Carbon Crimson Vampire

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows variable star R Leporis, better known as Hind's Crimson Star, in the constellation of Lepus. Hind's Crimson Star is a variable star, a star that varies in brightness over a period of time.

There are many variables in the sky, far more than can be observed with professional instruments. For over one hundred years, amateur astronomers, many with very modes instruments, have contributed reams of data for use by professionals, through such organizations as the AAVSO. Take a look, it might be a place for you!

Out of the Radiant

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day, an infalling of meteors from the Orionids radiate out from the Hunter.

Concentric Ellipse

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows PGC 42871, an elliptical galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. The galaxy is surrounded by shells of stars (and globular clusters within the layers of shells). What is causing this?

From the Moon to the Sun

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows an ultraviolet image of our Sun, as observed from the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission. Science fiction (most famously, perhaps, in Sir Arthur C. Clarke's Earthlight) often had telescopes on the Moon. Why isn't that in the plans for the various space programs? (There is one modest effort currently operating.)

Green Skies at Night, Sailor's Delight

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows auroral skyglow caused by energized atmospheric oxygen in the skies above the Canadian Rockies.

Northern Clouds

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows nebula in the rich starfields of Cassiopeia. IC 59 and IC 63 show their jewels.

Dark Clouds

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is Barnard 150 in the constellation of Cepheus. This dusty nebula appears black against a rich starfield and is known popularly as the Seahorse Nebula. Maybe if you squint?

Pillars of the Sky

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows light pillars (reflections off of falling ice crystals) over Lake Superior.

Clumping

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Hyperion, an example of the early formation of stars into galaxies, of galaxies into clusters, and clusters into super-clusters.

Four Visitors

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the astronauts of Apollo 12, with their Lunar Module in the background, visiting a retired veteran on the surface of the Moon.

Crowded Skies

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows a very busy sky. Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner shares the skies with a transient meteor, backed by the galactic magnificence of The Seagull Nebula.

Space Cat

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a image from the Hubble Space Telescope brining us NGC 6543, the Cat's Eye Nebula. This composite image combines the more familiar central planetary nebula with expanding shells of gas that are expanding out from the central star.

Following the Arch of the Seasons

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows us the path of the Milky Way from Summer into Fall across the night sky. On my morning walk we've brought it around to mid-Winter to early Spring with the rise of the Spring Milky Way in the East. "Mouseover" the image in the link for a constellation guide.

Where's the Dome?

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows an odd looking telescope located at the Roque del Los Muchachos Observatory at La Palma (in the Canary Islands). Where's the dome? This instrument is the first of many planned, to observe high-energy gamma rays that are visible thanks to the atmosphere.

Dense Packing

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Messier 15, a globular star cluster which circles the Milky Way, out in the direction of the constellation of Pegasus.

King of the System

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a view of Jupiter (and moons) courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope (knock on astronomical wood that it may long continue!).

Great Bird

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us a colorful image of Messier 16, the Eagle Nebula (found in the constellation of Serpens).

Forty-Two

Long-time readers will know that The Great Nebula in Orion is one of my all-time favorite sights in the sky. So, I take particular pleasure whenever the Astronomy Picture of the Day brings us a new view of a familiar, yet unfamiliar, friend.

Launch to Orbit

Today's Astronomy  Picture  of the Day shows a view from a beach walk: the recent launch of a Falcon 9 from Vandenburg Air Force Base is caught by a dog (and a couple of human types).

Transient

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the exhaust cloud from this week's launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9. Amazing sight in the night sky!

I Will Never Not Be Astounded

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is an image that has become, to many, routine. SpaceX is shown here, in a timelapse image, launching and recovering the first stage of a Falcon 9. I will never not be astounded to see these images and view footage of launches (especially from the actual vehicle involved).

It's a Gas Gas Gas

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short video that shows the odd behavior of a solar prominence as observed by the Solar Dynamic Observatory vehicle. Dig around for more video: prominences seem to flow up, flow down, appear from nowhere and shoot sideways or down, loop around and more. What an odd thing our Quiet Sun is!

Spiral and Scope

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows NGC 1672, a "barred" spiral galaxy in the constellation of Dorado. Fingers crossed for the Hubble Space Telescope. On orbit since 1990, it has recently developed some issues with the gyroscopes that help aim it and is in "safe mode".

Between the Nebula

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows an interloper, Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner passing between the Rosette Nebula and the Cone Nebula.

Galactic Scales

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a short Flash "video" showing the scale of the Universe.

Pond Life

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a frog's-eye view of the night sky over a pond in Kiruna, Sweden. Nice observatory! Nice auroral activity!

Heading to Conjunction

That's no Moon, that's a planet! Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day captures a crescent Venus as it moves ever closer to conjunction and an eventual shift from being the "Evening Star" to being the "Morning Star".

The Sleeping Rover

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is brought to us by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and shows the MER Opportunity. Opportunity was caught in the recent globe-girdling dust storms which cut the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of Mars effectively to zero. As a result, the rover was put in sleep mode in the hopes that its solar panels would be brushed clean by the wind (as has happened in the past), allowing the rover to recover as power was again generated. Mission controllers are both signaling to and listening for the rover in the hopes that this "90 day mission" can continue even longer.

Extragalactic Globular

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows us a globular cluster found in one of our satellite galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Bridges

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows multiple rainbows appearing in the skies of New Jersey as Hurricane Florence passed by.

To the Edge of Space

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the first launch from Cape Canaveral in 1950. Project Bumper combined "liberated" V-2 rockets with the U.S. Army's WAC Corporal to create a two-stage vehicle to touch the edge of space.