Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 8
A starfield shows many red nebulas near the center. Running vertically
up the left side are about 20 images of a comet, with the head towards
the image bottom. Successively higher images of the comet show
successively shorter tails. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

Comet R3 PanSTARRS Through Time
Image Credit & Copyright: Jakub Ku+Ö+ík & Martin Ma+íek (FZU of the Czech
Academy of Sciences)

Explanation: What happens to a comet as it leaves our inner Solar
System? Now, the arrival of a comet
into the inner Solar System is typically heralded with great fanfare
and high hopes that the comet will become bright and photogenic. But on
the way out, the comet's nucleus is less warmed by the Sun, less gas
and dust are expelled, the bright coma around the nucleus shrinks and
fades, and the tail length drops off. Many comets will then return to
the outer Solar System and only return in hundreds or thousands of
years. In contrast, some comets -- like Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) --
receive a gravitational kick from the planets and so will never return.
Pictured, Comet R3 PanSTARRs was imaged deeply many nights in early to
mid-May near Cerro Paranal in Chile. Later images appear closer to the
top and clearly show the shrinking ion tail.

Comet R3 Gallery: Comet R3 PanSTARRS in 2026
Tomorrow's picture: heady Thor
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 9
A starfield surrounds a complex nebula with many red and blue
filaments. Dark streams of dust also populate the nebula. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.

Thor's Helmet
Image Credit & Copyright: Josep Drudis, Christian Sasse

Explanation: Thor not only has his own day (Thursday), but a helmet in
the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359 is a hat-shaped
cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages. Heroically sized even for a
Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the
cosmic head-covering is more like an interstellar bubble, blown by a
fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center. Known
as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant
thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. NGC 2359 is
located about 15,000 light-years away toward the constellation of the
Great Overdog. This sharp image is a combination of deep images taken
in light emitted by hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue). The star in the
center of Thor's Helmet is expected to explode in a spectacular
supernova sometime within the next few thousand years.

Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 10
Gas, dust, and stars are scattered across the image. A dark silhouette
that looks like an eagle swoops downward towards three small pillars of
gas. Other gas and dust pillar-like features reach out of the
surrounding nebula. A central cluster of stars sits beneath the eagle
silhouette.

The Eagle Nebula and Friends
Image Credit & Copyright: Emmanuel Delgadillo
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: What looks as if it is going to swallow the great Pillars
of Creation? The Eagle Nebula (M16) is not a bird, a plane, or
Superman. M16 is actually a combination of several celestial objects.
NGC 6611 is the young star cluster that appears to peak out beneath the
EagleCÇÖs CÇ£wingsCÇØ. The ultraviolet light from these stars ionizes the
surrounding gas, creating the emission nebula IC 4703. The Stellar
Spire is seen reaching towards the Pillars of Creation from the left.
Both are structures of cold gas and dust that are optimal for star
formation. Some astronomers previously thought the Pillars of Creation
had been evaporated away by a supernova. Because M16 is 6,000 light
years away, we would not be able to see the PillarsCÇÖ destruction for
thousands more years. However, there is no conclusive evidence of the
theorized supernova, so the Pillars of Creation will likely continue to
create stars for millions of years.

Tomorrow's picture: mermaids in space!
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 11
A delicate nebula in shades of blue and purple shines in front of a
dark field of stars. The shape of the nebula resembles a mermaid.

The Mermaid Nebula Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Data acquisition: Sy Ming Wong; Processing:
Guangyan Gao
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: Could the Little Mermaid turn into stardust instead of
seafoam? It would seem so in this beautiful nebula. The featured image
shows the Mermaid Nebula, also known as the Betta Fish Nebula, which is
part of the G296.5+10.0 Supernova Remnant. The blue color visible here
originates from doubly ionized oxygen (OIII), while the deep red is
emitted by hydrogen gas. Estimated to be located a few thousand
light-years away and about 10,000 years old, this nebula was formed
when a massive star exploded as a supernova. It left behind a peculiar
pulsar, a young radio-quiet neutron star that spins around about twice
every second. The bright stars shown in the image are unassociated with
the nebula. The pulsar can be detected in the X-rays but it does not
have a confirmed detection in the optical (visible light) so far. As a
result, the pulsar itself is not visible in this image.

Tomorrow's picture: what's next?
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 12

Venus and Jupiter: Conjunction from Avebury
Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Dury

Explanation: To see Venus and Jupiter together this month, you won't
need binoculars or even a telescope. Just look up after sunset and
you'll find them emerging as the sky grows dark near the western
horizon. In fact, on June 9 the two brightest planets were in close
conjunction, separated on the sky by less than 2 degrees from our
perspective. Since (brighter) inner planet Venus orbits the Sun faster
than outer planet Jupiter, it catches up with and passes the outer
planet along the ecliptic roughly every 13 months. But every three
years or so their resulting conjunction can be viewed far enough from
the Sun to be easily seen in Earth's twilight skies. On June 9, the two
celestial beacon's close "cosmic kiss" was captured here next to the
two large standing stones at the cove within a 4,000 year old stone
circle at Avebury, UK. Larger than Stonehenge, the Avebury henge and
stone circle complex is also recognized as one of the most significant
neolithic ceremonial sites on planet Earth.

Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 13

Interplanetary Earth
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA & NASA / JHU
Applied Physics Lab / Carnegie Inst. Washington

Explanation: In an interplanetary first, on July 19, 2013 Earth was
photographed on the same day from two other worlds of the Solar System,
innermost planet Mercury and ringed gas giant Saturn. Pictured on the
left, Earth is the pale blue dot just below the rings of Saturn, as
captured by the robotic Cassini spacecraft then orbiting the outermost
gas giant. On that same day people across planet Earth snapped many of
their own pictures of Saturn. On the right, the Earth-Moon system is
seen against the dark background of space as captured by the sunward
MESSENGER spacecraft, then in Mercury orbit. MESSENGER took its image
as part of a search for small natural satellites of Mercury, moons that
would be expected to be quite dim. In the MESSENGER image, the brighter
Earth and Moon are both overexposed and shine brightly with reflected
sunlight. Destined not to return to their home world, both Cassini and
MESSENGER have since retired from their missions of Solar System
exploration.

Tomorrow's picture: planets passing
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 14
A sunset sky is shown in four vertical bands. Two bright planets appear
getting closer together from left to right. The dates of the images
appear at the bottom. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

10 Days of Venus and Jupiter
Image Credit & Copyright: Aditya Pawar

Explanation: Venus and Jupiter may have caught your attention lately.
The recent close conjunction of the two brightest planets in recent
evening skies has been hard to miss. With Jupiter at the top, starting
on May 30 and ending on June 8, their close approach was chronicled
daily, left to right, in the featured panels from Maharashtra, India.
Near the western horizon, the evening sky colors and exposures used for
each panel depend on the local conditions near sunset. At their closest
on June 9, the celestial pair appeared to be only about three times the
width of a full moon apart. Of course, on that date, the two planets
were physically separated by over 600 million kilometers in their
orbits around the Sun. In the coming days, Jupiter will slowly settle
into the sunset glare, but Venus will continue to move farther from the
Sun in the western sky to excel in its current role as the brilliant
evening star.

Gallery: Venus - Jupiter Conjunction of 2026 June
Tomorrow's picture: triple Sun shock
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 15
The disk of the Sun is shown with a rocket launching through it. The
rising rocket shows a plume behind it and three unusual waves curve
around its top tip. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Triple Shockwave from Sun Crossing Rocket
Image Credit & Copyright: John Winkopp (WAI Media)

Explanation: What's happening to this Sun-crossing rocket? The SpaceX
Falcon 9 rocket, visible on the upper left, launched only about one
minute before this amazing image was captured. As it rose to low Earth
orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, in late May, the rocket became
supersonic before it crossed the disk of the distant Sun -- from the
perspective of the well-placed photographer. The spacecraft's high
speed caused bow-shaped compressed-air shockwaves to form across
leading surfaces, with at least three visible even outside the Sun's
disk because they refract sunlight. The trailing exhaust caused
turbulence visible on the lower right. None of this was damaging to the
robotic Starlink 10-53 mission, which delivered 29 communications
satellites to low Earth orbit as planned. And if that isn't amazing
enough - the Sun had spots!

Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
1995)
Tomorrow's picture: rings and moons
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 16
Saturn is shown up close with its ring plane running up diagonally from
the lower right. Two small moons are visible. Near the top of the
planet are large dark bands that are shadows of the rings onto Saturn's
cloud tops. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Moons, Rings, Shadows, Clouds: Saturn (Cassini)
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Institute

Explanation: While cruising around Saturn, be on the lookout for
picturesque arrangements of moons, rings, and shadows. One such
striking sight occurred in 2005 and was captured by the then
Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft. In the featured image, moons Mimas
(left) and Tethys (right) are visible on either side of Saturn's thin
rings, which are seen nearly edge-on. Across the top of Saturn are dark
shadows of the wide rings, exhibiting their impressive complexity. The
violet-light image brings up the texture of the backdrop: Saturn's
clouds. Cassini orbited Saturn from 2004 until mid-2017, when the
robotic spacecraft was directed to dive into Saturn to keep it from
contaminating any moons.

Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 17
A gaseous structure that resembles a hamster wheel sits near the center
of the image. Inside is a bright white dwarf star. There is a larger
asymmetric gas bubble surrounding the inner nebula. A galaxy sits to
the bottom right. The background is composed of foreground and
background stars, as well as distant galaxies.

Longmore 8: The Hamster Wheel Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Mazlin, Parker, Forman, Magill, Hanson
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: How did a hamster wheel get into space? The Hamster Wheel
Nebula (Longmore 8) was discovered by Andrew Longmore in 1976 as a part
of a larger survey of the southern sky. This survey employed several
improvements in photographic technology, including the use of highly
sensitive film, to capture deeper and fainter objects on plates that
were examined by eye and catalogued. The featured image, taken at
Observatorio El Sauce in Chile, depicts an intricate wheel structure of
glowing hydrogen that was thrown out into space by a dying star and
ionized by the leftover white dwarf. This structure was barely visible
on the original plate, emphasizing the power of modern telescopes and
cameras. Two opposing clumps of red hydrogen gas encased in the blue
veil of ionized oxygen hint at the presence of a companion to the
bright white dwarf at the wheelCÇÖs center!

Tomorrow's picture: a supernova remnant?
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 18
A composite image shows a field of stars on a dark background, together
X-rays in blue and radio in red

Possible Supernova Remnant in Galactic Center
Image Credit & Copyright: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UCLA/Z. Zhu et al.;
ESA/XMM-Newton; Optical: PanSTARRS; Radio: MeerKAT; Image Processing:
NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and P. Edmonds
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: Do you see that blue blob to the lower right of the image
center? Astronomers think that it shows where a massive star exploded
as a supernova whose light reached Earth 1,700 years ago. The image
combines optical data from the PanSTARRS telescopes in Hawaii
(background stars in red, green, and blue), radio from the MeerKAT
telescope in South Africa (large red cloud) and X-rays from NASA's
Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESACÇÖs XMM-Newton (shown in blue). The
large cloud is a star forming region called Sagittarius C, which is
approximately 50 light-years in extent and about 26,000 light-years
from Earth. It is located only about 260 light-years from the
supermassive black hole in the center of the Galaxy (off to the left of
the image). If the blue blob is confirmed to be a supernova remnant, it
would be one of the closest ever discovered to the Galactic Center. In
this dense region, the deaths of massive stars are connected to the
birth of new stars through gas and magnetic fields in a complex way.

