NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

In today's image, we see an annular solar eclipse from 2012 in New Mexico. Another such Eclipse will occur for parts of North and South America on October 14 of this year. An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is farther from us in its orbit and does not appear quite large enough to completely block out our Sun. This leaves a ring (or annulus) of material still visible around the limb of the Moon.

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This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see the recently discovered Comet Nishimura. The comet will make its closest approach to Earth this coming week and the following week will make its closest approach to the Sun. That means that it may brighten enough to be seen without a telescope and is currently visible in the western sky just after sunset.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see the nebula known as Messier 17. This is an example of a star forming region where stars are still forming in the dark, dense, dusty pockets. The stars that have formed emit ultraviolet light which energizes the rest of the nebula causing it to glow.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see the Large Magellanic Cloud - A satellite galaxy of our larger Milky Way Galaxy. This galaxy contains SN 1987A - The closest supernova to have been seen since the advent of the telescope and the Tarantula Nebula - a massive star forming region much larger than the Orion region which we often study.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see a video clip showing the telescopes of the High Energy Stereoscopic System in Namibia. These telescopes allow us to study high energy gamma rays from the surface of Earth.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see the blue supermoon which occurred at the end of August this year. The blue moon is sometimes considered to the the second full moon which occurs in one month - something that happens only every few years. The supermoon is the full moon that occurs near the time of perigee when the Moon is closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit. Having the two together is something that may occur only once in a decade.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see two nebulae in the constellation of Cygnus. The Bubble Nebula, which is a planetary nebula showing us the future of our own Sun when it reaches the end of its life. The Crescent Nebula is surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star - the type of star that will end its life in a massive supernova explosion.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see an image from 2006 showing the disruption and fragmentation of a comet as it passed close to our Sun. This can happen when a fragile comet passes too close to the Sun or even one of the planets.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see what is known as the Iris Nebula. This is an example of a reflection nebula where light is scattered off of dust grains around a newly formed star. Since the shorter wavelengths (blue) are preferentially scattered, the nebulae like this will have a distinct blue color.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In today's image, we see the great globular star cluster known as M13 which is visual in the constellation of Hercules. Globular star clusters are among the oldest parts of our galaxy, dating back to the origin of the galaxy itself. The stars near the center are densely packed together so that a hundred stars could fit in a cube about 3 light year on a side. The nearest star to our Sun is a little over 4 light years away.

My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.

This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I can be reached here: [email protected]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.