Browse NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day archive by date and media: Archive Discoveries
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M13: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules
In 1714, Edmond Halley noted that M13 “shows itself to the naked eye when the sky is serene and the Moon absent.” Of course, M13 is now modestly recognized as the Great Globular…
The Milky Way Near the Southern Cross
The glow of the southern Milky Way and the well-known Southern Cross are featured in this colorful skyscape recorded in April over La Frontera, Chile. The Southern Cross ( Crux )…
Dark Matter Ring Modeled around Galaxy Cluster CL0024+17
How do we know that dark matter isn't just normal matter exhibiting strange gravity? A new observation of gravitationally magnified faint galaxies far in the distance behind a…
Bright Spiral Galaxy M81 in Ultraviolet from Galex
Where are the hot stars in M81, one of the closest major spiral galaxies? To help find out, astronomers took a deep image in ultraviolet light of the sprawling spiral with the…
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Rotating Earth from Galileo
When passing Earth on your way to Jupiter, what should you look for? That question arose for the robotic Galileo spacecraft that soundlessly coasted past the Solar System's most…
The Cat's Eye Nebula from Hubble
Staring across interstellar space, the alluring Cat's Eye nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth. A classic planetary nebula , the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents a…
HD 189733b: Hot Jupiter
HD 189733b is a Jupiter-sized planet known to orbit a star some 63 light-years away. But while the distant world is approximately the size of Jupiter, its close-in orbit makes it…
LDN 1622: Dark Nebula in Orion
The silhouette of an intriguing dark nebula inhabits this cosmic scene, based on images from the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey . Lynds' Dark Nebula ( LDN ) 1622 appears against a…
SN 2006GY: Brightest Supernova
The stellar explosion cataloged as supernova SN 2006gy shines in this wide-field image (left) of its host galaxy, NGC 1260, and expanded view (upper right panel) of the region…
The Snowflake Cluster versus the Cone Nebula
Strange shapes and textures can be found in the neighborhood of the Cone Nebula. These patterns result from the tumultuous unrest that accompanies the formation of the open…
A Dark Sky Over Death Valley
This eerie glow over Death Valley is in danger. Scrolling right will show a spectacular view from one of the darkest places left in the continental USA : Death Valley , California…
Europa Rising
When passing Jupiter on your way to Pluto, what should you look for? NASA pondered just this question recently, and the response from one space enthusiast was to capture the above…
Star Cluster R136 Bursts Out
In the center of star-forming region 30 Doradus lies a huge cluster of the largest, hottest, most massive stars known. These stars, known as the star cluster R136 , and part of…
Sombrero Galaxy Across the Spectrum
Appropriately famous for its broad ring of obscuring dust and hat-like appearance, the Sombrero Galaxy (aka spiral galaxy M104 ) is featured in this unique composite view that…
The Iron Tail of Comet McNaught
Outstanding in planet Earth's sky early this year, Comet McNaught is captured in this view from the STEREO A spacecraft. McNaught's coma is so bright, it blooms into the long…
Small Galaxy NGC 4449
Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the glory. Their newly formed, bright, blue star clusters along beautiful, symmetric spiral arms are guaranteed to attract attention .…
Sunrise from the Surface of Gliese 581c
How might a sunrise appear on Gliese 581c? One artistic guess is shown above. Gliese 581c is the most Earth-like planet yet discovered and lies a mere 20 light-years distant. The…
Swirling Clouds Over the South Pole of Venus
What's happening over the South Pole of Venus? To find out, scientists sent the robot Venus Express spacecraft now orbiting Venus directly over the lower spin axis of Earth's…
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…
NGC 6302: Big, Bright, Bug Nebula
The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects , and NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about…
Young Moon and Sister Stars
A young crescent Moon shared the western sky with thin clouds and the sister stars of the Pleiades cluster in this early evening skyscape recorded on April 19th. Astronomical…
M81 in Ursa Major
One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky and similar in size to the Milky Way , big, beautiful spiral M81 lies 11.8 million light-years away in the northern…
Gliese 581 and the Habitable Zone
The unremarkable star centered in this skyview is Gliese 581, a mere 20 light-years away toward the constellation Libra . But astronomers are now reporting the discovery of a…
Carina Nebula Panorama from Hubble
In one of the brightest parts of Milky Way lies a nebula where some of the oddest things occur. NGC 3372, known as the Great Nebula in Carina , is home to massive stars and…
Viewing discoveries from 18 May 2007 through 25 April 2007.