Browse NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day archive by date and media: Archive Discoveries
Browse the NASA APOD archive without needing the exact date first. Filter by media type and keep moving deeper into older images and videos.
Contrail Clutter over Georgia
Artificial clouds made by humans may become so common they change the Earth's climate. The long thin cloud streaks that dominate the above satellite photograph of Georgia are…
M3: Inconstant Star Cluster
Star clusters appear constant because photographs of them are frozen in time. In reality, though, cluster stars swarm the center and frequently fluctuate in brightness. Although…
Mosaic of Endurance Crater on Mars
Where should this Martian rover explore next? Possible choices for the Opportunity rover team on Earth in early August were to send the Martian robot inside Endurance crater…
Sunspot Loops in Ultraviolet
It was a quiet day on the Sun . The above image shows, however, that even during off days the Sun's surface is a busy place. Shown in ultraviolet light , the relatively cool dark…
The Averted Side Of The Moon
This vintage 60-kopek stamp celebrates a dramatic achievement. On the 7th of October, 1959 (7/X/1959), the Soviet interplanetary station which has come to be called “Luna 3”…
Kepler's SNR from Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer
Light from the stellar explosion that created this energized cosmic cloud was first seen on planet Earth in October 1604, a mere four hundred years ago . The supernova produced a…
Moon Lightning
Moonsets are not often quite as exciting as this one. But amateur astronomer Marc-Andre Besel was impressed by the brilliant lighting displays that joined the first quarter Moon…
N11: A Giant Ring of Emission Nebulas
How did this unusually large nebula form? One of the largest nebulas yet detected is actually a complex ring of emission nebulas connected by glowing filaments. The unusual…
SpaceShipOne Wins the X-Prize
Human space flight has entered the domain of private companies. Previously, large countries like the US and Russia have hired privately owned civilian companies to do specific…
NGC 6823: Cloud Sculpting Star Cluster
Star cluster NGC 6823 is ready for its close-up. The center of the open cluster, visible on the upper right, formed only about two million years ago and is dominated in brightness…
Comet Hale-Bopp and the North America Nebula
Comet Hale-Bopp 's 1997 encounter with the inner Solar System allowed many breath-taking pictures . Above , Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed crossing the constellation of Cygnus,…
Toutatis Nears Planet Earth
On Wednesday, September 29, asteroid Toutatis came within one million miles of Earth -- the closest predicted aproach of a sizable asteroid or comet to our fair planet in this…
Earth Nears Asteroid Toutatis
On Wednesday, September 29, the Earth came within one million miles of the asteroid Toutatis -- the closest predicted aproach of our fair planet to a sizable asteroid or comet in…
Crater Wall on Solis Planum
This dramatic perspective view looks south-east along the wall of a large eroded impact crater on S olis Planum, bordering the mountainous Thaumasia region of Mars. Stretching for…
HUDF: Dawn of the Galaxies
When did galaxies form? Faint red smudges identified on the deepest optical sky image ever taken may well be members of the first class of galaxies. Detailed inspection of the…
Aurora Over a Communications Tower
Higher than highest communications tower , higher than highest mountain , higher than highest airplane , lies the realm of the aurora. Auroras rarely reach below 60 kilometers,…
The Great Nebula in Orion
The Great Nebula in Orion is a colorful place. Visible to the unaided eye, it appears as a small fuzzy patch in the constellation of Orion . Long exposure, digitally sharpened…
Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth
Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse . The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth . This shadow moved across the Earth at nearly 2000…
The Iron Sun
The ultraviolet light emitted by eleven times ionized iron at temperatures over 2 million degrees Farenheit was used to record the above picture of the Sun on September 22, 2001,…
Fornax Cluster in Motion
Reminiscent of popular images of the lovely Pleiades star cluster that lies within our own Milky Way Galaxy, this false-color x-ray view actually explores the center of a much…
La Silla's Starry Night
On clear, moonless nights, the stars still come out with a vengance above the high-altitude La Silla astronomical observatory. Taking advantage of a recent visit to this first…
Spirit Rover at Engineering Flats on Mars
Is it art? Here the paintbrush was the Spirit robotic rover , the canvas was the soil on Mars , and the artists were the scientists and engineers of the Mars Exploration Rover…
M24: A Sagittarius Starscape
Many vast star fields in the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy are rich in clouds of dust, and gas. First and foremost, visible in the above picture are millions of stars, many of…
Seeing Through Saturn's C-Ring
Are Saturn's rings transparent? The Cassini spacecraft that recently entered orbit around Saturn has confirmed that some of Saturn's rings are more transparent than others.…
Viewing discoveries from 13 October 2004 through 20 September 2004.