NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

In today's image, we see the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. The comet is currently heading to the inner solar system and will reach its closest approach to the Sun on April 21. This is just a couple of weeks after the total solar eclipse of April 8 of this year.

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 example of a spiral galaxy. We can see many of the distinct features of star formation here including the dark dusty regions, the blue color of the spiral arms from the light of hot, young stars, and the pink glow of hydrogen gas excited by ultraviolet light from these hot stars.

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 region around the Rosette Nebula. This is a region of star formation and we see the red glow caused by the excitation of hydrogen gas by the hot, young stars that have formed in the area.

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 full moon from this past month. The January full moon is often called the Wolf Moon. One full moon generally occurs each month - this is where our concept of a month comes from - it takes just about one month for our Moon to go through one full cycle of phases.

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 examples of planetary nebulae in the direction of the constellation of Cassiopeia. A planetary nebula is the end state of a star much like our own Sun. It has exhausted the hydrogen fuel in its core and the outer layers expand. The glow because they are energized by ultraviolet light from the white dwarf star forming in the core.

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 launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis from 2001. We note how the exhaust behind the shuttle changes color. From the lower portion, the plume is at a level where the Sun has already set. At a higher level, the plume is still illuminated by the Sun which is not below the horizon yet from this height. Because of the precise positioning, the plume's shadow points straight back to the Moon.

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 part of the Martian surface as imaged from the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. This is the result of the 72nd and final mission of the helicopter over the past three years. Contact was lost and part of the rotor blade was damaged as seen in the shadow. However, this mission was still a great success as it demonstrated the possibility of powered flight on another world for the first time.

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 Rosette Nebula. This is an example of an emission nebula that would normally glow red because of the emission of hydrogen gas. However, this is a narrowband image which looks at the light of three specific wavelengths and then maps them to the RGB colors. this allows us to see the detail in the gas in more detail than in other images.

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 one of the brightest globular star clusters in our galaxy, known as 47 Tuc. Globular star clusters are some of the oldest parts of our galaxy and give us a glimpse into the early history of our galaxy as well as a better idea of our own position within the Milky Way.

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 galaxies in the process of colliding and merging together. Because of the great sizes and distances involved, the entire process can take billions of years. However, it is something that most galaxies go through during their lives.

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.