Tomorrow's picture: Vincent
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 19
A sunset sky is seen above a dark sloping horizon. A tall tree is on
the left. The sky is partly cloudy with a crescent Moon on the upper
right and a bright planet just to the right of the tree. Next to the
tree in the foreground on the right is an easel showing the famous van
Gogh painting Starry Night. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

Starry Night II
Image Credit & Copyright: Rodrigo Guerra, Original Painting: Vincent
van Gogh

Explanation: Does this scene look familiar? It is a modern recreation
of the famous painting Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Both the image
and the painting depict a tall tree on the left, a crescent moon on the
upper right, the planet Venus just to the right of the tree, a
foreground horizon rising from left to right, and clouds above the
horizon. Differences include that the photograph was taken in mid-April
earlier this year in Cascavel, Brazil, while the painting was composed
in Saint-R+¬my-de-Provence, France, in 1889. The original Starry Night
is considered by many to be one of the three most famous paintings in
the world today and a statement about the wonders of the night sky.
Today is (roughly) the anniversary of the morning that van Gogh saw the
sky that he later painted in his version of Starry Night.

Night Sky Jigsaw: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
Tomorrow's picture: Sometimes, I like the clouds.
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 20

Daytime Moon Meets Evening Star
Image Credit & Copyright: Debra Ceravolo

Explanation: Venus is now appearing on the celestial stage as Earth's
brilliant evening star, performing with the Moon, other wandering
planets, and bright stars in western skies. For evening sky gazers on
June 17, the celestial beacon rose after sunset close by a young,
slender, crescent Moon. But from some locations the Moon could be seen
to occult or pass in front of Venus. And from a backyard observatory in
southern British Columbia, Canada, the lunar occultation was played out
in daylight. This stunning telescopic snapshot captured a scene in
dramatically cloudy skies, following Venus' hour long disappearance, as
the evening star emerged beyond the bright lunar limb.

Tomorrow's picture: keogram of the sky
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 21
An image of the sky over the Netherlands taken every 15 seconds during
2025. Visible are night, day, solstices, equinoxes, moonglow, the blue
hour, and more. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Keogram: The Sky in 2025
Image Credit & License: Cees Bassa (Netherlands Institute for Radio
Astronomy)

Explanation: What if you could see the entire sky -- all at once -- for
an entire year? That, very nearly, is what is pictured here. Every 15
seconds during 2025, an all-sky camera took an image of the sky over
the Netherlands. Central columns from these images were then aligned
and combined to create the featured keogram, with January at the top,
December at the bottom, and the middle of the night running vertically
just left of center. What do we see? Most obviously, the daytime sky is
mostly blue, while the nighttime sky is mostly black. The twelve light
bands crossing the night sky are caused by the glow of the Moon. The
thinnest part of the black hourglass shape occurs during the summer
solstice, like today, when days are the longest, while the thickest
part occurs at the winter solstice. Equinoxes can also be located in
the keogram, for example the northern-spring equinox from one year ago
is about three-quarters of the way up.

Tomorrow's picture: Sun's future
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 23

Flying Past Neptune's Moon Triton
Image Credit: NASA; JPL, Voyager 2, Digital composition: Paul Schenk
(LPI, USRA)

Explanation: What would it look like to fly past Triton, the largest
moon of planet Neptune? Only one spacecraft has ever done this -- and
the images of this dramatic encounter have been gathered into a video.
In 1989, the Voyager 2 robotic spacecraft shot through the Neptune
system with cameras blazing. Triton is slightly smaller than Earth's
Moon but has ice volcanoes and a surface rich in frozen nitrogen. The
first sequence in the video shows Voyager's approach to Triton, which,
with the exception of an overall false green tint, appears in
approximately true color. The mysterious cantaloupe terrain seen under
the spacecraft soon changed from light to dark, with the terminator of
night crossing underneath. After closest approach, Voyager pivoted to
see the departing moon, now visible as a diminishing crescent. In 2015,
the robotic New Horizons spacecraft famously flew past Pluto, an orb of
similar size to Triton.

Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 24

SDO Observes a Coronal Mass Ejection
Video Credit: NASA, SDO, AIA; Processing: Richard Petarius III (MTU)
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: Why does the Sun throw stuff at us? The SunCÇÖs surface is a
churning soup of energetic electrons and ions called plasma. The motion
of those charged particles creates magnetic field loops that are larger
than the Earth. These loops twist, turn, and trap plasma. The featured
time-lapse, taken over 2 hours on April 24th, 2026 by the Solar
Dynamics Observatory, shows what happens when those magnetic fields
become too stressed: they snap and expel billions of tons (trillions of
kilograms) of plasma into space at millions of miles (or kilometers)
per hour in what is called a coronal mass ejection (CME). The Sun
releases a few CMEs each day when it is at the peak of its activity
cycle, which passed in 2025. Some of these eruptions hit Earth and can
disrupt power grids, disable satellites, and endanger astronauts, which
is why space weather monitoring is so important.

Tomorrow's picture: anticrepuscular rays
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 25
A landscape with an open horizon shows sunset color and coverging rays
of light.

Anticrepuscular Rays over Sicily
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: The Sun has just set... in the opposite side of the sky.
Pictured here are anticrepuscular rays apparently converging in the
east in this image of the limestone plateau in the heart of the
Hyblaean Mountains of southeastern Sicily, in Italy. How were these
anticrepuscular rays formed, if the Sun wasn't there? After the Sun set
(in the west, as usual) its light still illuminated a cloud higher up
in the sky. Partially blocked by the cloud, the sunlight produced
patterns of light and shadow, crossing the sky in parallel lines.
Perspective makes it look like they converge in the east, in the same
way that train tracks appear to meet in the distance. This effect can
also happen at sunrise, only the directions are exchanged. In rare
cases, both crepuscular and anticrepuscular rays can be seen at the
same time.

Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 26

Milky Way Urban Style
Image Credit & Copyright: Shingoo Lee

Explanation: In a cosmic vista you can never see, the Milky Way arcs
through the night above Seoul, South Korea. Remarkably, this urban
night skyscape reveals our galaxy's faintly luminous central region and
dark obscuring dust clouds in spite of the brilliant city lights. To
overcome the extreme light pollution of the metropolitan area and
record faint cosmic details, an infrared filter was used to capture the
night scene in a single exposure. While the filter transmits
predominately infrared light, it still passes some visible light to
give the scene a natural appearance. The view is from Seoul's Ttukseom
Hangang Park, with the Han River and a well lit railway bridge across
the foreground. The 123 story Lotte World Tower looms in the distance,
the tallest building in South Korea.

Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 27

Mars Marathon by Perseverance
Image Credit: NASA, LPL (U. Arizona), MRO, HiRISE

Explanation: In this recent HiRISE view from the Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter, the little green dot indicated on the surface of the big Red
Planet is the Perseverance Mars rover. Recorded on June 13, the
car-sized, six-wheeled robot was imaged a day before completing a
Martian marathon, traveling a total distance of 26.218 miles (42.195
kilometers) since it began exploring the surface of Mars. That
equivalent marathon distance was achieved by Perseverance on its
mission sol (Martian day) 1,890, after about 5 Earth years and 4 Earth
months of driving. Perseverance is continuing to hunt for
biosignatures. In the HiRISE image, the Mars rover's tracks can be seen
leading to its location in an area west of its landing site in Jezero
crater near an ancient river delta.

Tomorrow's picture: supergalactic
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 28
The Sun is pictured in yellow with surface structure. In the middle of
the frame are many circuitous dark spots. The edge of the Sun is
visible at the top of the image. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

AR 4478: Giant Sunspot Group
Image Credit & Copyright: Alfredo Vidal P+¬rez

Explanation: Right now, one of the largest sunspot groups in recent
history is crossing the Sun. Active Region 4478 is not only big -- it's
violent, showing tangled magnetic fields capable of throwing off huge
clouds of particles into the Solar System. Some of these CMEs might
impact the Earth. At the extreme, these solar storms could cause some
Earth-orbiting satellites to malfunction, the Earth's atmosphere to
slightly distort, and electrical power grids to surge. When impacting
Earth's upper atmosphere, these particles can produce beautiful
auroras. Pictured here, AR 4478 and its dark sunspots were captured in
visible light a few days ago from Barcelona, Spain. Almost as large as
AR 3664 was in 2024, the AR 4478 sunspot group is so big that it is
visible just with glasses specially designed to view solar eclipses.
This week, skygazing enthusiasts all over the globe will not only be
tracking AR 4478 during the day -- but keenly watching night skies for
its corresponding bright auroras.

Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
1995)
Tomorrow's picture: supergalactic wind
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 29
A starfield surrounds an unusual object with a band of diffuse white
crossing horizontally. Emanating out from the band toward both the top
and the bottom of the frame is an orange and red nebula. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI, Tufts), T. Williams
(U. Manchester); Image Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)

Explanation: Why is the Cigar Galaxy billowing red smoke? M82, as this
starburst galaxy is also known, was stirred up by a recent pass near
large spiral galaxy M81. This doesn't fully explain the source of the
red-glowing outwardly expanding gas and dust, however. Evidence
indicates that this gas and dust is being driven out by the combined
emerging particle winds of many stars, together creating a galactic
superwind. The dust particles are thought to originate in M82's
interstellar medium and are actually similar in size to particles in
cigar smoke. The featured photographic mosaic combines images taken in
visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope and images taken in
infrared light from James Webb Space Telescope. It shows the
light-colored central galaxy nearly edge on across the image center
with tremendous orange and red colored filaments of gas and dust
extending both up and down. The filaments extend for over 10,000 light
years. The 12-million light-year distant Cigar Galaxy is the brightest
galaxy in the sky in infrared light and can be seen in visible light
with a small telescope towards the constellation of the Great Bear
(Ursa Major).

Tomorrow's picture: smooth asteroid
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 June 30
Dark space surrounds a gray peanut sized object. The object has a
surface that has many rough nodules but also some relatively smooth
sections. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Unusually Smooth Sections of Asteroid Itokawa
Image Credit: JAXA, ISAS

Explanation: Why are parts of this asteroid's surface so smooth? The
answer seems likely to do with the dynamics of an asteroid that is a
loose pile of rubble rather than a solid rock. The unusual asteroid
Itokawa was visited by the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa in 2005 which
imaged and documented its unusual structure and mysterious lack of
craters. Analyses of the border regions between smooth and rugged
sections indicate that jostling of the asteroid might be creating
segregation between large and small rocks near the surface, like the
Brazil nut effect. The robotic Hayabusa actually touched down on one of
the smooth patches, dubbed the MUSES Sea, and collected soil samples.
These samples were returned to Earth and are not only giving clues to
the ancient history of this unusual asteroid, but also about the early
years of our entire Solar System. Computer simulations show that
500-meter asteroid Itokawa may impact the Earth within the next few
million years.

