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 September 14 Waves of the Great Lacerta Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Jarmo Ruuth, Telescope Live; Text: Ata Sarajedini (Florida Atlantic U., Astronomy Minute podcast) Explanation: It is one of the largest nebulas on the sky -- why isn't it better known?Roughly the same angular size as the Andromeda Galaxy, the Great Lacerta Nebula can be found toward the constellation of the Lizard (Lacerta).The emission nebula is difficult to see with wide-field binoculars because it is so faint, but also usually difficult to see with a large telescope because it is so great in angle -- spanning about three degrees.The depth, breadth, waves, and beauty of the nebula -- cataloged as Sharpless 126 (Sh2-126) -- can best be seen and appreciated with a long duration camera exposure.The featured image is one such combined exposure -- in this case 10 hours over five different colors and over six nights during this past June and July at the IC Astronomy Observatory in Spain.The hydrogen gas in the Great Lacerta Nebula glows red because...

APOD: 2022 September 13 - A Long Snaking Filament on the Sun 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 September 13 A Long Snaking Filament on the Sun Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman(Averted Imagination) Explanation: Earlier this month, the Sun exhibited one of the longer filaments on record. Visible as the bright curving streak around the image center, the snaking filament's full extent was estimated to be overhalf of the Sun's radius -- more than 350,000 kilometers long.A filament is composed of hot gas held aloft by the Sun's magnetic field, so that viewed from the side it would appear as a raised prominence. A different, smaller prominence is simultaneously visible at the Sun's edge.The featured image is in false-color and color-inverted to highlight not only the filament but the Sun's carpet chromosphere. The bright dot on the upper right is actually a dark sunspot about the size of the Earth. Solarfilaments typically last from hours to days, eventually collapsing to return hot plasma back to the Sun.Sometimes, though, they explode and expel particles into the Solar System, some of which trigger...

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 September 13 A Long Snaking Filament on the Sun Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman(Averted Imagination) Explanation: Earlier this month, the Sun exhibited one of the longer filaments on record. Visible as the bright curving streak around the image center, the snaking filament's full extent was estimated to be overhalf of the Sun's radius -- more than 350,000 kilometers long.A filament is composed of hot gas held aloft by the Sun's magnetic field, so that viewed from the side it would appear as a raised prominence. A different, smaller prominence is simultaneously visible at the Sun's edge.The featured image is in false-color and color-inverted to highlight not only the filament but the Sun's carpet chromosphere. The bright dot on the upper right is actually a dark sunspot about the size of the Earth. Solarfilaments typically last from hours to days, eventually collapsing to return hot plasma back to the Sun.Sometimes, though, they explode and expel particles into the Solar System, some of which trigger auroras on Earth.The pictured filament appeared in...

APOD: 2022 September 12 - Red Sprite Lightning over the Czech Republic 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 September 12 Red Sprite Lightning over the Czech Republic Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Ščerba Explanation: What are those red filaments in the sky?They are a rarely seen form of lightning confirmed only about 35 years ago: red sprites.Research has shown that following a powerful positivecloud-to-ground lightning strike,red sprites may start as 100-meter balls ofionizedair that shoot down from about80-km high at 10 percent the speed of light.They arequickly followedby a group of upward streaking ionized balls.The featured image was taken late last month from the Jeseniky Mountains in northern Moravia in the Czech Republic.The distance to the red sprites is about 200 kilometers.Red sprites take only a fraction of a second to occur and are best seen whenpowerful thunderstorms are visible from the side. APOD in world languages: Arabic,Bulgarian,Catalan,Chinese (Beijing),Chinese (Taiwan),Croatian, Czech,Dutch,Farsi, French, French (Canada),German, Hebrew, Indonesian,Japanese,Korean, Montenegrin, Polish,Russian,Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish,Taiwanese, Turkish,and Ukrainian Tomorrow's picture: sun snake <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors:...

