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.
Moon and Smoke Rings from Mt. Etna
Yes, but can your volcano do this? To the surprise of some, Mt. Etna emits, on occasion, smoke rings. Technically known as vortex rings , the walls of the volcano slightly slow…
Diamonds in the Sky
When the dark shadow of the Moon raced across North America on April 8, sky watchers along the shadow's narrow central path were treated to a total solar eclipse. During the New…
The Great Carina Nebula
A jewel of the southern sky , the Great Carina Nebula is more modestly known as NGC 3372. One of our Galaxy's largest star forming regions, it spans over 300 light-years. Like the…
Facing NGC 1232
From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy , we see NGC 1232 face-on. Nearly 200,000 light-years across, the big, beautiful spiral galaxy is located some 47 million…
Total Eclipse and Comets
Not one, but two comets appeared near the Sun during last week's total solar eclipse . The expected comet was Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks , but it was disappointingly dimmer than many…
Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
The explosion is over, but the consequences continue. About eleven thousand years ago, a star in the constellation of Vela could be seen to explode , creating a strange point of…
The Cigar Galaxy from Hubble and Webb
Something strange happened to this galaxy, but what? Known as the Cigar Galaxy and cataloged as M82 , red glowing gas and dust are being cast out from the center. Although this…
Palm Tree Partial Eclipse
Only those along the narrow track of the Moon's shadow on April 8 saw a total solar eclipse. But most of North America still saw a partial eclipse of the Sun. From Clearwater,…
Total Totality
Baily's beads often appear at the boundaries of the total phase of an eclipse of the Sun. Pearls of sunlight still beaming through gaps in the rugged terrain along the lunar limb…
Eclipse in Seven
Start at the upper left above and you can follow the progress of April 8's total eclipse of the Sun in seven sharp, separate exposures. The image sequence was recorded with a…
Planets Around a Total Eclipse
What wonders appear when the Moon blocks the Sun? For many eager observers of Monday's total eclipse of the Sun, the suddenly dark sky included the expected corona and two…
Moon's Shadow over Lake Magog
Captured in this snapshot, the shadow of the Moon came to Lake Magog, Quebec, North America, planet Earth on April 8. For the lakeside eclipse chasers, the much anticipated total…
The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Pons-Brooks
How does a comet tail change? It depends on the comet. The ion tail of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has been changing markedly, as detailed in the featured image sequenced over nine days…
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…
Viewing discoveries from 22 April 2024 through 28 March 2024.