Rocking Space: Today is Asteroid Day
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 1
A handful of different types of clouds splatter across the image, with
bright stars embedded within. Dust blocks some parts of the clouds.
Many small stars cover the background, with a cluster of them sitting
in the bottom right beneath all the clouds.

The Cotton Candy Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi
Image Credit & Copyright: +üngel Molina
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: Although they look like cotton candy, you cannot eat these
clouds! Taken in C+ídiz, Spain, today's image features the Rho Ophiuchi
complex, a rich tapestry of young and old astronomical phenomena. This
colorful cloud complex is a nearby star-forming region containing
hundreds of young stellar objects, including protostars and T Tauri
stars. Light from the triple star system at its center reflects off of
small dust grains to create the blue reflection nebula. Ultraviolet
light from hot stars ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, creating the
red emission nebula. Antares, a red supergiant big enough to engulf the
Solar SystemCÇÖs asteroid belt, lights up the yellow region. Dark
interstellar dust blocks some of the complexCÇÖs color. Recent JWST
observations exhibit shadows cast by hidden circumstellar disks, the
beginning stages of planet formation. Messier 4, a globular cluster
almost as old as the universe, sits in the bottom right and witnesses
yet another chaotic burst of youth in the Milky Way.

Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
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NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 2
Against a bright field of stars, a yellow nebula with blue details, a
purple filament on the left and a bright star on the right.

Sibling Supernova Remnants
Image Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Michailidis et
al. 2026; optical: DSS; infrared: NASA/WISE/JPL-Caltech/UCLA;
ultraviolet: NASA/Swift
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: What happens when one of the stars in a binary goes
supernova? This image combines visible (yellow), ultraviolet (purple)
and infrared light (cyan, red and orange) to show two supernova
remnants and their surrounding environment, about 6,000 light-years
away. The younger one is the well-known Jellyfish Nebula in the center
(mostly in yellow). If we could see it by eye, it would appear larger
than the full moon in the sky. The filament shown in purple is part of
an older, overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3. A new study used
data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to piece together
their story. Astronomers believe that there were two stars in a binary
system, then the first one exploded as a supernova, kicking away its
companion, which also exploded as a supernova tens of thousands of
years later, creating the superimposed supernova remnants we see today.
The bright star on the right is actually a triple star system named
Propus.

Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 3

Three Galaxies in Pavo
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby

Explanation: Some 190 million light-years away, far beyond the bright
stars and nebulae of the Milky Way, these three galaxies are drawn
together by gravity in a mesmerizing cosmic dance. Clearly distorted by
galactic-scale gravitational interactions, large spiral galaxies
NGC6769 and NGC6770 are seen face-on, with luminous galactic disks
scarred by obscuring interstellar dust lanes. Their young blue star
clusters along drawn out spiral arms are spawned in star forming
regions that result from collisions of massive molecular clouds. Below,
spiral NGC6771 presents a more edge-on perspective, its boxy central
bulge due to tidal star streams. Of course, in the distant future a
merger of the three galaxies is inevitable. At the estimated distance
of this galaxy trio, known to some as the Devil's Mask, the sharp
telescopic frame spans over 300 thousand light-years within the
boundaries of the far southern constellation Pavo.

Tomorrow's picture: beach balls from Earth
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 4

Pathfinder on Mars
Image Credit: Mars Pathfinder, JPL, NASA

Explanation: On July 4th, 1997, using its own array of fireworks, a
parachute, and a cocoon of airbags, the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft
bounced like a giant beach ball at least 15 times before it came to
rest on the surface of Mars at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time. After
its then novel airbag-assisted landing sequence was completed,
Pathfinder transmitted this color mosaic to mission operators on Earth.
In the scene from another world, the Mars Sojourner robot rover is
visible in the foreground, crouched on top of the unfolded Pathfinder.
About the size of a large house cat, the six-wheeled, solar-powered
Sojourner became the first successful Martian rover. Surrounding
Pathfinder are deflated airbags and the rock-strewn terrain of the Ares
Vallis floodplain. In the distance Martian hills appear against a dusty
brownish sky. The Pathfinder lander was subsequently renamed the Carl
Sagan Memorial Station.

Tomorrow's picture: painting Iapetus
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 5
An unusually colored ball is shown against a dark background. The ball
has numerous craters but a very large cratered near the lower center.
Much of the ball is light colored, but around the right and top it is
green-brown, with a border area that seems splattered. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

Saturn's Iapetus: Painted Moon
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, SSI, Cassini Imaging Team

Explanation: What has happened to Saturn's moon Iapetus? Vast sections
of this strange world are dark as coal, while others are as bright as
snow. To help better understand this unusually tinted moon, in 2007
NASA directed the robotic Cassini spacecraft then orbiting Saturn to
swoop within 2,000 kilometers. Pictured here, from about 75,000
kilometers out, is the hemisphere of Iapetus that is always trailing. A
large impact crater seen in the south spans 500 kilometers and appears
superposed on an older crater of similar size. The dark material is
seen increasingly coating the easternmost part of Iapetus, darkening
craters and highlands alike. A leading hypothesis is that the dark
material is mostly a form of carbon-rich soil leftover from when
relatively warm but dirty ice sublimates. An initial coating of this
dark material may have been effectively painted on by the accretion of
meteor-liberated debris from other moons.

Jigsaw Moon: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
Tomorrow's picture: dueling space bands
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 6
A distant person stands on a rocky landscape. Above is a starry sky.
Rising up from the horizon on either side of the person are bright
arching spires. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Dueling Bands over the Atacama Desert
Image Credit & Copyright: Julien Looten

Explanation: What are these two bands in the sky? The more commonly
seen band is on the left and is the central band of our Milky Way
galaxy. Our Sun orbits in the disk of this spiral galaxy so that from
inside, it appears as a band of comparable brightness all the way
around the sky. The less commonly seen band, on the right, is zodiacal
light -- sunlight reflected from dust orbiting the Sun in our Solar
System. Zodiacal light is brightest near the Sun and so is best seen
just before sunrise or just after sunset. On some evenings, this ribbon
of zodiacal light can appear quite prominent. It was discovered only in
this century that zodiacal dust was mostly expelled by comets that have
passed near Jupiter. The featured image was captured about a year ago
from the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Tomorrow's picture: dueling space dragons
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 7
The featured image shows the nebulae NGC 6188 and NGC 6164. The former
is a star forming region near the image center filled with glowing gas
and laced with dust that resembles dragons. The smaller NGC 6164 is
seen on the lower right is an emission nebula created by a single
massive star in its center. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

NGC 6188: Dragons of Ara
Image Credit & Copyright: Rod Prazeres

Explanation: Where can you find dragons fighting in the night sky? In
the southern constellation of the Altar: Ara. The dragons are, of
course, actually made of suggestively shaped gas and dust. The
celestial home of the mythological battling beasts is cataloged as NGC
6188 and located about 4,000 light years away near the edge of a large
molecular cloud. Massive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1
association were formed there only a few million years ago, sculpting
the dark shapes and powering the nebular glow with stellar winds and
intense ultraviolet radiation. Joining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas,
visible toward the lower right, is unusual emission nebula NGC 6164,
also created by one of the region's massive stars. This impressively
wide field picture, captured from Queensland, Australia, spans over 2
degrees (four full Moons).

Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 8

Swift Boost Mission
Image Credit: Katalyst Space
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: Sometimes we can all use a little help from a friend.
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory needs a boost to stay in orbit
after almost 22 years of service. This video shows an artist's
visualization of the Swift Boost Mission: The Katalyst's LINK
spacecraft was launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket on
July 3 and it is now en route to rendezvous with Swift and boost it to
a higher orbit over the course of the next several months. This type of
maneuver has never been attempted before. If successful, it will be the
technology demonstration of a new key capability to extended the
lifetime of spacecraft in low Earth orbit, whose orbits decay over
time. Swift has an array of instruments that observe the most energetic
explosions in the Universe in gamma-rays, X-rays and ultraviolet, and
the unique ability to repoint in their direction within tens of
seconds. Astronomers around the world, and indeed all fans of cosmic
explosions, are anxiously hoping for a successful mission!

Tomorrow's picture: Cosmic bat
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 9
There is a dark cloud of gas and dust resembling a bat with
outstretched wings in the middle of the image. Two spots appear to glow
from within where there are young stars. A different more diffuse glow
appears to outline just below the bat and extending outward from the
bats head. The background is scattered with stars.

The Red Glow of the Cosmic Bat Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Humbert C+¬dric
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: This Cosmic Bat wishes you a happy Summerween! This
mid-year celebration of Halloween transcends hemispheres, even though
summer in the Northern hemisphere is winter in the South. Contrary to
its eery aura, the Cosmic Bat Nebula (LDN 43), not to be confused with
the Bat Nebula (NGC 6995), is a vibrant birthplace for stars. A bit of
young starlight peeks through the dense clouds of gas and dust that
make up the Cosmic BatCÇÖs 12 lightyear wingspan. The ultraviolet light
from the young stars energizes the nebulaCÇÖs hydrogen gas, causing it to
glow an ominous red. The jet of glowing hydrogen gas emerging from the
batCÇÖs head hints at the star formation hidden within.

Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 10

Western Moon, Eastern Sea
Image Credit & Copyright: Guy Bardon

Explanation: The Mare Orientale, Latin for Eastern Sea, is one of the
most striking large scale lunar features. The youngest of the large
lunar impact basins it's very difficult to see from an earthbound
perspective. Still, captured on July 7 during a period of favorable
tilt, or libration of the lunar nearside, the Eastern Sea can be found
at the upper right in this sharp telescopic view. In the image, the
large lunar mare is extremely foreshortened and stretches along the
Moon's western edge. Formed by the impact of an asteroid over 3 billion
years ago and nearly 1000 kilometers across, the impact basin's
concentric circular features are ripples in the lunar crust. But they
are a little easier to spot in more direct images of the region taken
from lunar orbit. So why is the Eastern Sea at the Moon's western edge?
The Mare Orientale lunar feature was named before 1961. That's when the
convention labeling east and west on lunar maps was reversed.

Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 11

Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Ayoub

Explanation: Unlike most entries in Charles Messier's famous catalog of
deep sky objects, M24 is not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.
It's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allows a
view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral arm of our Milky
Way galaxy. Direct your gaze through this gap with binoculars or a
small telescope and you are looking through a window over 300
light-years wide at stars some 10,000 light-years or more from Earth.
Sometimes called the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, M24's luminous stars
stretch across this gorgeous interstellar scene. Spanning over four
full moons on the sky toward the constellation Sagittarius, the
telescopic field of view includes dark markings B92 and B93 near the
center of M24, along with other clouds of dust and glowing nebulae
toward the center of the Milky Way.