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 September 12 Red Sprite Lightning over the Czech Republic Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Ščerba Explanation: What are those red filaments in the sky?They are a rarely seen form of lightning confirmed only about 35 years ago: red sprites.Research has shown that following a powerful positivecloud-to-ground lightning strike,red sprites may start as 100-meter balls ofionizedair that shoot down from about80-km high at 10 percent the speed of light.They arequickly followedby a group of upward streaking ionized balls.The featured image was taken late last month from the Jeseniky Mountains in northern Moravia in the Czech Republic.The distance to the red sprites is about 200 kilometers.Red sprites take only a fraction of a second to occur and are best seen whenpowerful thunderstorms are visible from the side. APOD in world languages: Arabic,Bulgarian,Catalan,Chinese (Beijing),Chinese (Taiwan),Croatian, Czech,Dutch,Farsi, French, French (Canada),German, Hebrew, Indonesian,Japanese,Korean, Montenegrin, Polish,Russian,Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish,Taiwanese, Turkish,and Ukrainian Tomorrow's picture: sun snake <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Phillip...

APOD: 2022 September 11 - Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins 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. Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins Video Credit: NASA, Animation: James O'Donoghue (JAXA) Explanation: How does your favorite planet spin?Does it spin rapidly around a nearly vertical axis, or horizontally, or backwards? The featured video animates NASA images of all eight planets in our Solar System to show them spinning side-by-side for an easy comparison.In the time-lapse video, a day on Earth -- one Earth rotation -- takes just a few seconds. Jupiter rotates the fastest, while Venus spins not only the slowest (can you see it?), but backwards. The inner rocky planets across the top underwent dramatic spin-altering collisions during the early days of the Solar System. Why planets spin and tilt as they do remains a topic of research with much insight gained from modern computer modeling and the recent discovery and analysis of hundreds of exoplanets: planets orbiting other stars. Tomorrow's picture: stars and sprites <| 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. Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins Video Credit: NASA, Animation: James O'Donoghue (JAXA) Explanation: How does your favorite planet spin?Does it spin rapidly around a nearly vertical axis, or horizontally, or backwards? The featured video animates NASA images of all eight planets in our Solar System to show them spinning side-by-side for an easy comparison.In the time-lapse video, a day on Earth -- one Earth rotation -- takes just a few seconds. Jupiter rotates the fastest, while Venus spins not only the slowest (can you see it?), but backwards. The inner rocky planets, across the top, most certainly underwent dramatic spin-altering collisions during the early days of the Solar System. The reasons why planets spin and tilt as they do remains a topic of research with much insight gained from modern computer modeling and the recent discovery and analysis of hundreds of exoplanets: planets orbiting other stars. Tomorrow's picture: stars and sprites <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU)...

APOD: 2022 September 10 - Galaxy by the Lake 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 September 10 Galaxy by the Lake Image Credit &Copyright: Gerardo Ferrarino Explanation: This 180 degree panoramicnight skyscape captures ourMilky Way Galaxyas it arcs above the horizon on a winter's night in August.Near midnight, the galactic center is close to the zenith withthe clear waters of Lake Traful, Neuquen, Argentina,South America, planet Earth below.Zodiacal light,dust reflected sunlight along the Solar System's ecliptic plane,is also visible in the region's very dark night sky.The faint band of light reaches up from the distant snowy peakstoward the galaxy's center.Follow the arcof the Milky Way to the left to find thesouthern hemispherestellar beaconsAlpha and Beta Centauri.Close to the horizon bright star Vega is reflected in the calmmountain lake. Tomorrow's picture: tilt and spin<| 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 September 10 Galaxy by the Lake Image Credit &Copyright: Gerardo Ferrarino Explanation: This 180 degree panoramicnight skyscape captures ourMilky Way Galaxyas it arcs above the horizon on a winter's night in August.Near midnight, the galactic center is close to the zenith withthe clear waters of Lake Traful, Neuquen, Argentina,South America, planet Earth below.Zodiacal light,dust reflected sunlight along the Solar System's ecliptic plane,is also visible in the region's very dark night sky.The faint band of light reaches up from the distant snowy peakstoward the galaxy's center.Follow the arcof the Milky Way to the left to find thesouthern hemispherestellar beaconsAlpha and Beta Centauri.Close to the horizon bright star Vega is reflected in the calmmountain lake. Tomorrow's picture: tilt and spin<| 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 September 9 - Interstellar Voyager 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 September 9 Interstellar Voyager Poster Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager Explanation: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 on agrand tour of the outer planets of the Solar System.They have become the longest operating and most distantspacecraft from Earth.Both have traveledbeyond the heliosphere,the realm defined by the influence of the solar windand the Sun's magnetic field.On the 45th yearof their journey toward the starsVoyager 1 and 2 reached nearly 22 light-hours and 18 light-hoursfrom the Sun respectively and remainthe only spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.Each spacecraft carries a12-inch gold-plated copper disk with recordingsof sounds, pictures and messages.The Golden Recordsare intended to communicatea story of life and culture on planet Earth, preservedin a medium that can survive an interstellar journey fora billion years. 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.

