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.
Barnard's Loop around the Horsehead Nebula
Why is the Horsehead Nebula surrounded by a bubble? Although hard to make out, the famous Horsehead Nebula is the slight dark indentation in the bright streak just to the left of…
An Etruscan Vase Moon Rising
What's happened to the Moon? Nothing, although from some locations, February's full moon, which occurred about two weeks ago, appeared strangely distorted as it rose. Visible in…
Orion Nebula: The Hubble View
Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like the Orion Nebula . Also known as M42 , the nebula's glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar…
The Swift View of Comet Lulin
Now growing brighter, Comet Lulin is headed for its closest approach to planet Earth early next week. But the comet's greenish glow , familiar to earthbound skygazers , is…
Snake in the Dark
Dark nebulae snake across a gorgeous expanse of stars in this telescopic view toward the pronounceable constellation Ophiuchus and the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. In fact, the…
Mauna Kea Milky Way Panorama
Aloha and welcome to a breathtaking skyscape. The dreamlike panoramic view looks out from the 4,200 meter volcanic summit of Mauna Kea , Hawai'i, across a layer of clouds toward a…
Satellites Collide in Low Earth Orbit
How often do satellites collide? Although minuscule space debris may strike any satellite on occasion, the first known collision between time two full satellites occurred only…
Unusual Red Glow Over Minnesota
What in heaven's blazes is that? When landing in Minneapolis , Minnesota , USA in 2002, just before his flight ascended above cloud level in the early evening, passenger Tyler…
The Great Carina Nebula
A jewel of the southern sky , the Great Carina Nebula , aka NGC 3372, spans over 300 light-years, one of our Galaxy's largest star forming regions. Like the smaller, more…
Antarctic Ice Shelf Vista
It's all gone but the mountains. Most of the sprawling landscape of ice that lies between the mountains visible above has now disintegrated. The above picture was taken in…
IC 1805: The Heart Nebula
Sprawling across almost 200 light-years, emission nebula IC 1805 is a mix of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds. Derived from its Valentine's-Day-approved shape, its…
Circle 'round the Moon
If your sister-in-law phoned you at 1am to tell you there was a circle around the Moon, how would you react? When it happened to him early last Sunday morning, photographer…
Zodiacal Light Vs. Milky Way
Two fundamental planes of planet Earth's sky compete for attention in this remarkable wide-angle vista, recorded on January 23rd. Arcing above the horizon and into the night at…
Orion's Belt Continued
Yesterday's skyscape featured Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, the stars of Orion's Belt . Today's also presents the easternmost belt star, Alnitak, at the bottom right of the…
Orion's Belt
Alnitak , Alnilam , and Mintaka , are the bright bluish stars from east to west (left to right) along the diagonal in this gorgeous cosmic vista. Otherwise known as the Belt of…
Anemic Galaxy NGC 4921 at the Edge
How far away is spiral galaxy NGC 4921? Although presently estimated to be about 320 million light years distant, a more precise determination could be coupled with its known…
Inside the Eagle Nebula
From afar, the whole thing looks like an Eagle . A closer look at the Eagle Nebula , however, shows the bright region is actually a window into the center of a larger dark shell…
Comet Lulin Tails
Sweeping through the inner solar system, Comet Lulin is easily visible in both northern and southern hemispheres with binoculars or a small telescope. Recent changes in Lulin's…
Space Station in the Moon
On February 2nd , a first quarter Moon shone in planet Earth's early evening sky. As seen from a location on the US west coast near Mt. Hamilton , California, the International…
NGC 604: X-rays from a Giant Stellar Nursery
Some 3 million light-years distant in nearby spiral galaxy M33 , giant stellar nursery NGC 604 is about 1,300 light-years across, or nearly 100 times the size of the Orion Nebula…
A Dangerous Summer on HD 80606b
On the distant planet HD 80606b, summers might be dangerous. Hypothetic life forms floating in HD 080606b 's atmosphere or lurking on one of its (presently hypothetical) moons…
Lenticular Clouds Above Washington
Are those UFOs near that mountain? No -- they are multilayered lenticular clouds . Moist air forced to flow upward around mountain tops can create lenticular clouds . Water…
Comet Lulin Approaches
How bright will Comet Lulin become? No one knows for sure. Although it is notoriously difficult to accurately predict the brightness of newly discovered comets, Comet Lulin could…
Auroral Corona Over Norway
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,…
Viewing discoveries from 24 February 2009 through 1 February 2009.