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.
APOD Turns Eleven
The first APOD appeared eleven years ago today, on 1995 June 16. Although garnering only 14 page views on that day, we are proud to estimate that APOD has now served over 400…
Gordel van Venus
Scroll right and enjoy this 180 degree panorama across the South African Astronomical Observatory's hilltop Sutherland observing station. Featured are SAAO telescope domes and…
Sagittarius Triplet
These three bright nebulae are often featured in telescopic tours of the constellation Sagittarius and the crowded starfields of the central Milky Way . In fact, 18th century…
Driving Toward a Sun Halo
What's happened to the Sun? Sometimes it looks like the Sun is being viewed through a large lens . In the above case, however, there are actually millions of lenses: ice crystals…
Edge-On Galaxy NGC 5866
Why is this galaxy so thin? Many disk galaxies are actually just as thin as NGC 5866, pictured above , but are not seen edge-on from our vantage point. One galaxy that is situated…
Sunspot Loops in Ultraviolet
It was a quiet day on the Sun . The above image shows, however, that even during off days the Sun's surface is a busy place. Shown in ultraviolet light , the relatively cool dark…
Moon Over Haleakala
A waxing crescent Moon shines over the caldera of dormant volcano Haleakala and observatory domes in this dramatic view from above the clouds. Looking west from Maui, Hawaii on…
Infrared Andromeda
This wide, detailed Spitzer Space Telescope view features infrared light from dust (red) and old stars (blue) in Andromeda, a massive spiral galaxy a mere 2.5 million light-years…
Enceladus Ice Volcanos
In this stunning Saturnian vista - one in a series of artist's visions of volcanos on alien worlds - icy geysers erupt along narrow fractures in inner moon Enceladus . The…
An Alaskan Volcano Erupts
What is happening to that volcano? It's erupting! The first person to note that the Aleutian Cleveland Volcano was spewing ash was astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams aboard the…
NGC 6164: A Bipolar Emission Nebula
How did a star form this beautiful nebula? In the middle of emission nebula NGC 6164-5 is an unusually massive star nearing the end of its life. The star, visible in the center of…
The Road to Victoria Crater on Mars
Here is a road never traveled . To get to Victoria Crater on Mars , the rolling robotic rover Opportunity must traverse the landscape shown above . Victoria Crater lies about one…
The First Rocket Launch from Cape Canaveral
A new chapter in space flight began on 1950 July with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral , Florida : the Bumper 2. Shown above , the Bumper 2 was an ambitious…
Gamma-Ray Earth
The pixelated planet above is actually our own planet Earth seen in gamma rays - the most energetic form of light. In fact, the gamma rays used to construct this view pack over 35…
IC 443: Supernova Remnant and Neutron Star
IC 443 is typical of the aftermath of a stellar explosion, the ultimate fate of massive stars. Seen in this false-color composite image, the supernova remnant is still glowing…
Reflections on NGC 6188
NGC 6188 is an interstellar carnival of young blue stars , hot red gas , and cool dark dust . Located 4,000 light years away in the disk of our Galaxy, NGC 6188 is home to the Ara…
Simulated Gamma-ray Sky
Scheduled for launch in 2007, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) will explore the Universe in gamma-rays , the most energetic form of light. To get ready, consider…
Ancient Craters on Saturn's Rhea
Saturn's ragged moon Rhea has one of the oldest surfaces known. Estimated as changing little in the past billion years, Rhea shows craters so old they no longer appear round their…
The NASA Television Channel
Do you ever feel like watching the NASA channel? If so, in addition to standard cable access and the standard NASA TV web pages, it might now be possible to watch NASA TV simply…
GRO J1655-40: Evidence for a Spinning Black Hole
In the center of a swirling whirlpool of hot gas is likely a beast that has never been seen directly: a black hole . Studies of the bright light emitted by the swirling gas…
Gamma-Ray Moon
If you could see gamma rays - photons with a million or more times the energy of visible light - the Moon would appear brighter than the Sun! The startling notion is demonstrated…
Omega Centauri
Centaurus, the Centaur , is one of the most striking constellations in the southern sky. The Milky Way flows through this celestial expanse whose wonders also include the closest…
NGC 1579: Trifid of the North
Colorful NGC 1579 resembles the better known Trifid Nebula, but lies much farther north in planet Earth's sky, in the heroic constellation Perseus . About 2,100 light-years away…
A Five Quasar Gravitational Lens
What's happening near the center of this cluster of galaxies? At first glance, it appears that several strangely elongated galaxies and fully five bright quasars exist there. In…
Viewing discoveries from 16 June 2006 through 24 May 2006.