Find the Face

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows supernova remnant E0102-72.3. Can you find the face?

The Beads of Time

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a time lapse showing the path of Saturn (Cronos, Time) across the night sky. "Mouseover" the image in the link to show a "true image" showing the wavering path across the heavens.

Shades

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us nebular starfields in the region of Cepheus.

Galactic Triangle

If Messier 33, The Triangulum Galaxy, was as bright to our eyes over its "surface" as Sirius was, today's Astronomy Picture of the Day would be the sight that greeted us in our evening skies. Oh, to be on some extra-galactic wanderer with that as your sight!

Bricks in the Spectrum

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day breaks down the spectrum of our home star. Why the gaps?

What's Up for September?

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a overview of sights at night for the month of September.

Rock Hoppers

On occasion, classic science fiction refers to asteroid miners as "rock hoppers" (usually the term is "belter", but there's a lot of classic science fiction). Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us actual rock hoppers in the form of micro probes exploring the surface of Asteroid Ryugu.

Figure Eight

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows an analemma (the path of the Sun in the sky) over the standing stones of Callanish. "Mouseover" the image in the link to match snapshots of the Sun with dates of the year.

Sky Drapes

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows auroral activity spotted over the skies of Hudson Bay. Alas, while I was recently fairly north, we did not see anything like this!

Sidewise Through Space

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us NGC 55, an irregular galaxy seen from the edges.

Embedded

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us stars and stardust in Corona Australis (the Southern Crown).

Deep Look

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day probes the subtle beauty of IC 5146 in the constellation of Cygnus. Astounding work!

Interloper

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video showing Comet 21P crossing a small part of the sky

Shock Ring

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows AM 0644-741, a ring galaxy. When galaxies collide, we get pretty pictures!

Eruption

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows filaments of the Sun erupting into space.

The Cruel Sky

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the snow-capped peak of Mont Blanc, scuddering clouds, the serene Milky Way and a transient interloper in the form of a fleeting Perseid.

HALO

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day breaks down the details of a Sun Halo. "Mouseover" the image in the link to see what is what.

The Crowded Sky

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a crowded sky. Off in the galactic distance, the nebula and rich starfields of the constellation of Auriga. Close in, relatively speaking, a visitor to the inner system, Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner.

Phasing

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video showing the nightly shifts in the appearance of the Moon. Click on the link in order to see the video.

Sticking It Out

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day has the Milky Way, in all it's splendor, being mocked by a troll.

View from the Ridge

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video showing the full panoramic view from Vera Rubin Ridge of Mount Sharp, the current area of operations for MSL Curiosity. Click on the link to see the video (image above is static).

Galactic Crab

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is Messier 1, The Crab Nebula, as imaged by the venerable Hubble Space Telescope.

Falling, Falling

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a Perseid meteor captured "live" as it burned up in our atmosphere this past August.

Hex

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the North Polar Hexagon of Saturn, as taken by the Cassini Orbiter in 2012. And you thought Jupiter's Great Red Spot was a planetary oddity!

Bowshock Filaments

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows filaments of the Veil Nebula, the "western" part of the overall structure. The nebula is remnants of a supernova event, marking the progress of the shockwave through interstellar space.

On the Edge

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is of NGC 3682, a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo. I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a cheeseburger today.

Lava Moon

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a full Moon rising over a lava fountain. It puts me in mind of the birth of the Moon as depicted in the cheesy classic One Million Years B.C. and the birth of a second moon as depicted in the equally cheesy classic Crack in the World. Ah, the cinema!

Halo Effect

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is an image from the lamented Cassini Orbiter, taken in 2017, and combined with an image from the venerable (and still functioning, long may it do so!) Hubble Space Telescope.

What is happening on Saturn? Auroral activity. Imagine being on the "surface" (well, maybe in a balloon!) and being able to view both those auroras and those rings!

Outburst

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video showing a 2003 flare on our home star. Currently in a "quiet period", the Sun can surprise us with outbursts. In fact, today marks one of the most powerful outbursts, in the year 1859.

Wisps

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day combines data from Earth-observing satellites to show the presence and pathways of sea salt aerosols, carbon aerosols and dust aerosols across our blue planet.