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.
Comet of the North
It looks like a double comet, but Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) is just offering skygazers a Messier moment . Outward bound and fading in this starry scene , the well-photographed…
M64: The Black Eye Galaxy
This beautiful, bright, spiral galaxy is Messier 64 , often called the Black Eye Galaxy or the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy for its heavy-lidded appearance in telescopic views. M64 is…
Comet PANSTARRS and the Andromeda Galaxy
Currently, comet PANSTARRS is passing nearly in front of the galaxy Andromeda. Coincidentally, both comet and galaxy appear now to be just about the same angular size . In…
IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula
Do you see the horse's head? What you are seeing is not the famous Horsehead nebula toward Orion but rather a fainter nebula that only takes on a familiar form with deeper…
The Whole Quiz:
Which is which? Of the two images shown above, one is a moon in our Solar System, while the other is the bottom of frying pan . We are not making this up -- can you tell a pan…
Flying Over the Earth at Night
Many wonders are visible when flying over the Earth at night. A compilation of such visual spectacles was captured recently from the International Space Station (ISS) and set to…
The Broad Tail of PanSTARRS
For northern hemisphere skygazers, fading Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) still hangs above the western horzion, after sunset but before moonrise in the coming days . Its perspective…
Ringside with Rhea
Orbiting in the plane of Saturn's rings, Saturnian moons have a perpetual ringside view of the gas giant planet . Of course, while passing near the ring plane the Cassini…
Unraveling NGC 3169
Bright spiral galaxy NGC 3169 appears to be unraveling in this cosmic scene , played out some 70 million light-years away just below bright star Regulus toward the faint…
A Horizon Rainbow in Paris
Why is this horizon so colorful? Because, opposite the Sun, it is raining. What is pictured above is actually just a common rainbow . It's uncommon appearance is caused by the Sun…
Waterfalls, Auroras, Comet: Iceland
If not distracted by the picturesque landscape, waterfalls, stars, and auroras, you might be able to find Comet PANSTARRS. The above image, capturing multiple terrestrial and…
Planck Maps the Microwave Background
What is our universe made of? To help find out, ESA launched the Planck satellite to map, in unprecedented detail, slight temperature differences on the oldest surface known --…
Dust Pillar of the Carina Nebula
Inside the head of this interstellar monster is a star that is slowly destroying it. The monster, actually an inanimate pillar of gas and dust , measures over a light year in…
Infrared Portrait of the Large Magellanic Cloud
Cosmic dust clouds ripple across this infrared portrait of our Milky Way's satellite galaxy , the Large Magellanic Cloud. In fact, the remarkable composite image from the Herschel…
Comet Castle
The broad dust tail of Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) has become a familiar sight for many northern hemisphere comet watchers, as the comet fades but rises higher above the western…
NGC 2736: The Pencil Nebula
Moving left to right near the center of this beautifully detailed color composite, the thin, bright, braided filaments are actually long ripples in a sheet of glowing gas seen…
M42: Inside the Orion Nebula
The Great Nebula in Orion , an immense, nearby starbirth region , is probably the most famous of all astronomical nebulas . Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge…
GRAIL Maps the Moon's Gravity
How did the Moon form? To help find out, NASA launched the twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) satellites in 2011 to orbit and map the Moon's surface gravity in…
Comet PANSTARRS Just After Sunset
Have you seen the comet? As Comet PANSTARRS fades, careful observers -- even with unaided eyes -- should still be able to find the shedding ice ball on the western horizon just…
Light Echoes from V838 Mon
What caused this outburst of V838 Mon? For reasons unknown , star V838 Mon 's outer surface suddenly greatly expanded with the result that it became the brightest star in the…
PanSTARRS from France
Still looking for that comet? Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) naked-eye appearance in the northern hemisphere is described by successful comet spotters as a dim star with a faint…
CME, Comet and Planet Earth
After appearing in a popular photo opportunity with a young crescent Moon near sunset, naked-eye Comet PanSTARRS continues to rise in northern hemisphere skies. But this…
Clouds, Comet and Crescent Moon
In silhouette against the colorful evening twilight, clouds part for this much anticipated magic moment. The scene captures naked-eye Comet PanSTARRS peeking into northern…
NGC 6751: The Glowing Eye Nebula
Planetary nebulae can look simple, round, and planet-like in small telescopes. But images from the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope have become well known for showing these…
Viewing discoveries from 5 April 2013 through 13 March 2013.