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.
Galaxy Wars: M81 versus M82
On the left, surrounded by blue spiral arms, is spiral galaxy M81 . On the right marked by red gas and dust clouds, is irregular galaxy M82 . This stunning vista shows these two…
Saturn and Titan from Cassini
Spectacular v i s t a s of Saturn and its moon continue to be recorded by the Cassini spacecraft. Launched from Earth in 1997, robotic Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in 2004…
Molecular Cloud Barnard 68
Where did all the stars go? What used to be considered a hole in the sky is now known to astronomers as a dark molecular cloud . Here, a high concentration of dust and molecular…
Cat's Eye Hubble Remix
Staring across interstellar space, the alluring Cat's Eye Nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth. One of the most famous planetary nebulae in the sky, the Cat's Eye…
Where is HD 189733?
The star cataloged as HD 189733 is a mere 63 light-years away. Its location is indicated in this deep, wide-angle image of the sky centered on the northern constellation of…
Sunset: Planet Earth
Today, the Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north at 0548 UT . Known as the equinox, the geocentric astronomical event marks the first day of spring in the northern…
Mercury in Accentuated Color
The colors of Mercury are subtle but beautiful. At first glance, our Solar System 's innermost planet appears simply black and white , but images that include infrared colors…
M78 and Reflecting Dust Clouds in Orion
An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of dark dust highlight M78 and other bright reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion . The dark filamentary dust not only absorbs…
Thirty Thousand Kilometers Above Enceladus
What does the surface of Saturn's ice-spewing moon Enceladus look like? To help find out, the robotic Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn was sent soaring past the cryovolcanic…
Endeavour to Orbit
Birds don't fly as high. Airplanes don't go as fast. The Statue of Liberty weighs less. No species other than human can even comprehend what is going on, nor could any human just…
Moon over Byzantium
Hiding near the Sun, a slender crescent Moon is a difficult but rewarding sight . Look to the right (scroll right) and you can spot one in this twilight panorama across the…
Endeavour into the Night
Blasting into a dark night sky, the Space Shuttle Endeavour began its latest journey to orbit in the early morning hours of March 11. In this stunning picture following the…
Sculpting the South Pillar
Eta Carinae, one of the most massive and unstable stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, has a profound effect on its environment. Found in the South Pillar region of the Carina Nebula,…
Star Forming Region LH 95
How do stars form? To better understand this complex and chaotic process, astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to image in unprecedented detail the star forming region LH…
An Avalanche on Mars
What caused this sudden cloud of dust on Mars? An avalanche! The first avalanche imaged in progress on another planet was recorded last month on Mars by NASA's robotic Mars…
Planets Align Over Australian Radio Telescope Array
Last week, Mercury , Venus , and the Moon all appeared close together in Earth's sky. This picturesque conjunction was caught on camera behind elements of the Australia Telescope…
CMBR Dipole: Speeding Through the Universe
Our Earth is not at rest. The Earth moves around the Sun . The Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy . The Milky Way Galaxy orbits in the Local Group of Galaxies . The…
M104 Hubble Remix
The striking spiral galaxy M104 is famous for its nearly edge-on profile featuring a broad ring of obscuring dust. Seen in silhouette against a bright bulge of stars, the swath of…
Comet over California
Still gracing northern skies, a fading Comet Holmes lies at the top edge of this colorful skyview , recorded on March 4. The reddish emission nebula below it is NGC 1499, also…
Vela Supernova Remnant
The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy runs through this complex and beautiful skyscape . At the northwestern edge of the constellation Vela (the Sails) the 16 degree wide, 30 frame…
The International Space Station Expands Again
The developing International Space Station (ISS) has changed its appearance again. Last month, the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis visited the ISS and added components that…
NGC 6334: The Cat's Paw Nebula
Nebulae are perhaps as famous for being identified with familiar shapes as perhaps cats are for getting into trouble . Still, no known cat could have created the vast Cat's Paw…
Sand Dunes Thawing on Mars
What are these strange shapes on Mars? Defrosting sand dunes. As spring now dawns on the Northern Hemisphere of Mars, dunes of sand near the pole, as pictured above , are…
Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Parola Pass
Comet Hale-Bopp , the Great Comet of 1997, became much brighter than any surrounding stars. It was seen even over bright city lights . Away from city lights, however, it put on…
Viewing discoveries from 25 March 2008 through 2 March 2008.