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.
A Total Solar Eclipse over Wyoming
Will the sky be clear enough to see the eclipse? This question is already on the minds of many North Americans hoping to see tomorrow's solar eclipse . This question was also on…
Unwinding M51
The arms of a grand design spiral galaxy 60,000 light-years across are unwound in this digital transformation of the magnificent 2005 Hubble Space Telescope portrait of M51 . In…
The Solar Corona Unwrapped
Changes in the alluring solar corona are detailed in this creative composite image mapping the dynamic outer atmosphere of the Sun during two separate total solar eclipses.…
Comet Pons-Brooks at Night
In dark evening skies over June Lake , northern hemisphere, planet Earth, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks stood just above the western horizon on March 30. Its twisted turbulent ion tail…
Unusual Nebula Pa 30
What created this unusual celestial firework? The nebula, dubbed Pa 30 , appears in the same sky direction now as a bright “ guest star ” did in the year 1181 . Although Pa 30's…
Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona
Only in the fleeting darkness of a total solar eclipse is the light of the solar corona easily visible. Normally overwhelmed by the bright solar disk, the expansive corona , the…
Swirling Magnetic Field around Our Galaxy's Central Black Hole
What's happening to the big black hole in the center of our galaxy? It is sucking in matter from a swirling disk -- a disk that is magnetized , it has now been confirmed.…
Total Solar Eclipse Below the Bottom of the World
In late 2021 there was a total solar eclipse visible only at the end of the Earth. To capture the unusual phenomenon , airplanes took flight below the clouded seascape of Southern…
Medieval Astronomy from Melk Abbey
Discovered by accident, this manuscript page provides graphical insight to astronomy in medieval times, before the Renaissance and the influence of Nicolaus Copernicus , Tycho…
Galileo's Europa
Looping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the Galileo spacecraft recorded stunning views of Europa and uncovered evidence that the moon's icy surface likely hides a…
Millions of Stars in Omega Centauri
Globular star cluster Omega Centauri , also known as NGC 5139, is 15,000 light-years away. The cluster is packed with about 10 million stars much older than the Sun within a…
The Coma Cluster of Galaxies
Almost every object in the featured photograph is a galaxy. The Coma Cluster of Galaxies pictured here is one of the densest clusters known - it contains thousands of galaxies .…
Comet Pons-Brooks' Ion Tail
Comet Pons-Brooks has quite a tail to tell. First discovered in 1385 , this erupting dirty snowball loops back into our inner Solar System every 71 years and, this time, is…
Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant
What does a supernova remnant sound like? Although sound is a compression wave in matter and does not carry into empty space, interpretive sound can help listeners appreciate and…
Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth
Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse . The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth . This shadow moved across the Earth at nearly 2000…
Ares 3 Landing Site: The Martian Revisited
This close-up from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera shows weathered craters and windblown deposits in southern Acidalia Planitia . A striking shade of blue in…
Phobos: Moon over Mars
A tiny moon with a scary name , Phobos emerges from behind the Red Planet in this timelapse sequence from the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope . Over 22 minutes the 13…
The Leo Trio
This popular group leaps into the early evening sky around the March equinox and the northern hemisphere spring . Famous as the Leo Triplet , the three magnificent galaxies found…
The Eyes in Markarian's Galaxy Chain
Across the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster lies a string of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain . Prominent in Markarian's Chain are these two interacting galaxies , NGC 4438…
A Picturesque Equinox Sunset
What's that at the end of the road? The Sun. Many towns have roads that run east-west, and on two days each year, the Sun rises and sets right down the middle . Today, in some…
Comet Pons-Brooks' Swirling Coma
A bright comet will be visible during next month's total solar eclipse. This very unusual coincidence occurs because Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks 's return to the inner Solar System…
NGC 7714: Starburst after Galaxy Collision
Is this galaxy jumping through a giant ring of stars ? Probably not. Although the precise dynamics behind the featured image is yet unclear, what is clear is that the pictured…
ELT and the Milky Way
The southern winter Milky Way sprawls across this night skyscape. Looking due south, the webcam view was recorded near local midnight on March 11 in dry, dark skies over the…
Portrait of NGC 1055
Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus .…
Viewing discoveries from 7 April 2024 through 15 March 2024.