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.
Portrait of NGC 281
Look through the cosmic cloud cataloged as NGC 281 and it's almost easy to miss stars of open cluster IC 1590 . But, formed within the nebula , that cluster's young, massive stars…
A Pileus Iridescent Cloud Over Ethiopia
Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining? Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud , a group of water droplets that have a uniformly…
Aurora Over Greenland
This aurora arched from horizon to horizon. During the current Shelios expedition to observe and learn about the northern lights, the sky last weekend did not disappoint. After…
TrES-2b: Dark Planet
Why is this planet so dark? Planet TrES-2b reflects back less than one percent of the light it receives, making it darker than any known planet or moon, darker even than coal .…
The Fairy of Eagle Nebula
The dust sculptures of the Eagle Nebula are evaporating. As powerful starlight whittles away these cool cosmic mountains , the statuesque pillars that remain might be imagined as…
Stereo Vesta
Get out your red/blue glasses and float next to 4 Vesta. A 500 kilometer diameter world, Vesta lies in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This stereo…
Herschel's Cocoon
In this remarkable infrared skyscape of interstellar clouds adrift in the high flying constellation Cygnus, the eye is drawn to the Cocoon Nebula . Also known as IC5146, the dusty…
A Sun Pillar Over Ontario
What is that on the horizon? No, it's not an alien starship battling distant Earthlings, but rather a sun pillar. When driving across Ontario , Canada in early June, the…
Perseid Below
Denizens of planet Earth watched this year's Perseid meteor shower by looking up into the moonlit night sky . But this remarkable view captured by astronaut Ron Garan looks down…
Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula
What happens when a star runs out of nuclear fuel ? For stars about the mass of our Sun, the center condenses into a white dwarf while the outer atmospheric layers are expelled…
Rover Arrives at Endeavour Crater on Mars
What can the present-day terrain in and around large Endeavour crater tell us about ancient Mars? Starting three years ago, NASA sent a coffee-table sized robot named Opportunity…
Tornado and Rainbow Over Kansas
The scene might have been considered serene if it weren't for the tornado . During 2004 in Kansas , storm chaser Eric Nguyen photographed this budding twister in a different light…
Castle and Meteor by Moonlight
Each August, as planet Earth swings through dust trailing along the orbit of periodic comet Swift-Tuttle , skygazers enjoy the Perseid Meteor Shower . As Earth moves through the…
NGC 7331 and Beyond
Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as an analog to our own Milky Way . About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Pegasus , NGC 7331 was…
The Snows of Paranal
Recorded last week, this dawn portrait of snowy mountain and starry sky captures a very rare scenario. The view does feature a pristine sky above the 2,600 meter high mountain…
The Summer Triangle Over Catalonia
Can you find the Summer Triangle? It's not hard to find this famous triangle of stars this time of year from northern locations. Just look straight up after sunset and find three…
Juno Rockets Toward Jupiter
Next stop: Jupiter. Last week included one of the few times in history that humanity launched something completely off the Earth, moving away so fast that it will never return.…
Seasonal Dark Streaks on Mars
What is causing these dark streaks on Mars? A leading hypothesis is flowing -- but quickly evaporating -- water. The streaks , visible in dark brown near the image center, appear…
MyCn18: An Hourglass Planetary Nebula
The sands of time are running out for the central star of this hourglass-shaped planetary nebula . With its nuclear fuel exhausted, this brief, spectacular, closing phase of a…
Comet Garradd and Messier 15
Recorded on August 2, this telescopic composite image catches Comet Garradd (C/2009 P1) in the same field of view as globular star cluster M15 . The celestial scene would have…
A Summer Night's Dream
Fix your digital camera to a tripod, start a long series of exposures, and you too can record star trails. The concentric arcs traced by the stars as planet Earth rotates on its…
A Dusty Iris Nebula
These clouds of interstellar dust and gas have blossomed 1,300 light-years away in the fertile star fields of the constellation Cepheus . Sometimes called the Iris Nebula and…
The Leo Triplet Galaxies from VST
This popular group is famous as the Leo Triplet - a gathering of three magnificent galaxies in one field of view. Crowd pleasers when imaged with even modest telescopes, these…
Asteroid Vesta Full Frame
Why is the northern half of asteroid Vesta more heavily cratered than the south? No one is yet sure. This unexpected mystery has come to light only in the past few weeks since the…
Viewing discoveries from 25 August 2011 through 2 August 2011.