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.
Sh2-239: Celestial Impasto
The cosmic brush of star formation composed this alluring mix of dust and dark nebulae. Cataloged as Sh2-239 and LDN 1551, the region lies near the southern end of the Taurus…
Kepler 22b: An Almost Earth Orbiting an Almost Sun
It's the closest match to Earth that has yet been found. Recently discovered planet Kepler 22b has therefore instantly become the best place to find life outside our Solar System.…
Jupiter Rotation Movie from Pic du Midi
Observe the graceful twirl of the Solar System's largest planet. Many interesting features of Jupiter's enigmatic atmosphere, including dark bands and light zones, can be followed…
A Memorable Aurora Over Norway
It was one of the most memorable auroras of the season. There was green light , red light, and sometimes a mixture of the two. There were multiple rays , distinct curtains , and…
Light Echoes from V838 Mon
For reasons unknown , star V838 Mon 's outer surface suddenly greatly expanded with the result that it became the brightest star in the entire Milky Way Galaxy in January 2002.…
As Above, So Below
A single, long exposure captured these star trails above a remarkably colorful sea of clouds . As seen from Medvednica mountain, the surrounding peaks and lights illuminating the…
Solar Eclipse over Antarctica
Last Friday, the fourth and final partial solar eclipse of 2011 was only visible from high latitudes in the southern hemisphere. If you missed it, check out this dramatic picture…
Young Moon Meets Evening Star
Now appearing as planet Earth's evening star, brilliant Venus shines in western skies at twilight. Standing above a rugged horizon and warm sunset colors, the twilight's celestial…
Curiosity Rover Lifts Off for Mars
Next stop: Mars. This past weekend the Mars Science Laboratory carrying the Curiosity Rover blasted off for the red planet atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral , Florida ,…
Across the Center of Centaurus A
A fantastic jumble of young blue star clusters, gigantic glowing gas clouds, and imposing dark dust lanes surrounds the central region of the active galaxy Centaurus A. This image…
A Landslide on Asteroid Vesta
Asteroid Vesta is home to some of the most impressive cliffs in the Solar System. Pictured above near the image center is a very deep cliff running about 20 kilometers from top to…
Shuttle Plume Shadow Points to the Moon
Why would the shadow of a space shuttle launch plume point toward the Moon? In early 2001 during a launch of Atlantis , the Sun , Earth , Moon , and rocket were all properly…
Pelican Nebula Close-up
The prominent ridge of emission featured in this vivid skyscape is designated IC 5067 . Part of a larger emission nebula with a distinctive shape, popularly called The Pelican…
A Glimpse of CLIMSO
A tantalizing glimpse inside this dome was captured after sunset at the mountain top Pic Du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees. But while most are just beginning their work…
Caught in the Afterglow
In this artist's illustration , two distant galaxies formed about 2 billion years after the big bang are caught in the afterglow of GRB090323 , a gamma-ray burst seen across the…
The View from Chajnantor
From an altitude of over 5,000 meters, the night sky view from Chajnantor Plateau in the Chilean Andes is breathtaking in more ways than one. The dark site's rarefied atmosphere,…
Leonid Fireball over Tenerife
Historically active, this year's Leonid meteor shower was diminished by bright moonlight . Still, faithful night sky watchers did see the shower peak on November 18 and even the…
Around the World in 90 Minutes
What is it like to circle the Earth? Every 90 minutes, astronauts aboard the International Space Station experience just that. Recently, crew members took a series of…
W5: Pillars of Star Formation
How do stars form? A study of star forming region W5 by the sun-orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope provides clear clues by recording that massive stars near the center of empty…
In Wolf's Cave
The mysterious blue reflection nebula found in catalogs as VdB 152 or Ced 201 really is very faint. It lies at the tip of the long dark nebula Barnard 175 in a dusty complex that…
A Colorful Side of the Moon
This colorful topographical map of the Moon is centered on the lunar farside, the side not seen from planet Earth. That view is available to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter…
Pleiades to Hyades
This cosmic vista stretches almost 20 degrees across the gentle constellation Taurus . It begins at the Pleiades and ends at the Hyades, two of the best known star clusters in…
NGC 7822 in Cepheus
Hot, young stars and cosmic pillars of gas and dust seem to crowd into NGC 7822. At the edge of a giant molecular cloud toward the northern constellation Cepheus , the glowing…
Orange Sun Scintillating
Our Sun is becoming a busy place. Taken just last week, the Sun was captured sporting numerous interesting features including one of the larger sunspot groups yet recorded: AR…
Viewing discoveries from 8 December 2011 through 15 November 2011.