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 September 9 Interstellar Voyager Poster Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager Explanation: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 on agrand tour of the outer planets of the Solar System.They have become the longest operating and most distantspacecraft from Earth.Both have traveledbeyond the heliosphere,the realm defined by the influence of the solar windand the Sun's magnetic field.On the 45th yearof their journey toward the starsVoyager 1 and 2 reached nearly 22 light-hours and 18 light-hoursfrom the Sun respectively and remainthe only spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.Each spacecraft carries a12-inch gold-plated copper disk with recordingsof sounds, pictures and messages.The Golden Recordsare intended to communicatea story of life and culture on planet Earth, preservedin a medium that can survive an interstellar journey fora billion years. 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 September 8 - North America and the Pelican 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 September 8 North America and the Pelican Image Credit &Copyright: Frank Sackenheim Explanation: Fans of our fair planetmight recognize the outlines of thesecosmicclouds.On the left, bright emission outlined by dark, obscuring dust lanesseems to trace a continental shape, lending the popular nameNorth America Nebulato the emission region cataloged as NGC 7000.To the right, just off the North America Nebula's east coast,is IC 5070, whose avianprofile suggeststhePelican Nebula. The two bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away,part of the samelarge and complexstar forming region, almost as nearby as thebetter-known Orion Nebula.At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would span80 light-years.This careful cosmic portraituses narrowband images combined to highlight the brightionization frontsand the characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, and oxygengas.These nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location. Look northeast of bright starDeneb in Cygnus the Swan, soaring high in the northern summernight sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors &...

APOD: 2022 September 7 - Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb 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 September 7 Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb Images Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team Explanation: Near the center of a nearby star-forming region lies a massive cluster containing some of the largest and hottest stars known. Collectively known as star cluster NGC 2070, these stars are part of the vast Tarantula Nebula and were captured in two kinds of infrared light by the new Webb Space Telescope. The main image shows the group of stars at NGC 2070's center -- known as R136 -- in near-infrared, light just a bit too red for humans to see.In contrast, the rollover image captures the cluster center in mid-infrared light, light closer to radio waves. Since R136's brightest stars emit more of their light in the near infrared, they are much more prominent on that image.This LMC cluster's massive stars emit particle winds and energetic light that are evaporating the gas cloud from which they formed.The Webb images, released yesterday, shows details of R136...

APOD: 2022 September 6 - An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China 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 September 6 An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China Image Credit & Copyright: Jiaqi Sun （孙嘉琪） Explanation: Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining?Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud, a group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size andso together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts. The featured image was taken last month in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China.Also captured were unusual cloud ripples above the pileus cloud. The formation of a rare pileus cloud capping a common cumulus cloud is an indication that the lower cloud is expanding upward and might well develop into a storm. Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: tarantula's webb <| 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: 2022 September 5 - Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope 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 September 5 Carina Cliffs from the Webb Space Telescope Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Explanation: Stars created these cliffs.Specifically, the destructive winds and energetic light from the stars in the open cluster NGC 3324 eroded away part of a mountain of dark interstellar dust in the northern part of the Carina Nebula.Several of these stars are visible toward the top of this highly detailed image taken recently by the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest astronomical telescope ever launched.Webb's large mirror and ability to see dust-piercing infrared light has enabled it to capture fascinating details in the dust, hundreds of previously hidden stars, and even some galaxies far in the distance. The featured jagged cliffs occur in part of Carina known as the Gabriela Mistral Nebula -- because when viewed in another orientation, they appear similar to the facial profile of the famous Chilean poet. These nebular cliffs occur about 7,600 light years away toward the southern constellation of Carina. Astrophysicists: Browse 2,800+...