Tomorrow's picture: shells and streams
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 12
A starfield surrounds a complex background galaxy. The galaxy center is
surrounded by numerous shells, some circular and concentric, but others
colorful and filamentary. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Galaxy NGC 474: Shells and Star Streams
Image Credit & License: CFHT, Coelum, MegaCam, J.-C. Cuillandre (CFHT)
& G. A. Anselmi (Coelum)

Explanation: What's happening to galaxy NGC 474? The multiple layers of
emission appear strangely complex given the relatively featureless
appearance of the elliptical galaxy in less deep images. The cause of
the shells is a topic of research, but they are possibly tidal tails
related to debris left over from absorbing numerous small galaxies in
the past billion years. Alternatively, the shells may be like ripples
in a pond, where the ongoing collision with the spiral galaxy just to
the right of NGC 474 is causing density waves to ripple through the
galactic giant. Regardless of the actual cause, the featured image
dramatically highlights the increasing evidence that the halos of some
elliptical galaxies are surprisingly complicated. Similarly, the halo
of our own Milky Way Galaxy is one example of such unexpected
intricacies. NGC 474 spans about 250,000 light years and lies about 100
million light years distant toward the constellation of the Fish
(Pisces).

Tomorrow's picture: aurora below
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 13

Auroras from Space
Image Credit: ESA, NASA, ISS Expedition 74; Capture: Sophie Adenot;
Music: Circle of Light (Patrick Hawes & Grace Davidson)

Explanation: What do auroras look like from above? Behold! From the
ground, auroras dance high above clouds, frequently causing spectacular
displays. From space, they look a bit different. As the International
Space Station (ISS) circles the Earth every 90 minutes, it sometimes
sees auroras below that are active on the night side. A one-hour
time-lapse video showing auroras from above was captured about two
weeks ago from the orbiting ISS. The ISS -- and all objects in low
Earth orbit -- will pass well above green auroras but just a bit above
red glowing auroras. The auroras' electron and proton streams are too
thin to be a danger to the ISS, just as clouds pose little danger to
airplanes. From orbit, as magnetic fields change, auroras can appear to
squiggle and crawl like giant snakes. The featured one-minute video was
captured by French astronaut Sophie Adenot of the ISS Expedition 74
crew.

Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
1995)
Tomorrow's picture: asteroid double
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 14
A large rocky object floats in dark space. The object is gray and has
many small protrusions. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Double Lobed Asteroid Torifune
Image Credit & Copyright: JAXA, U. of Tokyo, Chiba Tech, Tokyo U. of
Science, AIST, Paris Obs., IAC

Explanation: Why is this asteroid a double? Earlier this month the
Japanese robotic spacecraft Hayabusa2 shot past asteroid 98943 Torifune
and captured pictures. Although previous observations from distant
Earth indicated that Torifune was oblong, Hayabusa2 found that Torifune
actually has two joined lobes. With a length of about four soccer
fields, this space rock frequently comes near the Earth as it orbits
the Sun, although it is not a threat. Besides the two lobes, Torifune
shows many large boulders, but, surprisingly, no obvious craters,
likely because its surface is a pile of rubble. Like asteroid Arrokoth,
it appears that each lobe formed separately before colliding and
becoming stuck together. Hayabusa2 famously encountered asteroid Ryugu
in 2018, and now heads for an encounter in 2031 with 1998 KY26, a
smaller asteroid that rotates unusually fast and might have reservoirs
of ice.

Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 15
Lightning spreads like roots from a tree up into the atmosphere from
the top of a cloud. Stars are scattered across the night sky above and
the desert sits below the cloud deck.

Red Sprites in the Tatacoa Desert
Image Credit & Copyright: Mario Vargas
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: Is there an angry Sith using force lightning in the
Tatacoa Desert? This is not science fiction, but a red sprite with
multiple streamers! Ordinary lightning occurs when thundercloud
particles collide, lose their electrons, and build up negative charge
at the cloud bottom. The cloudCÇÖs negative charge repels negative charge
deeper into the Earth, leaving EarthCÇÖs surface positively charged. The
opposite charges attract, reaching towards each other and superheating
the air into a white strike of plasma. Red sprites are millisecond
events triggered by positive cloud-to-ground lightning. They extend up
into the mesosphere where the air is too thin for thunder. Their red
glow comes from heated molecular nitrogen. There are several potential
causes for red sprites, including that the preceding positive lightning
exposes the negatively charged cloud core to the positively charged
upper atmosphere, allowing those charges to connect. NASACÇÖs Juno has
observed sprites on Jupiter, indicating that sprites occur on other
planets!

Tomorrow's picture: a galaxy bursting with excitement
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 16
A bright spiral galaxy shows stars and colorful clous of gas in red,
green and blue colors. The background is a dark field of stars.

NGC 300: A Cosmic Gemstone with Stars and Gas Clouds
Image Credit & Copyright: Team Ciel Austral
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: This sparkling, colorful gemstone is a spiral galaxy, NGC
300. It is one of the closest spiral galaxies to Earth, only about 6
million light-years away. But does it really look like this? Here is a
more standard portrait of it. This unusual image combines the light
from the stars and dust within the galaxy with the light from ionized
clouds of interstellar gas shown in red (Sulphur), green (Hydrogen) and
blue (Oxygen). Combining red and green light in different proportions
makes yellow or orange light, most visible in the image. Light from
other ionized gases is also at work in neon signs, fluorescent tubes
and street lights. These massive clouds of ionized gas are typically
created by young, massive stars that produce high-energy ultraviolet
radiation capable of ionizing the gas. Massive stars are short-lived,
compared with lighter stars like our sun, and explode as supernovas at
the end of their lives. Some of the colorful clouds in the image could
be hiding supernova remnants.

Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 17

The Dust Trail of Comet Tempel 2
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett

Explanation: Comet 10P/Tempel 2 orbits the Sun once every 5.4 years.
Currently visible in binoculars or small telescopes toward the
constellation Capricornus, the periodic comet is captured in this sharp
telescopic image from July 11 sporting a bright nuclear region and
pretty greenish coma. Remarkably, a thin dust trail, not a typical dust
tail, is also seen extending both east and west of the Tempel 2
nucleus. Unlike a comet dust tail, which tends to temporarily fan out
in a direction away from the Sun, this dust trail is due to the
residual dust shed during many past orbits along this ancient periodic
comet's orbital plane. In fact, Tempel 2's dust trail may get a little
narrower and brighter from our perspective as Earth crosses through the
comet's orbital plane on July 20. Comet 10P/Tempel 2 will reach a
perihelion on August 2, and make its closest approach to Earth on
August 3.

Tomorrow's picture: the antisolar horizon
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 18

Shadow and Rainbow
Image Credit & License: Dave Loschiavo

Explanation: At sunset, an alignment of rainbow and mountain shadow was
captured in this remarkable snapshot. The stunning view was recorded
from a fire lookout on Smith Peak in the Plumas National Forest near
Portola, California on July 13. Still, near sunset it's no accident
that the majestic mountain shadow seems to point to the center of the
graceful rainbow arc. Due to perspective and the long line of sight the
mountain shadow naturally forms a tapering triangular shape, its apex
positioned at the point opposite the Sun on the horizon. Following
thunderstorms across the region, the rainbow arcs across the early
evening sky, with its colorful and characteristic 42 degree arc formed
as sunlight is refracted and reflected by the atmospheric water
droplets. The geometric center of a rainbow arc lies at the antisolar
point. And in this scene from the golden hour on planet Earth, that's
also oposite the setting Sun along the distant horizon.

Tomorrow's picture: it came from space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 19
The featured image shows the disk from NASA's Genesis Mission embedded
in sand with two helicopters visible in the distance. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

Flying Saucer Crash Lands in Utah Desert
Image Credit: USAF 388th Range Sqd., Genesis Mission, NASA

Explanation: A flying saucer from outer space crash-landed in the Utah
desert after being tracked by radar and chased by helicopters. The year
was 2004, and no space aliens were involved. The saucer, pictured here,
was the Genesis sample return capsule, part of a human-made robot
Genesis spaceship launched in 2001 by NASA itself to study the Sun. The
unexpectedly hard landing at over 300 kilometers per hour occurred
because the parachutes did not open as planned. The Genesis mission had
been orbiting the Sun collecting solar wind particles that are usually
deflected away by Earth's magnetic field. Despite the crash landing,
many return samples remained in good enough condition to analyze.
Genesis-related discoveries included new details about the composition
of the Sun and how the abundance of some types of elements differ
across the Solar System. These results have provided intriguing clues
into details of how the Sun and planets formed billions of years ago.

Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: flying star statue
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 20
The featured image shows the star forming nebula NGC 3576 in multiple
false colors. A central dust structure may appear similar to the Statue
of Liberty. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

NGC 3576: The Statue of Liberty Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Logan Carpenter

Explanation: What's happening in the Statue of Liberty nebula? Bright
stars and interesting molecules are forming and being liberated. The
complex nebula resides in the star forming region called RCW 57, and
besides the iconic monument, to some looks like a flying superhero or a
weeping angel. This re-assigned color image showcases dense knots of
dark interstellar dust, fields of glowing hydrogen gas ionized by these
stars, and great loops of gas expelled by dying stars. A detailed study
of NGC 3576, also known as NGC 3582 and NGC 3584, uncovered at least 33
massive stars in the end stages of formation, and the clear presence of
the complex carbon molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs). PAHs are thought to be created in the cooling gas of star
forming regions, and their development in the Sun's formation nebula
five billion years ago may have been an important step in the
development of life on Earth.

Jigsaw Star Statue: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
Tomorrow's picture: not a turtle
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 21
An orange landscape is seen with many darker rocks visible in the
foreground. Toward the image top is a large rock outcrop with orange
sand on top. The outcrop may appear to resemble a large turtle. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.

Turtle Rock on Mars
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS; Processing & License: Thomas
Thomopoulos

Explanation: Is this a fossilized turtle on Mars? No. Although
resembling a large Earth tortoise, this is a layered rock outcrop on
Mars that is estimated to span about 15 meters, making it much larger
than turtles on Earth. NASACÇÖs robotic Curiosity rover came across this
unusual mound, dubbed Miraflores, last month during its 4922nd Martian
day exploring Mars. The small butte may survive because it was somehow
more resistant to erosion than surrounding rock. More recent wind has
now covered its top with orange Martian sand. Below the top shell, many
layers of stratified rock are visible, possibly indicating a long
history of intermittent wind-blown sand being deposited and then
hardened by ground water. Similar wind-eroded layered landforms, such
as yardangs in the Qaidam Desert of China, exist here on Earth.
Curiosity and its companion rover Perseverance continue to investigate
the ancient history of Mars as well as searching for signs of primeval
life.

Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 22
Both dense and whispy clouds streak across the left side of the image
with bright stars peaking through. A few stars stand out as brighter
than the rest. A tight cluster of stars sits to the top right of the
image. The background is covered with stars.

