Browse NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day archive by date and media: Archive Discoveries
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Castle and Sky
While Comet McNaught ruled southern skies, last week's conjunction of the Moon and Venus could be enjoyed by denizens of both hemispheres of planet Earth. The two more commonly…
The Star Clusters of NGC 1313
Like grains of sand on a cosmic beach, individual stars of barred spiral galaxy NGC 1313 are resolved in this sharp composite from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for…
Orion's Cradle
Cradled in glowing hydrogen, stellar nurseries in Orion lie at the edge of a giant molecular cloud some 1,500 light-years away. This breath-taking view spans about 13 degrees…
A Comet Tail Horizon
What's happening over the horizon? Many a sky enthusiast who thought they had seen it all had never seen anything like this. To the surprise of many Northern Hemisphere observers,…
The Milky Way Over Paranal
It's not the sky that's falling. More accurately, the Earth is rising. The Earth's rotation gives a continually changing view to all Earth observers, including those measuring the…
The Magnificent Tail of Comet McNaught
Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, has grown a long and filamentary tail. The spectacular tail spreads across the sky and is visible to Southern Hemisphere observers just…
The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared
This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is part of the photogenic Sombrero Galaxy , one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies . The dark…
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SOHO: Comet McNaught Movie
This frame from a spectacular time lapse movie shows Comet McNaught - the Great Comet of 2007 - sweeping through the inner solar system. The movie frames were recorded from…
McNaught's Matinee
Comets grow bright when they're close to the Sun, basking in the intense solar radiation. Of course, they're also usually impossible to see against the overwhelming scattered…
Southern Comet
After a remarkable performance in the northern hemisphere, the brightest comet in decades is now showing off in the south . Recorded during evening twilight on January 17, this…
Comet McNaught from New STEREO Satellite
The brightest comet of recent decades was a surprising first sight for a new camera in space. The Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument…
Kepler's Supernova Remnant in X-Rays
What caused this mess? Some type of star exploded to create the unusually shaped nebula known as Kepler's supernova remnant , but which type? Light from the stellar explosion that…
Comet McNaught Over Catalonia
This past weekend Comet McNaught peaked at a brightness that surpassed even Venus. Fascinated sky enthusiasts in the Earth's northern hemisphere were treated to an instantly…
Sgr A*: Fast Stars Near the Galactic Center
Why are these stars moving so fast? Shown above is a time-lapse movie in infrared light detailing how stars in the central light-year of our Galaxy have moved over the past eight…
Comet Over Krakow
Bright Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) graced the twilight this week, seen by many and often described with superlatives. Watching the skies over Krakow , Poland, Andrzej Sawow…
Collinder 399: The Coat Hanger
Is this coat hanger a star cluster or an asterism? This cosmic hang-up has been debated over much of last century, as astronomers wondered whether this binocular-visible object is…
The Eagle Nebula in Infrared
In visible light, the whole thing looks like an eagle . The region was captured recently in unprecedented detail in infrared light by the robotic orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope…
NGC 602 and Beyond
Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud , a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5 million year young star cluster NGC 602. Surrounded by natal…
McNaught Now Brightest Comet in Decades
The brightest comet in decades is unexpectedly now visible . The most optimistic predictions have Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) shortly becoming one of the brightest comets of the…
The Big Dipper
Do you see it? This common question frequently precedes the rediscovery of one of the most commonly recognized configurations of stars on the northern sky: the Big Dipper . This…
The Mysterious Rings of Supernova 1987A
What's causing those odd rings in supernova 1987A? In 1987, the brightest supernova in recent history occurred in the Large Magellanic Clouds . At the center of the picture is an…
The Orion Deep Field
Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the night sky's most recognizable constellations , the glowing Orion Nebula and the dark Horsehead Nebula are contrasting cosmic vistas.…
Comet McNaught Heads for the Sun
Early morning risers with a clear and unobstructed eastern horizon can enjoy the sight of Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) in dawn skies over the next few days. Discovered in August by…
Central Cygnus
Supergiant star Gamma Cygni lies at the center of the Northern Cross, famous asterism in the constellation Cygnus the Swan . Known by the proper name Sadr , the bright star also…
Viewing discoveries from 27 January 2007 through 4 January 2007.