APOD: 2022 September 4 - Sea and Sky Glows over the Oregon Coast 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 September 4 Sea and Sky Glows over the Oregon Coast Image Credit & Copyright: Rudy Montoya Explanation: Every step caused the sand to light up blue.That glow was bioluminescence -- a blue radiance that also lights the surf in this surreal scene captured in mid-2018 at Meyer's Creek Beach in Oregon, USA.Volcanic stacks dot the foreground sea, while a thin fog layer scatters light on the horizon.The rays of light spreading from the left horizon were created by car headlights on the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101), while the orange light on the right horizon emanates from a fishing boat. Visible far in the distance is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy, appearing to rise from a dark rocky outcrop. Sixteen images were added together to bring up the background Milky Way and to reduce noise. Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995) Tomorrow's picture: space cliffs <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education|...

APOD: 2022 September 3 - Sun and Moon and ISS 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 September 3 Sun and Moon and ISS Image Credit &Copyright: Wang Letian (Eyes at Night),Jin Ma (Beijing Planetarium) Explanation: On August 25 Sun and Moon could both be seen in planet Earth's daytimeskies.And so could theInternational Space Station.The ISS crossed the disk of the waning crescent Moon as seenfrom Shunyi district, Beijing, China at about 11:02 am local time.Some 40 kilometers to the southwest, in Fengtai district,the ISS was seen to cross the Sun's disk too.The solar transit was observed only 29 seconds later.Both transits are compared in these panels, composed of processedand stacked video frames from the two locations.The coordinated captures were made with different equipment,but adjusted to show the Sun and Moon at the same scale.The ISS was at a calculated range of 435 kilometers for thelunar transitand 491 kilometers when passing in frontof the Sun. Artemis I: Launch Update Tomorrow's picture: sea and sky<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell...

APOD: 2022 September 8 - North America and the Pelican 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 September 8 North America and the Pelican Image Credit &Copyright: Frank Sackenheim Explanation: Fans of our fair planetmight recognize the outlines of thesecosmicclouds.On the left, bright emission outlined by dark, obscuring dust lanesseems to trace a continental shape, lending the popular nameNorth America Nebulato the emission region cataloged as NGC 7000.To the right, just off the North America Nebula's east coast,is IC 5070, whose avianprofile suggeststhePelican Nebula. The two bright nebulae are about 1,500 light-years away,part of the samelarge and complexstar forming region, almost as nearby as thebetter-known Orion Nebula.At that distance, the 3 degree wide field of view would span80 light-years.This careful cosmic portraituses narrowband images combined to highlight the brightionization frontsand the characteristic glow from atomic hydrogen, and oxygengas.These nebulae can be seen with binoculars from a dark location. Look northeast of bright starDeneb in Cygnus the Swan, soaring high in the northern summernight sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space<| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors &...

APOD: 2022 September 7 - Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb 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 September 7 Tarantula Stars R136 from Webb Images Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team Explanation: Near the center of a nearby star-forming region lies a massive cluster containing some of the largest and hottest stars known. Collectively known as star cluster NGC 2070, these stars are part of the vast Tarantula Nebula and were captured in two kinds of infrared light by the new Webb Space Telescope. The main image shows the group of stars at NGC 2070's center -- known as R136 -- in near-infrared, light just a bit too red for humans to see.In contrast, the rollover image captures the cluster center in mid-infrared light, light closer to radio waves. Since R136's brightest stars emit more of their light in the near infrared, they are much more prominent on that image.This LMC cluster's massive stars emit particle winds and energetic light that are evaporating the gas cloud from which they formed.The Webb images, released yesterday, shows details of R136...

APOD: 2022 September 6 - An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China 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 September 6 An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China Image Credit & Copyright: Jiaqi Sun （孙嘉琪） Explanation: Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining?Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud, a group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size andso together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts. The featured image was taken last month in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China.Also captured were unusual cloud ripples above the pileus cloud. The formation of a rare pileus cloud capping a common cumulus cloud is an indication that the lower cloud is expanding upward and might well develop into a storm. Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: tarantula's webb <| 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.