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 Moon Eclipses Saturn
What happened to half of Saturn? Nothing other than Earth's Moon getting in the way. As pictured above on the far right, Saturn is partly eclipsed by a dark edge of a Moon itself…
A Blue Bridge of Stars between Cluster Galaxies
Why is there a blue bridge of stars across the center of this galaxy cluster? First and foremost the cluster, designated SDSS J1531+3414 , contains many large yellow elliptical…
Auroras over Northern Canada
Gusting solar winds and blasts of charged particles from the Sun resulted in several rewarding nights last December for those anticipating auroras . The above image captured…
Planetary Nebula NGC 2818 from Hubble
NGC 2818 is a beautiful planetary nebula , the gaseous shroud of a dying sun-like star . It could well offer a glimpse of the future that awaits our own Sun after spending another…
SN 1006 Supernova Remnant
A new star, likely the brightest supernova in recorded human history, lit up planet Earth's sky in the year 1006 AD. The expanding debris cloud from the stellar explosion, found…
Spotty Sunrise over Brisbane
In this composite cityscape, dawn's first colors backdrop the lights along Brisbane's skyline at the southeastern corner of Queensland, Australia, planet Earth. Using a solar…
Noctilucent Clouds over London
This scene from the early morning hours of July 3 looks out across the River Thames from the Westminster Bridge. Part of a luminous timelapse video (vimeo) , the frame captures a…
Gliese 832c: The Closest Potentially Habitable Exoplanet
This planet is only 16 light years away -- could it harbor life? Recently discovered exoplanet Gliese 832c has been found in a close orbit around a star that is less bright than…
Iridescent Clouds over Thamserku
Why would a cloud appear to be different colors? A relatively rare phenomenon known as iridescent clouds can show unusual colors vividly or a whole spectrum of colors…
J1502+1115: A Triple Black Hole Galaxy
Most galaxies contain one supermassive black hole -- why does this galaxy have three? The likely reason is that galaxy J1502+1115 is the product of the recent coalescence of three…
Manhattanhenge: A New York City Sunset
This coming Saturday, if it is clear, well placed New Yorkers can go outside at sunset and watch their city act like a modern version of Stonehenge . Manhattan 's streets will…
M106 Across the Spectrum
The spiral arms of bright, active galaxy M106 sprawl through this remarkable multiwavelength portrait , composed of image data from radio to X-rays, across the electromagnetic…
OCO-2 Night Launch
In this alluring time exposure , star trails arc across the night sky above foggy Monterey Bay and the lights of Santa Cruz, California in the United States of America . Since the…
Along the Cygnus Wall
The prominent ridge of emission featured in this vivid skyscape is known as the Cygnus Wall. Part of a larger emission nebula with a distinctive shape popularly called The North…
NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy
Spiral galaxy NGC 4651 is a mere 62 million light-years distant, toward the well-groomed northern constellation Coma Berenices . About the size of our Milky Way, this island…
Wolf-Rayet Star 124: Stellar Wind Machine
Some stars explode in slow motion. Rare, massive Wolf-Rayet stars are so tumultuous and hot that they slowly disintegrating right before our telescopes. Glowing gas globs each…
Peculiar Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A
What's happened to the center of this galaxy? Unusual and dramatic dust lanes run across the center of elliptical galaxy Centaurus A . These dust lanes are so thick they almost…
Galaxy Cove Vista Revisited
To see a vista like this takes patience, hiking, and a camera. Patience was needed in searching out just the right place and waiting for just the right time. A short hike was…
Orion Arising
Orion's belt runs just along the horizon, seen through Earth's atmosphere and rising in this starry snapshot from low Earth orbit on board the International Space Station . The…
Martian Anniversary Selfie
June 24th marked the first full Martian year of the Curiosity Rover's exploration of the surface of the Red Planet. That's 687 Earth days or 669 sols since its landing on August…
Conjunction by the Sea
Early morning risers were treated to a beautiful conjunction of Venus and waning Crescent Moon on June 24, captured in this seaside photo near Belmar, New Jersey, USA, planet…
The Hercules Cluster of Galaxies
These are galaxies of the Hercules Cluster , an archipelago of island universes a mere 500 million light-years away . Also known as Abell 2151, this cluster is loaded with gas and…
The Iris Nebula in a Field of Dust
What flowers in this field of dark star dust? The Iris Nebula . The striking blue color of the Iris Nebula is created by light from the bright star SAO 19158 reflecting off of a…
Four Lasers over Mauna Kea
Are lasers from giant telescopes being used to attack the Galactic center? No. Lasers shot from telescopes are now commonly used to help increase the accuracy of astronomical…
Viewing discoveries from 16 July 2014 through 23 June 2014.