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.
The Einstein Cross Gravitational Lens
Most galaxies have a single nucleus -- does this galaxy have four? The strange answer leads astronomers to conclude that the nucleus of the surrounding galaxy is not even visible…
A Wintry Shower
Four Geminids flash through northern skies in this wintry night skyscape. The bright fireball and 3 fainter meteors were captured in a single 10 second exposure, near the peak of…
Geminids of the North
Earth's annual Geminid meteor shower did not disappoint as our fair planet plowed through dust from active asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Captured in this northern hemisphere nightscape,…
Meteors over Inner Mongolia
Did you ever get caught in a meteor shower? If yes, then every minute or so the sky sparked with fleeting flashes of light. This was the fate of the pictured astrophotographer…
Highlights of the Winter Sky
What's up in the sky this winter? The featured graphic gives a few highlights for Earth's northern hemisphere. Viewed as a clock face centered at the bottom, early winter sky…
In Green Company: Aurora over Norway
Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds -- mostly. On the third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not…
Stardust in Aries
This composition in stardust covers over 8 degrees on the northern sky. The mosaicked field of view is west of the familiar Pleiades star cluster, toward the zodiacal…
Alpine Superga Moonset
December's Full Moon phase occurred near perigee , the closest point in its orbit around our fair planet. Big and bright , the fully illuminated lunar disk sets over rugged…
All the Eclipses of 2017
As seen from planet Earth , all the lunar and solar eclipses of 2017 are represented at the same scale in these four panels. The year's celestial shadow play was followed through…
HH 666: Carina Dust Pillar with Jet
To some, it may look like a beehive harboring an evil bee . In reality, the featured Hubble image captures a cosmic pillar of dust, two- light years long, inside of which is…
A Horizon with Blue and Red
What's happening on the horizon? The horizon itself, past a spinach field in Guatemala , shows not only trees but a large volcano: the Volcn de Fuego (Volcano of Fire). The red…
Messier Craters in Stereo
Many bright nebulae and star clusters in planet Earth's sky are associated with the name of astronomer Charles Messier , from his famous 18th century catalog. His name is also…
North America and the Pelican
Fans of our fair planet might recognize the outlines of these cosmic clouds . On the left, bright emission outlined by dark, obscuring dust lanes seems to trace a continental…
M33: Triangulum Galaxy
The small, northern constellation Triangulum harbors this magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy . M33…
M42: The Great Orion Nebula
Few astronomical sights excite the imagination like the nearby stellar nursery known as the Orion Nebula. The Nebula 's glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an…
Juno Spots a Complex Storm on Jupiter
Some storms on Jupiter are quite complex. The swirling storm was captured late last month by the NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft currently orbiting the Solar System's largest…
Crossing Horizons
Follow this vertical panoramic view from horizon to horizon and your gaze will sweep through the zenith of a dark night sky over Pic du Midi mountaintop observatory. To make the…
Apollo 17 at Shorty Crater
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon in the Taurus-Littrow valley, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited…
Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka
Alnitak , Alnilam , and Mintaka , are the bright bluish stars from east to west (lower right to upper left) along the diagonal in this cosmic vista . Otherwise known as the Belt…
'Oumuamua: Interstellar Asteroid
Nothing like it has ever been seen before. The unusual space rock 'Oumuamua is so intriguing mainly because it is the first asteroid ever detected from outside our Solar System --…
Big Dipper over Pyramid Mountain
When did you first learn to identify this group of stars? Although they are familiar to many people around the world, different cultures have associated this asterism with…
Curiosity Rover Takes Selfie on Mars
Yes, but have you ever taken a selfie on Mars ? The Curiosity rover on Mars has. This selfie was compiled from many smaller images -- which is why the mechanical arm holding the…
NGC 7822: Stars and Dust Pillars in Infrared
Young stars themselves are clearing out their nursery in NGC 7822. Within the nebula , bright edges and complex dust sculptures dominate this detailed skyscape taken in infrared…
Friday, the Moon Smiled
Friday, an old Moon smiled for early morning risers. Its waning sunlit crescent is captured in this atmospheric scene from clear skies near Bursa, Turkey, planet Earth . In the…
Viewing discoveries from 17 December 2017 through 18 November 2017.