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.
STARFORGE: A Star Formation Simulation
How do stars form? Most form in giant molecular clouds located in the central disk of a galaxy. The process is started, influenced, and limited by the stellar winds, jets, high…
HD 163296: Jet from a Star in Formation
How are jets created during star formation? No one is sure , although recent images of the young star system HD 163296 are quite illuminating. The central star in the featured…
The Tadpole Galaxy from Hubble
Why does this galaxy have such a long tail? In this stunning vista , based on image data from the Hubble Legacy Archive , distant galaxies form a dramatic backdrop for disrupted…
Sunrise Solstice over Stonehenge
Today the Sun reaches its northernmost point in planet Earth's sky. Called a solstice , many cultures mark this date as a change of seasons -- from spring to summer in Earth 's…
Northern Summer Twilight
Nights grow shorter and days grow longer as the summer solstice approaches in the north. Usually seen at high latitudes in summer months, noctilucent or night shining clouds begin…
Devil Horns from a Ring of Fire
Atmospheric refraction flattened the solar disk and distorted its appearance in this telescopic view of an Atlantic sunrise on June 10 . From Belmar, New Jersey on the US east…
NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebula
NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is a about 25 light-years across blown by winds from its central, bright, massive star. A triumvirate of astroimagers ( Joe , Glenn ,…
Scorpius Enhanced
If Scorpius looked this good to the unaided eye, humans might remember it better. Scorpius more typically appears as a few bright stars in a well-known but rarely pointed out…
Zhurong: New Rover on Mars
There's a new rover on Mars. In mid-May, China 's Tianwen-1 mission delivered the Zhurong rover onto the red planet . As Mars means Planet of Fire in Chinese, the Zhurong rover's…
Ganymede from Juno
What does the largest moon in the Solar System look like? Jupiter 's moon Ganymede , larger than even Mercury and Pluto , has an icy surface speckled with bright young craters…
A Supercell Thunderstorm Over Texas
Is that a cloud or an alien spaceship? It's an unusual and sometimes dangerous type of thunderstorm cloud called a supercell. Supercells may spawn damaging tornados, hail,…
Eclipse on the Water
Eclipses tend to come in pairs. Twice a year, during an eclipse season that lasts about 34 days , Sun, Moon, and Earth can nearly align. Then the full and new phases of the Moon…
Eclipse Flyby
On June 10 a New Moon passed in front of the Sun. In silhouette only two days after reaching apogee , the most distant point in its elliptical orbit, the Moon's small apparent…
Circular Sun Halo
Want to see a ring around the Sun? It's easy to do in daytime skies around the world. Created by randomly oriented ice crystals in thin high cirrus clouds, circular 22 degree…
A Total Lunar Eclipse Corona
This moon appears multiply strange. This moon was a full moon, specifically called a Flower Moon at this time of the year. But that didn't make it strange -- full moons occur once…
A Face in the Clouds of Jupiter from Juno
What do you see in the clouds of Jupiter? On the largest scale, circling the planet, Jupiter has alternating light zones and reddish-brown belts . Rising zone gas, mostly hydrogen…
A Bright Nova in Cassiopeia
What's that new spot of light in Cassiopeia? A nova. Although novas occur frequently throughout the universe, this nova, known as Nova Cas 2021 or V1405 Cas, became so unusually…
A Distorted Sunrise Eclipse
Yes, but have you ever seen a sunrise like this? Here, after initial cloudiness, the Sun appeared to rise in two pieces and during partial eclipse, causing the photographer to…
The Shining Clouds of Mars
The weathered and layered face of Mount Mercou looms in the foreground of this mosaic from the Curiosity Mars rover's Mast Camera. Made up of 21 individual images the scene was…
Blood Monster Moon
On May 26, the Full Flower Moon was caught in this single exposure as it emerged from Earth's shadow and morning twilight began to wash over the western sky. Posing close to the…
Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri
Globular star cluster Omega Centauri , also known as NGC 5139, is some 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is packed with about 10 million stars much older than the Sun within a…
The Galactic Center in Stars, Gas, and Magnetism
What's going on near the center of our galaxy? To help find out, a newly detailed panorama has been composed that explores regions just above and below the galactic plane in radio…
Satellites over Orion
What are those streaks across Orion? They are reflections of sunlight from numerous Earth-orbiting satellites. Appearing by eye as a series of successive points floating across a…
Mimas: Small Moon with a Big Crater
Whatever hit Mimas nearly destroyed it. What remains is one of the largest impact craters on one of Saturn 's smallest round moons. Analysis indicates that a slightly larger…
Viewing discoveries from 23 June 2021 through 31 May 2021.