The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud and the Chandelier Cluster
Image Credit: DES/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (UAA/NOIRLab), R. Colombari & M. Zamani
(NOIRLab)
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: The Southern Crown (Corona Australis) dazzles with young
and ancient celestial jewels. The Corona Australis Cloud is a collage
of reflection and emission nebulae on the left of todayCÇÖs image. At 430
light years away, this cloud is one of the closest star-forming regions
to Earth. It contains gas cool enough (-260 Celsius or -440 Fahrenheit)
to collapse into protostars. Recently formed stars paint blue hues
across the cloud as their light reflects off surrounding material. The
waltz of the R Coronae Australis binary system stirs up the nebula NGC
6729. The younger of the pair ionizes nearby gas with its ultraviolet
light, causing it to glow. The Chandelier Cluster (NGC 6723) dangles
from the top right, but is actually tens of thousands of light years
farther away than its apparent star-forming neighbor. While NGC 6723
experienced multiple periods of star formation creating slightly
younger stars, the chandelier twinkles with stars almost as old as the
universe.

Tomorrow's picture: a friendly neighborhood galaxy
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 23
A galaxy with stars and colorful clous of gas. The background is a dark
field of stars.

The Large Magellanic Cloud
Image Credit & Copyright: Monica Mesa
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: Have you ever seen another galaxy with your own eyes? The
featured image shows the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the
closest neighbors of our Milky Way. If you are anywhere south of
latitude 20+# N (but the further south, the better), you can see it with
the unaided eye if you go to a dark sky location, away from big cities
and light polution. It is a dwarf irregular galaxy about 163,000
light-years away, and a member of our Local Group of galaxies. Despite
being small, with a total mass approximately equivalent to 10% - 20% of
the mass of the Milky Way, the LMC is very actively forming stars. This
is likely due in part to the gravitational push and pull of tides
caused by the Milky Way on the LMC. Some astronomers have predicted
that it will collide with the Milky Way in in about 2 billion years.

Tomorrow's picture: 185 AD
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 24

RCW 86: Historical Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: David Cowland

Explanation: In 185 AD, Chinese astronomers recorded the appearance of
a new star in the Nanmen asterism. That part of the sky is identified
with part of the southern constellation Centaurus on modern star
charts. In fact, the new star was reported to be visible to the
naked-eye for months before it faded from view, and is now thought to
be the earliest recorded supernova. In this 21st century telescopic
image, the wispy outlines of a faint emission nebula recognized as the
remnant of that historical stellar explosion can be traced against a
starry background. The ragged but roughly circular extent of the
nebula, cataloged as RCW 86, represents interstellar gas ionized by the
supernova's still expanding shock wave. Space-based images indicate an
abundance of the element iron in RCW 86 and the absence of a neutron
star or pulsar within the remnant, suggesting that the original
supernova was Type Ia. Unlike the core collapse supernova explosion of
a massive star, a Type Ia supernova is a thermonuclear detonation on a
white dwarf star that has accreted material from its companion in a
binary star system. Near the plane of our Milky Way galaxy and larger
than the full moon on the sky this supernova remnant is too faint to be
seen by eye though. RCW 86 is some 8,000 light-years distant and around
100 light-years across.

Tomorrow's picture: tranquility and serenity
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 25

Tranquility and Serenity
Image Credit & Copyright: Ny+¬rdson Ferreira

Explanation: The Seas of Tranquility and Serenity are calm today.
They're calm most every day though, since they are actually lunar
maria, ancient lava flows filling in large impact basins on the Moon.
Also known by Latin names Mare Tranquillitatis (right) and Mare
Serenitatis, the smooth dark lunar "seas" are in stark contrast to the
bright cratered lunar highlands surrounding them in this telescopic
view. Of course their names are based on the historical, pre-telescopic
designations of lunar maria. Easily visible to the unaided eye, the
broad features on the Moon's near side were imagined to be like the
expansive oceans of planet Earth. On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar
module Eagle touched down on the Mare Tranquillitatis (at lower right),
establishing Tranquility base and the first human presence on the Moon.

Tomorrow's picture: a galaxy cluster forms
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 26

Simulation TNG50: A Galaxy Cluster Forms
Video Credit: IllustrisTNG Project; Visualization: Dylan Nelson (Max
Planck Institute for Astrophysics) et al.
Music: Symphony No. 5 (Ludwig van Beethoven), via YouTube Audio Library

Explanation: How do clusters of galaxies form? Since our universe moves
too slowly to watch, faster-moving computer simulations are created to
help find out. One famous effort is TNG50 from IllustrisTNG, an upgrade
of the famous Illustris Simulation. The first part of the featured
video tracks cosmic gas (mostly hydrogen) as it evolves into galaxies
and galaxy clusters from the early universe to today, with brighter
colors marking faster moving gas. As the universe matures, gas falls
into gravitational wells, galaxies forms, galaxies spin, galaxies
collide and merge, all while black holes form in galaxy centers and
expel surrounding gas at high speeds. The second half of the video
switches to tracking stars, showing a galaxy cluster coming together,
complete with stellar streams. The outflow from black holes in TNG50 is
surprisingly complex and details are being compared with our real
universe. Studying how gas coalesced in the early universe helps
humanity better understand how our Earth, Sun, and Solar System
originally formed.

Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: eerie space bubble
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 27
A starfield is shown with a big light bubble in the center. To some,
the bubble may resemble a skull. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Pawe+é Piechnik

Explanation: What created this huge space bubble? Blown by the wind
from a star, this tantalizing, head-like apparition is cataloged as NGC
7635, but known simply as the Bubble Nebula. Taken from Krakow, Poland,
the featured view utilizes a long exposure to reveal the intricate
details of this cosmic bubble and its environment. Although it looks
delicate, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent
processes at work. Seen here right of the Bubble's center, a bright hot
star is embedded in the nebula's reflecting dust. A fierce stellar wind
and intense radiation from the star, which likely has a mass 10 to 20
times that of the Sun, has blasted out the structure of glowing gas
against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud. The
intriguing Bubble Nebula lies a mere 11,000 light-years away toward the
boastful constellation Cassiopeia.

Tomorrow's picture: volcanic connection
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 28
A pair of snow topped volcanoes are seen in the distance. A background
starry sky is seen behind them, with a red filamentary nebula looping
around that appears to connect the two tops of the volcanoes. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.

Barnards Loop over Twin Volcanoes
Image Credit & Copyright: Gonzalo Laserna Vargas

Explanation: What's connecting these two volcanoes? In ancient
folklore, the two volcanoes, Parinacota (left) and Pomerape (right),
are connected by representing a mythical prince and princess who
engaged in a forbidden romance. Beneath the ground, the two peaks are
not known to be connected by a common pool of hot magma, and neither
volcano has erupted in the past 1000 years. Above the ground, there is
usually nothing in the sky that connects them -- except if you use
careful timing and look from a specific location. The featured
well-planned image was captured from Bolivia in mid-April with a series
of camera exposures taken on the same day and from the same location.
Then, Barnard's Loop appeared to connect the volcanic peaks. Also
visible in the image is the Orion Nebula in the center, the star
Betelgeuse on the right, and the Rosette Nebula on the upper right.

Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 30
A deep red sun shows several sunspots. Clouds and haze are visible.

Red Sun through Wildfire Smoke
Image Credit & Copyright: Debra Ceravolo
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: This could be the view from an exoplanet orbiting around a
red dwarf star, but it is our own Sun. This image was taken on July 22,
2026, in the Okanagan region in the Canadian province of British
Columbia. Wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest acted as a solar
filter, allowing the photographer to take this photo of the Sun
directly. Several sunspots are also visible in this eerie image; just
below and right of the center is AR 4493, a fast evolving, giant active
solar region and sunspot group. The smoke is made of tiny particles
that help block and scatter light with bluer colors, so the light we
see coming from the Sun is dimmer and redder than usual (but it is
never safe to stare directly at the Sun). Sunsets and sunrises are also
more colorful because of the smoke. Some 6 billion years from now, the
Sun will actually start to turn redder as it approaches its red giant
phase.

Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 July 31

NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad
Image Credit & Copyright: Alessandro Cipolat Bares

Explanation: The Dark Doodad Nebula drifts through southern skies, a
tantalizing target for binoculars toward the small constellation Musca,
The Fly. A dusty interstellar cloud, it's seen against rich starfields
just south of the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross. Stretching
for about 3 degrees across this telescopic field of view, the Dark
Doodad is punctuated near its southern tip (upper right) by yellowish
globular star cluster NGC 4372. Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo of
our Milky Way galaxy, a background object some 20,000 light-years away
and only by chance along our line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad. About
700 light-years distant and over 30 light-years long, the Dark Doodad's
well defined silhouette belongs to the potentially star-forming Musca
molecular cloud. The dusty Dark Doodad's delightfully alliterative
moniker was first coined by astro-imager and writer Dennis di Cicco in
1986 while observing Comet Halley from the Australian outback.

Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 1

Buck Moon and Belt of Venus
Image Credit & Copyright: Branko Nadj

Explanation: The Buck Moon is a traditional name for the full moon of
July. In this colorful Adriatic sea and skyscape captured on July 28
from Krk Island along the coast of Croatia, a full Buck Moon is just
rising over distant mountains. Since a full moon rises as the Sun sets,
Earth's shadow also rises in the twilight scene, a diffuse gray band
extending above the mountainous southeastern horizon. Above Earth's
shadow band is the pinkish antitwilight arch. That subtly tinted band
of backscattered sunlight is more widely known as the Belt of Venus.
But as it shares the eastern horizon with the atmospheric shadow of
Earth and Belt of Venus, this full Buck Moon seems to set the stage for
the New Moon to come. The New Moon of August 12 will cast its shadow on
planet Earth in a much anticipated total solar eclipse.

Tomorrow's picture: fire and rainbow
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 2
Blue sky has white clouds across the top and dark tree tops across the
bottom. Across the middle is a very colorful row of clouds that are
wavy and are orange at the top and green at the bottom. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia
Image Credit & Copyright: Christa Harbig

Explanation: What's happening to this cloud? Ice crystals in a distant
cirrus cloud are acting like little floating prisms. Known informally
as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, a circumhorizon arc
appears parallel to the horizon. For a circumhorizontal arc to be
visible, the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high in a sky where cirrus
clouds present below -- in this case cirrus fibratus. The numerous,
flat, hexagonal ice-crystals that compose the cirrus cloud must be
aligned horizontally to properly refract sunlight in a collectively
similar manner. Therefore, circumhorizontal arcs are somewhat unusual
to see. The featured fire rainbow was photographed in 2021 near North
Fork Mountain in West Virginia, USA.

Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
1995)
Tomorrow's picture: photobombed nebula
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 3
A dark starfield has a faint red nebula near the center. A bright
streak crosses the image horizontally from the lower left, filled with
faint evaporating wisps in many colors. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.

