cloudthis comet PanSTARRS sportsa greenish coma and whitish dust tail about half adegree long at the upper left in a deep image from September 21.It also shares the starry field of view toward the constellationScorpius with another comet,73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3,seen about 1 degreebelow and rightof PanSTARRS.Astronomers estimate that first time visitor cometC/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS)has been inbound from the Oort cloud for some 3 million yearsalong a hyperbolic orbit.Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is more familiar though. The periodic comet loops through its ownelliptical orbit, from just beyond the orbit of Jupiter to the vicinityof Earth's orbit, once every 5.4 years.Just passing in the night, this comet PanSTARRS is about 20light-minutes from Earth in theSeptember 21 image.Seen to be disintegrating since 1995,Schwassmann-Wachmann 3was about 7.8 light-minutes away. Tomorrow's...

APOD: 2022 October 6 - NGC 4631: The Whale Galaxy 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. 2022 October 6 NGC 4631: The Whale Galaxy Image Credit &Copyright: Michael Sherick Explanation: NGC 4631is a big beautiful spiral galaxy.Seen edge-on, it liesonly 25 million light-years away in the well-trained northernconstellationCanes Venatici.The galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape suggests tosome a cosmic herring and to others its popular moniker,The Whale Galaxy.Either way,it is similar in size to our own Milky Way.In this sharp color image,the galaxy's yellowish core, dark dust clouds,bright blue star clusters, and red star forming regions are easyto spot.A companion galaxy, the small elliptical NGC 4627 is just above theWhale Galaxy.Faintstar streams seen in deep images are the remnants of smallcompanion galaxies disrupted by repeated encounters with the Whalein the distant past.The Whale Galaxy is also known to have spouteda halo of hot gas glowingin X-rays. Tomorrow's picture: jovian close-up<| 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...

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. 2022 October 7 In Ganymede's Shadow Image Credit &Copyright: Andrew McCarthy Explanation: At opposition,opposite the Sun in Earth's sky,late last month Jupiter is also approaching perihelion,the closest point to the Sun in its elliptical orbit,early next year.That makesJupiter exceptionally closeto our fair planet,currently resulting in excellent views of theSolar System's ruling gas giant.On September 27, thissharp image of Jupiterwas recorded with a small telescope from a backyard in Florence, Arizona.The stacked video frames reveal the massive worldbounded byplanet girdling winds.Dark belts and light zones span the gas giant, along with rotatingoval storms and its signatureGreat Red Spot.Galilean moon Ganymede is below and right in the frame.TheSolar System's largest moonand its shadow are in transit across the southernJovian cloud tops. 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 ScienceActivation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2022 October 5 - Expanding Plume from DARTs Impact 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. Expanding Plume from DART's Impact Video Credit: Les Makes Observatory, J. Berthier, F. Vachier, A. Klotz, P. Thierry, T. Santana-Ros, ESA NEOCC, D. Föhring, E. Petrescu, M. Micheli Explanation: What happens if you crash a spaceship into an asteroid?In the case of NASA's DART spaceship and the small asteroid Dimorphos, as happened last week, you get quite a plume.The goal of the planned impact was planetary protection -- to show that the path of an asteroid can be slightly altered, so that, if done right, a big space rock will miss the Earth.The high brightness of the plume, though, was unexpected by many, and what it means remains a topic of research.One possibility is that 170-meter wide Dimorphos is primarily a rubble pile asteroid and the collision dispersed some of the rubble in the pile. The featured time-lapse video covers about 20 minutes and was taken from the Les Makes Observatory on France's Reunion Island, off the southeast coast of southern Africa. One of many Earth-based observatories...

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. 2022 October 6 NGC 4631: The Whale Galaxy Image Credit &Copyright: Michael Sherick Explanation: NGC 4631is a big beautiful spiral galaxy.Seen edge-on, it liesonly 25 million light-years away in the well-trained northernconstellationCanes Venatici.The galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape suggests tosome a cosmic herring and to others its popular moniker,The Whale Galaxy.Either way,it is similar in size to our own Milky Way.In this sharp color image,the galaxy's yellowish core, dark dust clouds,bright blue star clusters, and red star forming regions are easyto spot.A companion galaxy, the small elliptical NGC 4627 is just above theWhale Galaxy.Faintstar streams seen in deep images are the remnants of smallcompanion galaxies disrupted by repeated encounters with the Whalein the distant past.The Whale Galaxy is also known to have spouteda halo of hot gas glowingin X-rays. Tomorrow's picture: jovian close-up<| 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: 2022 October 4 - Star Forming Eagle Nebula without 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. 2022 October 4 Star-Forming Eagle Nebula without Stars Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar Explanation: The whole thing looks like an eagle. A closer look at the Eagle Nebula's center,however, shows thebrightregion is actually a window into the center of a larger dark shell of dust. Through this window, a brightly-lit workshop appearswhere a whole open cluster of stars is being formed. In this cavity tall pillars and round globules of dark dust and cold molecular gasremain where stars are still forming. Paradoxically, it is perhaps easier to appreciate this impressive factory of star formation by seeing it without its stars -- which have been digitally removed in the featured image.The Eagle emission nebula,tagged M16, lies about 6500light years away, spans about 20 light-years, and is visible withbinoculars towardthe constellation of the Serpent(Serpens). Creating this picture involved over 22 hours of imaging and combining colors emitted specifically by hydrogen (red), and oxygen (blue). Tomorrow's picture: space dart debris <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS|...

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. Expanding Plume from DART's Impact Video Credit: Les Makes Observatory, J. Berthier, F. Vachier, A. Klotz, P. Thierry, T. Santana-Ros, ESA NEOCC, D. Föhring, E. Petrescu, M. Micheli Explanation: What happens if you crash a spaceship into an asteroid?In the case of NASA's DART spaceship and the small asteroid Dimorphos, as happened last week, you get quite a plume.The goal of the planned impact was planetary protection -- to show that the path of an asteroid can be slightly altered, so that, if done right, a big space rock will miss the Earth.The high brightness of the plume, though, was unexpected by many, and what it means remains a topic of research.One possibility is that 170-meter wide Dimorphos is primarily a rubble pile asteroid and the collision dispersed some of the rubble in the pile. The featured time-lapse video covers about 20 minutes and was taken from the Les Makes Observatory on France's Reunion Island, off the southeast coast of southern Africa. One of many Earth-based observatories following the impact, the initial...

APOD: 2022 October 3 - Jupiters Europa from Spacecraft Juno 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. 2022 October 3 Jupiter's Europa from Spacecraft Juno Image Credit & License: NASA,JPL-Caltech,SwRI,MSSS;Processing: Andrea Luck Explanation: What mysteries might be solved by peering into this crystal ball? In this case, the ball is actually a moon of Jupiter, the crystals are ice, and the moon is not only dirty but cracked beyond repair. Nevertheless, speculation is rampant that oceans exist under Europa's fractured ice-plains that could support life. Europa, roughly the size of Earth's Moon, is pictured here in an image taken a few days ago when the Jupiter-orbiting robotic spacecraft Juno passed within 325 kilometers of its streaked and shifting surface.Underground oceans are thought likely because Europa undergoes global flexing due to its changing gravitational attraction with Jupiter during its slightly elliptical orbit, and this flexing heats the interior.Studying Juno's close-upimages may further humanity's understanding not only of Europa and the early Solar System but also of the possibility that life exists elsewhere in the universe. Tomorrow's picture: big eagle <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search|...