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.
The Coma Cluster of Galaxies
Almost every object in the above photograph is a galaxy. The Coma Cluster of Galaxies pictured above is one of the densest clusters known - it contains thousands of galaxies .…
A Pulsar's Hand
As far as pulsars go, PSR B1509-58 appears young. Light from the supernova explosion that gave birth to it would have first reached Earth some 1,700 years ago. The magnetized, 20…
Mars in a Manger
At opposition in late January, Mars shone very brightly in planet Earth's night sky, among the stars of the constellation Cancer the Crab . Since then the Red Planet has been…
Virgo Cluster Galaxy NGC 4731
Barred spiral galaxy NGC 4731 lies some 65 million light-years away. The lovely island universe resides in the large Virgo cluster of galaxies . Colors in this well-composed,…
Sunset on a Golden Sea
On April 17 , the sky was clear and the Sun's colour was spectacular as night approached. This striking telescopic view even captures the Sun's swollen and distorted shape from…
The Bloop: A Mysterious Sound from the Deep Ocean
What created this strange sound in Earth's Pacific Ocean? Pictured above is a visual representation of a loud and unusual sound , dubbed a Bloop, captured by deep sea microphones…
Dust Pillar of the Carina Nebula
Inside the head of this interstellar monster is a star that is slowly destroying it. The monster, on the right, is actually an inanimate pillar of gas and dust that measures over…
Planetary Nebula Mz3: The Ant Nebula
Why isn't this ant a big sphere? Planetary nebula Mz3 is being cast off by a star similar to our Sun that is, surely, round. Why then would the gas that is streaming away create…
NGC 1055: Galaxy in a Box
Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the intimidating constellation Cetus . Seen edge-on,…
SDO: The Extreme Ultraviolet Sun
Don't panic, the Sun has not gone wild. But this wild-looking portrait of the nearest star to planet Earth was made on March 30th by the recently launched Solar Dynamics…
Venus, Mercury, and Moon
Earlier this month, Venus and Mercury climbed into the western twilight, entertaining skygazers around planet Earth in a lovely conjunction of evening stars. Combining 8 images…
Wide Angle: 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…
Saturn's Moons Dione and Titan from Cassini
What would it be like to see a sky with many moons? Such is the sky above Saturn . When appearing close to each other, moons will show a similar phase . A view with two of the…
Ash and Lightning Above an Icelandic Volcano
Why did the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland create so much ash? Although the large ash plume was not unparalleled in its abundance, its location was particularly noticeable…
Large Eruptive Prominence Imaged by STEREO
What's happened to our Sun? Last week, it produced one of the largest eruptive prominences ever seen. Pictured above , the prominence erupted in only a few hours and was captured…
Damage to Apollo 13
After an oxygen tank exploded and crippled their service module, the Apollo 13 astronauts were forced to abandon plans to make the third manned lunar landing . The extent of the…
Bright Points on the Quiet Sun
Up close, the solar surface is a striking patch work of granules in this very high resolution picture of the quiet Sun . Caused by convection, the granules are hot, rising columns…
NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy
Spiral galaxy NGC 4651 is a mere 35 million light-years distant, toward the well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices . About 50 thousand light-years across, this galaxy is seen…
A Large Space Station Over Earth
The International Space Station is the largest object ever constructed by humans in space. The station perimeter now extends over roughly the area of a football field , although…
Unusual Spiral Galaxy M66 from Hubble
Why isn't spiral galaxy M66 symmetric? Usually density waves of gas, dust, and newly formed stars circle a spiral galaxy 's center and create a nearly symmetric galaxy . The…
Mercury and Venus Over Paris
Go outside tonight and see one of the more interesting planetary conjunctions of recent years. Just after sunset , the planets Mercury and Venus are visible quite near each other.…
IC 418: The Spirograph Nebula
What is creating the strange texture of IC 418? Dubbed the Spirograph Nebula for its resemblance to drawings from a cyclical drawing tool , planetary nebula IC 418 shows patterns…
Spitzer's Orion
Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like the Orion Nebula , an immense stellar nursery some 1,500 light-years away. Spanning about 40 light-years across the region, this new…
Discovery's Dawn
On April 5, visitors to Kennedy Space Center saw these colorful clouds, twisting and drifting through dawn skies. Of course, the clouds were rocket engine plumes from the predawn…
Viewing discoveries from 2 May 2010 through 9 April 2010.