Vaporizing Meteor Photobombs the Lacerta Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Tom Burnett

Explanation: What's happening to this meteor? This bright meteor streak
appeared and disappeared quickly during a long exposure of the Great
Lacerta Nebula, seen faintly in red toward the center of the image. The
meteoroid, likely a small pebble, creates its glow partly by heating
and exciting surrounding air in Earth's atmosphere, but itself
vaporizes and leaves wind-blown gas and dust with colors that give
clues to its composition. The featured image was captured last month
from Death Valley Observatories in Nevada, USA. This month, though, is
particularly good for seeing meteors. Presently there are three meteor
showers ongoing, although they are currently competing for visibility
with the glow of a bright gibbous Moon. The most active of these
showers, the Perseids, will be busiest in about 10 days -- after the
Moon has dimmed considerably. This year, the Perseids peak nearly
coincides with not only a new Moon, but, from some locations, one that
totally eclipses the Sun.

Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
1995)
Tomorrow's picture: star knots
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 4
A dark field shows many orange filaments that seem to point to a place
just above the image field. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

Curious Cometary Knots in the Helix Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST; Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)

Explanation: What causes unusual knots of gas and dust in planetary
nebulas? Seen also in the Ring Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula and NGC
2392, the knots' existence was not initially predicted, and their
origins are still not well understood. Pictured here is a fascinating
image of part of the Helix Nebula by the James Webb Space Telescope
showing tremendous detail in infrared light. The cometary knots have
masses similar to the Earth but have sizes typically several times the
orbit of Pluto. One hypothesis for the fragmentation and evolution of
the knots includes existing gas being driven out by a less dense but
highly energetic stellar wind of the central evolving star. The Helix
Nebula is one of the closest examples of a planetary nebula created at
the end of the life of a Sun-like star. Given a technical designation
of NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula lies about 650 light-years away towards
the constellation of Water Carrier (Aquarius).

Open Science: Browse 4,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
Library
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 5
Subtle dark features appear and disappear from Saturn's ring as it
rotates.

Spokes on Saturn's B Ring
Image Credit & Copyright: Brad Croslin
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: DonCÇÖt get spooked by SaturnCÇÖs ghostly spokes! Today we
feature a nearly two-hour timelapse of Saturn and its rings looping
forwards and backwards. A day on Saturn is only 10 hours long, so two
hours of observation covers quite a bit of its rotation. If you look
closely, a ghoulish shadow appears and disappears as SaturnCÇÖs B ring
rotates. Decades of observation with Voyager 2, Cassini, and Hubble
show the appearance of SaturnCÇÖs spokes varies with the planetCÇÖs
seasons. Like Earth, SaturnCÇÖs spin axis is tilted compared to the plane
of its orbit around the Sun. During SaturnCÇÖs equinox, the rings are
less tilted away from the Sun and the planet receives more evenly
distributed sunlight and solar wind. Although their origin is still
uncertain, SaturnCÇÖs spokes may be shadows of and reflections off of
dust and ice levitating above the rings caused by electromagnetic
interactions between the solar wind and the planetCÇÖs magnetic field.

Find dark skies and look up this August to witness the Perseid meteor
shower uninhibited by the Moon!
Tomorrow's picture: the COSMOS
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 6
A image shows flowery dark and light structures on a yellow background.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

New Sharpest Image of the Sun Uncovers Instability
Image Credit: NSF, NSO, AURA, MPS, Inouye Tel.

Explanation: What does the new sharpest image of our Sun show?
Instability. To be clear, a certain kind of interactive process called
the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). This instability can create
waves and swirls when two streams flow past each other -- in this case
variable streams of solar magnetic plasma. Long hypothesized to occur
on the Sun's surface, KHI streaks and swirls were confirmed in
just-released dramatic high-resolution images taken recently by the
Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, USA. The featured false-yellow
image, actually taken in deep blue, is the highest resolution image yet
of the Sun in visible light. It spans about the radius of the Earth,
but its finest details are city sized. Visible are several smooth tops
of changing solar granules, while the edges of the flower-like
structures have been found to harbor multiple KHI swirls. Future
research may investigate how the KHI helps move energy, magnetic
fields, and may even heat the surrounding solar corona.

Tomorrow's picture: Rubin's COSMOS
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 7
A deep field image of the sky, with some highlighted areas shown with a
zoom-in.

Rubin's COSMOS field
Image Credit & Copyright: NSFCÇôDOE Vera C. Rubin
Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: There are more than half a million galaxies in the central
panel of this image from the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in
Chile. This is the COSMOS field, a patch of sky several times larger
than the full moon, first observed by Hubble. It has also been observed
by Webb and other telescopes because it contains comparatively few
bright stars from our own galaxy, offering a relatively unimpeded view
of other galaxies outside the Milky Way. The outer panels, numbered
1-10, show zoomed-in views of the corresponding small regions
highlighted in the central panel. The variety of galaxy shapes and
sizes is astonishing. Some of them are so far away that their light has
traveled for billions of years before reaching Earth. Rubin will come
back every couple of days to the COSMOS field as part of its ten-year
Legacy Survey of Space and Time. It will allow a dynamic view of the
COSMOS field and how the sky changes over time.

Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 8

A Messier Moment for Tempel 2
Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett

Explanation: Which of these is not a comet? You guessed it - the one on
the right is a globular star cluster. The diffuse greenish coma of
periodic comet 10P/Tempel 2 is at left in the frame. In fact the
globular star cluster is Messier 30, also known as M30, or the 30th
entry in astronomer Charles Messier's catalog of things which are not
comets. The well-known 18th century astronomer kept a list of objects
he observed, now his famous Messier Catalogue of Nebulae and Star
Clusters, which did not move from night to night against the background
stars and so were not the comets he was hunting for. So the famous
comet hunter would get the correct answer too, even though his
telescope would show both 10P/Tempel 2 and distant star cluster as
similar looking faint and fuzzy objects in his field of view. Recorded
on July 29, this modern telescopic image captures periodic comet Tempel
2 as it briefly swept close on the sky to M30. While the periodic
comet's faint, narrow, orbital dust trail seems to pierce the globular
star cluster, Tempel 2 was a mere 3.5 light-minutes away. Messier 30 is
some 28,000 light-years distant.

Tomorrow's picture: contemplating the Sun
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 10
A dark starfield shows three pairs of galaxies. One pair near the top,
one near the middle, and one near the bottom. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

Three Galaxy Pairs
Image Credit & Copyright: Rafael Sampaio

Explanation: Each of these pairs of galaxies is different. The two
galaxies at the top are likely not interacting, at least presently.
However, the top galaxy with the blue stripe, NGC 4650A, is a polar
ring galaxy and may be the result of a past galaxy collision. The two
galaxies in the middle of the featured image appear like they could be
interacting gravitationally -- but their relative speeds make this
unlikely. Of these two, the larger galaxy, NGC 4650, is a spiral galaxy
with a bright bar of stars across its center. The two galaxies at the
bottom are actively interacting. Possibly in a billion years or so, NGC
4622A and NGC 4622B will merge and become one single galaxy. All of
these galaxies are likely members of the larger Centaurus Galaxy
Cluster.

Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 11

Six Moons of Saturn
Image Credit & Copyright: Alexandre Trentini

Explanation: How many moons does Saturn have? While the total will
likely continue to grow, as of June 2026 the ringed gas giant had 293
confirmed moons. That's easily more than any other planet of the Solar
System, including ruling gas giant Jupiter with a mere 115 confirmed
moons. Most of Saturn's known moons are small, irregular satellites.
Many are only few kilometers to a fraction of a kilometer across and
grouped in tilted outer orbits. Six of its largest satellites can be
seen here, though, in this sharp telescopic Saturnian family portrait
taken on August 5. Larger than Earth's Moon and even slightly larger
than inner planet Mercury, Titan, with a diameter of 5,150 kilometers,
is at lower right. You can also spot icy major moons Mimas, Tethys,
Enceladus, Dione, and Rhea in the frame. Saturn's first known natural
satellite, Titan was discovered in 1655 by Dutch astronomer Christiaan
Huygens. During the space age Voyager and Cassini discoveries have
added to the swelling ranks of Saturnian moons.

NASA Stream: August 12 Total Solar Eclipse.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 12
The ground is shown in a little planet perspective, surrounded by the
sky with a diffuse glow. The Milky Way is visible in the sky, as well
as some nebulae in red and over a hundred meteors. Most of them appear
to come from the same point.

Perseids Over a little Planet
Image Credit & Copyright: Marcin Rosadzi+äski
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: It looks like a view from the Little Prince's planet. The
featured image is a throwback to the 2024 Perseid meteor shower,
surrounded in this projection by the Bieszczady Mountains in Poland.
Visible in the sky is the arch of the Milky Way, along with several
nebulas in red and over a hundred meteors pointing to the radiant. The
Perseids are easily visible and quite popular in the Northern
Hemisphere summer. (Watching meteor showers in the winter is less
convenient for a good reason). This year they are expected to offer an
even more dazzling spectacle than usual, because the peak coincides
with a new moon. The 2026 Perseid meteor shower will peak tonight with
as many as 50-100 meteors per hour, when the Earth's path crosses
through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Typically, the best
times for seeing the meteors are between midnight and pre-dawn. You
won't need binoculars to see the meteors, but a lawn chair and a dark
sky location help.

There is total solar eclipse happening today! See here if you are in
the path of totality.
Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 13
The Moon covers the Sun in the middle of the sky above an ornate
church. A ring of bright whisps from the Sun's corona surrounds the
Moon. In front of the church is a river that shows ripples across the
eclipse's reflection. Some people are boating in the river.

Total Solar Eclipse Over Spain
Image Credit & Copyright: Ruiyu Zhang
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: On August 12th, 2026, the Moon totally eclipsed the Sun
and cast its shadow across Siberia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and
Portugal. TodayCÇÖs image features two total solar eclipses viewed from
Zaragoza, Spain, one over the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the
Pillar and the other reflecting in the Ebro River. For a few moments,
Spain saw its first major total solar eclipse since 1905. Those
witnessing totality may experience a chill in the air, the quieting of
birds, the confused chirps of insects, and the shared awe of many. ItCÇÖs
the coronaCÇÖs time to shine as the SunCÇÖs bright disk is blocked by the
Moon. Among other reasons to study eclipses, they help scientists
understand why the corona is millions of degrees hotter than the SunCÇÖs
surface. Enthusiastic citizens can contribute to these studies by
recording how wildlife responds, imaging the corona, and monitoring air
temperature and clouds.

More spectacular eclipse images: Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12
Tomorrow's picture: a mystery
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 16
A landscape image shows a starfield above a lake. Part of the lake is
evaporating into the sky on the right. The arch of the Milky Way Galaxy
curves overhead. It may look like the evaporation is creating the Milky
Way. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Milky Way over Yellowstone
Image Credit & Copyright: Dave Lane

Explanation: The Milky Way was not created by an evaporating lake. The
colorful pool of water, about 10 meters across, is known as Silex
Spring and is located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA.
Illuminated artificially, the colors are caused by layers of bacteria
that grow in the hot spring. Steam rises off the spring, heated by
underground magma associated with the Yellowstone Hotspot. Unrelated
and far in the distance, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy
arches high overhead, a band lit by billions of stars. The picture
features a 16-image panorama taken in 2014. If the Yellowstone Hotspot
causes another supervolcanic eruption as it did about 640,000 years
ago, a large part of North America would be affected.

Tomorrow's picture: eclipse gold
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 24
A starfield appears with a bright comet near the center. The comet has
a bright green head and a short white tail. Around the frame is a
complex array of faint gray nebulas. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.

Comet 220P in Outburst
Image Credit & Copyright: Spilios Asimakopoulos

Explanation: Comet 220P is unexpectedly bright. Normally, periodic
Comet 220P/McNaught is so dim that to see it requires a telescope. Two
surprising outbursts this year, however, have made it about 20,000
times brighter than usual, so that it is now visible with binoculars
and long-duration camera exposures. As expected, Comet 220P continues
to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter with a period of over 5
years. The featured long duration exposure, taken 10 days ago from
South Africa, shows the comet's bright green head and short dust tail.
Reasons for Comet 220P's impressive outbursts are unknown but could be
caused by the release of built-up subsurface gas or comet quakes. Comet
220P will pass about one Earth-Sun distance from the Earth in October,
after which it is expected to fade quickly as it begins its return to
the far part of its orbit.

APOD's main NASA site is moving : From apod.nasa.gov to
science.nasa.gov/apod
Tomorrow's picture: Moon dark
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 17
A total eclipse Sun is featured in the image center. Around the Sun is
a filamentary gold-hued corona flowing out in all directions. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.

A Golden Corona Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Rui Santos (Living Impressions)

Explanation: This total solar eclipse appeared not only poetically
beautiful but scientifically interesting. Usually the solar corona
appears white, and to some observers the corona of last week's total
solar eclipse did appear this pearly color. But this time, totality
observers in Spain saw a corona that appeared unusually golden. For one
reason, from Spain, the totality occurred when the setting Sun was near
the horizon. That low, sunlight travels through a large amount of air
which scatters out blue light. An unusual amount of smoke in the air
from nearby forest fires acted as a second filter, further scattering
the remaining blue tones and deepening the already gold-dominated
light. The HDR-processed, multiple-exposure featured image was captured
from Benavente, Spain last week. One thing that did not appear golden
was a hydrogen-glowing prominence that hovered over the Sun's left edge
-- its original bright pink color survived.

Gallery: Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12
Tomorrow's picture: fast meteors
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 18
A starfield is bounded by trees on three sides and a pond on the
bottom. Amongst the stars are many streaks of light appearing to
emanate from a place on the sky just above a foreground bridge. Please
see the explanation for more detailed information.

Perseids from Perseus
Image Credit & Copyright: Jakub Ku+Ö+ík

Explanation: This was a good year for the Perseids meteor shower. A key
reason was the Moon was absent from lighting up Earth's night sky so
that more meteors were visible than usual. Where was the Moon? It was
busy visiting the Sun. Near the Perseids peak, the Moon moved directly
in front of the Sun and created a total solar eclipse visible from
Greenland and Spain. The Perseids occur when the Earth collides with a
stream of Sun-orbiting debris cast off by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Perseid
meteors, although typically only the size of a sand grain, tend to be
fast and bright because Swift-Tuttle's debris orbits the Sun in a
direction partly opposite Earth's orbital motion. In the featured image
compilation, accumulated over several nights from Jizerka in the Czech
Republic, the Perseids meteor streaks can be traced back to a single
location on the sky -- its radiant in Perseus.

Gallery: Perseids Meteor Shower of 2026
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 25
Many images of Earth's Moon are shown each partly eclipsed. The lunar
images are arranged so that the eclipsed dark part is toward the
center, showing a large dark circle in the center. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

Earth's Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses
Image Credit & Copyright: Tim Martin

Explanation: WhatCÇÖs creating this giant hole in space? This is not a
black hole CÇö itCÇÖs a shadow. ItCÇÖs EarthCÇÖs shadow. Since at least the
time of Aristotle, people have noted that Earth's dark shadow on the
Moon during a partial lunar eclipse is circular -- although never a
whole circle. Using modern digital technology, though, the images of
multiple lunar eclipses can be combined to show Earth's complete
shadow. The featured image compilation by a perseistent
astrophotographer is constructed from 22 years of lunar eclipses. The
Moon is not eclipsed every month (moon-th) because the Moon's orbit is
slightly tilted relative to Earth's orbit. Close inspection of some
lunar eclipse images shows a faint blue band where EarthCÇÖs atmosphere
filters out more red sunlight than blue. Later this week, a new lunar
eclipse will occur and will be best visible in parts of North and South
America, Europe, and Africa.

APOD's main NASA site is moving : From apod.nasa.gov to
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Tomorrow's picture: lion head space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 26
A white dwarf is the bright central point of the image. An irregular
bubble of gas surrounds it. A more diffuse cloud of gas extends past
the bubble. Strands of dust radiate outward within the gas cloud. Stars
and galaxies dot the background.

JWST Images The Lion's Head Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan
(STScI)
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: Are we looking at the future of our Sun? The James Webb
Space Telescope captured todayCÇÖs composite image of the LionCÇÖs Head
Nebula (NGC 2392) with its NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The LionCÇÖs Head
Nebula is the remnant of a Sun-like star. This star was unable to
sustain the nuclear fusion in its core needed to remain stable. It
began to shed layers of gas and dust into space, forming this planetary
nebula. A hot stellar core, called a white dwarf, is left behind within
the lionCÇÖs nose. Do not boop this nose! Intense radiation from the
white dwarf is ionizing the gas as it expands, creating the irregular
bubble that makes up the lionCÇÖs face. Dust clumps that have survived
the white dwarfCÇÖs radiation and a cloud of ionized gas make up the
lionCÇÖs mane. This new and more detailed view of the nebula will help
humanity learn more about how the gas and dust interact with each other
and the white dwarf radiation.

Tomorrow's picture: a waterfall of light
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 27
A night view of a waterfall with a colorful aurora in shades of green,
yellow, red and purple, and stars in the background.

Colorful Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall
Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Lima
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: What a sight to behold, when a night sky became filled
with colors that appeared to rain over the Sk+|gafoss waterfall in
Iceland. This image was taken in a single 5 second exposure by the
photographer in April 2025. Seeing an aurora is on many people's bucket
lists. But it is not easy. It requires high solar activity, dark and
clear skies, and usually a viewing location at high latitude. That
makes the northern lights more easily seen than the corresponding
southern lights, simply because there is less landmass in the Southern
Hemisphere, especially around the Antarctic Circle. Auroras are caused
by charged particles from the solar wind that are captured by the
Earth's magnetosphere and guided by the magnetic field to a region
close to one of the poles, where they collide with gas particles in the
atmosphere. Different colors indicate interactions with different gases
at different altitudes, like oxygen (red and green) and nitrogen (blue
and pink).

APOD's main NASA site is moving : From apod.nasa.gov to
science.nasa.gov/apod
Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 19

The Case of the Mysterious Maybe Meteor
Video Credit: Juan Pablo Casta+#eda
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)
H/t: William Cooke, David Lee, Peter Brown, Denis Vida, Peter
Jenniskens

Explanation: Whatdunit? What disappeared while crossing a partially
eclipsed Sun? LetCÇÖs present the evidence. The 24 frames-per-second
video was taken in Spain (40+#34'30.3"N 1+#12'28.8"W) at 20:28 local time
on August 12, 2026. The Perseids meteor shower was at its peak during
this time. Is this a meteor? Meteor showers trace back to a region of
the sky called a radiant point that corresponds to where the Earth is
crossing a cometCÇÖs path. The objectCÇÖs path might trace back to the
PerseidsCÇÖ radiant point in the Perseus constellation. The object trails
a smaller angle on the sky than the 0.5 degree Sun and Moon, which is
smaller than expected for a meteor. Its brightness does not extend much
past the Sun, but a meteor burning up in the sky would not need
sunlight to be seen. Perhaps the sunlight is reflecting off of the
object? After cross-referencing the location, time, and point in the
sky with a flight database, the culprit is found to be an airplane
contrail!

Tomorrow's picture: more mystery
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 August 20

The Elephant's Trunk in Cepheus
Image Credit & Copyright: Eddie Sgarbossa

Explanation: Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the
Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission region and young
star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of
Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, this cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20
light-years long. The detailed telescopic view features the bright
swept-back ridges and pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas that
abound in the region. But the dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the
raw material for star formation and hide protostars within. Nearly
3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers
a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. Top to bottom this
proboscidean-like rendition reaches across an almost 1 degree wide
field of view, though. That's a little less than the angular size of 2
full moons.

Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 14

Total Solar Eclipse from Greenland
Image Credit & Copyright: Aditya Madhavan

Explanation: On August 12, the Moon's shadow reached out to touch our
fair planet. Beginning in the Arctic Ocean, it swept along a narrow
track that led the dark lunar umbra across parts of Greenland, Iceland,
the Atlantic, Portugal, and northern Spain. And for a moment, denizens
of Earth who found themselves with clear skies under the shadow of the
Moon could witness a total solar eclipse. After dodging the weather by
sea and making a landing along Rype Fjord on the Greenland east coast
(at 71.07055N, 27.71252W), this hard-won snapshot was captured at
17:33:26 UTC. That's near the initial reach of clearing skies along the
path of totality, so the image is likely one of the first unobstructed
views of the totally eclipsed Sun. Through a break in the clouds, the
stunning photo also records one of this eclipse's transient diamond
rings and the magnificent solar corona emerging near the moment
totality began.

More spectacular eclipse images: Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12
Tomorrow's picture: perhaps a Perseid
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 21

Time-Lapse of the Star S301 Orbiting the Black Hole in the Center of
the Galaxy
Image Credit & License: ESO/GRAVITY Collaboration/L. Cal+ºada
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: What does it feel like to zoom around a spinning
supermassive black hole? The featured video is an animation showing a
time-lapse of 4 years of observations of the star S301 orbiting
Sagittarius A*, the 4-million-solar-mass black hole in the center of
our Galaxy. S301 was discovered in 2023 with the Very Large Telescope
Interferometer of the European Southern Observatory, located in the
Atacama Desert in Chile. Astronomers recently found that S301 takes
approximately 8.7 years to go around the black hole and reaches speeds
of 25,000 km/s. It comes closer to the black hole than any other stars
detected before, at a distance similar to that from Saturn to the Sun.
Because it comes so close to Sagittarius A*, S301 could be used to
directly measure how fast the black hole spins and test Einstein's
theory of general relativity. According to the theory, a spinning black
hole drags the fabric of spacetime around itself, affecting the orbits
of close-by objects.

Tomorrow's picture: 1,706 meteors
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 August 28

The Sky Turns Above Paranal
Image Credit & Copyright: Osvaldo Castillo

Explanation: At the latitude of ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile,
about 25 degrees south, Earth's rotation moves the planet's surface
eastward at over 1,500 kilometers per hour. And while that's faster
than the speed of sound at sea level, the motion is imperceptible.
Still, that motion can be revealed in the apparent rotation of the
night sky by photographing star trails. This star trail image was
composed from a digital stack of 300 consecutive 25-second exposures
made with a camera fixed to a tripod to trace the star trail arcs. The
graceful arcs are concentric and centered at the south celestial pole,
the southern hemisphere extension of Earth's axis of rotation into
space. One of the observatory's operating 1.8 meter auxiliary
telescopes, AT 3, appears beneath the south celestial pole, faintly
illuminated in the foreground of this well-planned scene from a
rotating planet.

APOD's main NASA site is moving: From apod.nasa.gov to
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Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 15

Bright Perseids from Sweden
Image Credit & Copyright: P-M Hed+¬n (Clear Skies, TWAN)

Explanation: Known for its bright and fast meteors, the annual Perseid
Meteor Shower comes to planet Earth's skies from a radiant in the
heroic constellation Perseus. The popular northern summer celestial
spectacle is created as grains of dust cast off along the orbit of
periodic comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle vaporize in Earth's dense atmosphere,
tracing brief, but beautiful streaks through the night. Taken near the
shower's peak of activity on August 12, this composite image recorded
two bright perseid meteors and one meteor's watery reflection from a
location near the coastal village of Grisslehamn, Sweden. Almost as
bright as Altair, brightest star on the scene, the meteors appear along
with the faint, diffuse background of the Milky Way. This year, the
shower's peak activity coincided with a New Moon, so perseid meteor
flashes were undiminished by bright moonlight. And for many
skywatchers, this night of bright perseid meteors followed their
viewing of the silhouette of the New Moon in a much anticipated solar
eclipse.

Growing Gallery: Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12
Tomorrow's picture: Milky Way over Yellowstone
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 22

Mostly Perseids
Image Credit & Copyright: Jakub Koukal (Vala+ísk+¬ Mezi+Ö+¡-ì+¡ Observatory)

Explanation: Recorded the night of August 12-13, images from four
dedicated meteor-monitoring cameras at an astronomical observatory in
Czechia were aligned and combined to create this all-night, all-sky
view. On that night, the total count came to 1,706 meteors. And since
that coincided with the peak activity of the 2026 Perseid Meteor
Shower, most are perseids. Their overwhelming numbers make them easy to
spot. Quite convincingly, perseid trails all trace back to a single
radiant on the sky at the upper right, a region in the annual shower's
eponymous constellation Perseus. But meteors belonging to other much
less active showers can also revealed by finding their radiants too.
For example, seen crossing the perseid trails are meteors from a shower
whose radiant lies in Cygnus, known as Kappa Cygnids. The antihelion
complex, a general region near Aquarius and opposite the Sun in the
sky, is also identifiable as a weak source for meteors.

Tomorrow's picture: interplanetary road trip
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 29

Eclipse Pair
Image Credit & Copyright: Gwena+½l Blanck

Explanation: Eclipses tend to come in pairs. Twice a year, during an
eclipse season that lasts about 34 days, Sun, Moon, and Earth can
nearly align. Then the new and full phases of the Moon, separated by
just over 14 days, create a solar and a lunar eclipse. But only rarely
is the alignment at both new moon and full moon during a single eclipse
season close enough to produce a pair with both total solar and lunar
eclipses. More often, partial eclipses are part of any eclipse season.
But, the last eclipse season of 2026 did produce this
fortnight-separated pairing of a total solar eclipse on August 12 (top)
and an almost total lunar eclipse on the night of August 27/28. At New
Moon, the solar eclipse was captured at Pe+#afiel, Spain near the
begining of totality in this HDR composite image, revealing a flash of
Bailey's beads and a golden solar corona. At the following Full Moon,
the deep partial lunar eclipse was recorded from S+¿vres, France. Also
an HDR composite, the image shows this partial eclipse at closer to
half its 93 percent maximum phase, so about half the visible lunar disk
appears darkened and reddened within Earth's umbral shadow. The coming
eclipse season will see an annular solar eclipse on 2027 February 6
paired with a penumbral lunar eclipse on February 20/21.

Growing Gallery: Lunar Eclipse of 2026 August 28
APOD's main NASA site is moving: From apod.nasa.gov to
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Tomorrow's picture: a grand design
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 August 30
A large spiral galaxy occupies the frame, with a bright white center
slightly toward the upper left, and blue hued spiral arms laced with
dark dust surrounding the center. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

M74: A Grand Design Spiral
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI / AURA)- ESA /
Hubble Collaboration
Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (U. Toledo) & J. Miller (U. Michigan)

Explanation: If not the most grand, then this spiral galaxy is at least
one of the most photogenic. An island universe of about 100 billion
stars, 32 million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces, M74
presents a gorgeous face-on view. Classified as an Sc galaxy, the grand
design of M74's graceful spiral arms are traced by bright blue star
clusters and dark cosmic dust lanes. Constructed from archival images,
this sharp composite is from the Hubble Space Telescope. Spanning about
30,000 light-years across the face of M74, it includes exposures
recording emission from hydrogen atoms, highlighting the reddish glow
of the galaxy's large star-forming regions.

APOD's main NASA site is moving: From apod.nasa.gov to
science.nasa.gov/apod
Tomorrow's picture: eclipse flight
__________________________________________________________________

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 1
The Moon is seen in front of clouds but with part of its lower left
being unusually dark. On the upper right, a foreground airplane appears
flying into the disk of the Moon. Please see the explanation for more
detailed information.

A Plane Lunar Eclipse
Image Credit: Paulo Ferreira

Explanation: Did you need to be on the right side of this airplane to
see this eclipse? No. Lunar eclipses are routinely seen from the half
of the Earth facing the Moon when the eclipse occurs, making them some
of the most commonly witnessed astronomical events. You don't even need
any special equipment to see one -- just your unaided eyes. Lunar
eclipses are also some of the most photographed astronomical events
because, unlike with a solar eclipse, your eyes and camera do not have
to look toward the bright Sun. However, considering the featured image
taken last week from Portugal, if you were on the left side of that
airplane during takeoff, you might have trouble seeing it -- at first.
But even then, after takeoff, since lunar eclipses typically last for
hours, you might soon be able to safely cross the aisle(s) to see it.

Gallery: Lunar Eclipse of 2026 August
APOD's main NASA site is moving: From apod.nasa.gov to
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Tomorrow's picture: cultural eclipses
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 2
The image is split into several vertical slices where each slice is an
image of the Sun in the sky. It follows the Sun slowly becoming
eclipsed by the Moon. The sky goes from light to dark. The total solar
eclipse occurs in the central slice. As the eclipse goes away, the Sun
is setting.

Solar Eclipses and Culture
Image Credit & Copyright: Javier Castro
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: Pretend you have never heard of a solar eclipse. The SunCÇÖs
behavior has been predictable your whole life. One day, you witness the
sky transform as it does in todayCÇÖs spliced image spanning two hours of
the August 12, 2026 solar eclipse. The Sun disappears, leaving behind a
bright, empty ring. What would you think had happened? Humans have
interpreted eclipses in countless ways throughout history, embedding
beliefs about connection, rebirth, or danger into culture. CÇ£EclipseCÇØ
comes from the Greek word CÇ£+¬kleipsisCÇØ meaning CÇ£abandonmentCÇØ. In ancient
Greece, the solar eclipse marked the anger of the gods and the Sun
abandoning humanity. To the Din+¬ people, this celestial alignment is a
time of renewal. Out of respect and to avoid the danger of sunlight,
the Din+¬ stay inside until the Sun and Moon separate. The Batammariba
people of Benin and Togo believe that the Sun and Moon fight during an
eclipse, so the community encourages peace among themselves. Eclipses
are an example of the longstanding connection between astronomy and
society.

Gallery: Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12
Tomorrow's picture: empty space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 3
A sunset view of the solar eclipse, framed behind a stork standing on
one leg in her nest.

The Eclipse and the Stork
Image Credit & Copyright: W+éodzimierz Bubak
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: How do animals react to a total solar eclipse? The
featured image shows a stork roosting on her nest in Poland at a
partial phase of the recent total solar eclipse. If you are lucky
enough to experience a total eclipse somewhere quiet and close to
nature, you may be able to notice unusual daytime animal behaviors.
During totality, you may hear nighttime sounds like crickets and frogs
and see fireflies. In the dark, most birds are quiet. Thinking that it
is time to go to bed, ducks and other waterfowl prepare to sleep on one
leg, with their heads turned around and their beaks tucked into their
back feathers (they don't really sleep with their heads tucked under
one wing). When sunlight returns at the end of totality, songbirds
greet the new "morning" with their dawn songs. The crickets and frogs
go quiet again. Animals and people resume their lifes, only briefly
disturbed by the chance alignment of our Sun and Moon.

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Tomorrow's picture: aloha
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 4

N-ü +.Uhane M-ühoe Huki P+½ i ke Ola
Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini
Observatory/NSF NOIRLab),
T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin
& M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Explanation: N-ü +.Uhane M-ühoe Huki P+½ i ke Ola, is the Hawaiian name
given to this image of a pair of spiral galaxies locked in a mutual
gravitational embrace. Some 200 million light-years distant toward the
high flying constellation Pegasus their spectacular, galactic scale
merger is captured in sharp detail in the image from the 8.1 meter
Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, HawaiCÇÿi. The galaxy pair, known as
NGC 7253 and Arp 278, was chosen as a target, researched, and given a
Hawaiian name by high school students in the joint Gemini Observatory
and University of Hawai+.i Project H+ìk+½lani internship program. The name
translates to "The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life". That's
both culturally and astronomically appropriate for galaxy collisions
that trigger a cosmic maelstrom of star formation from galactic
reservoirs of elemental building blocks of life. These merging galaxies
are found within a region of Pegasus identified as the Hawaiian
navigational constellation Ka Lupe o Kawelo.

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Tomorrow's picture: chasing shadows
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2026 September 5

Chasing the Moon's Shadow
Image Credit: NASA

Explanation: Chasing the shadow of a New Moon, NASACÇÖs WB-57F high
altitude research aircraft took to the skies off the coast of Iceland
on August 12 to observe a total solar eclipse. At 50,000 feet the
aircraft was piloted along the precisely determined path of totality to
maximize its time in the MoonCÇÖs shadow. A suite of high-resolution
cameras on board was able to record eclipse data from above the clouds,
dust, and atmospheric water vapor that interfere with observations made
closer to the ground. This view from the cockpit, taken from an
inflight video, captures the solar corona emerging at the beginning of
totality. The sky appears dark in the shadow of the Moon. Venus is
shining left of center in the video frame, while Jupiter and Mercury
are just visible to the right of the eclipsed Sun. But the sky is
bright along the distant horizon below, beyond the reach of the Moon's
shadow.

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Tomorrow's picture: enhancing Pluto
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2026 September 6
The large sphere is pictured with different color regions on its
surface. Irregularly shaped parts of tan, white, and brown. Please see
the explanation for more detailed information.

Pluto in Enhanced Color
Image Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Inst.

Explanation: Pluto is more colorful than we can see. Color data and
high-resolution images of our Solar System's most famous dwarf planet,
taken by the robotic New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby in 2015
July, have been digitally combined to give an enhanced-color view of
this ancient world sporting an unexpectedly young surface. The featured
enhanced color image is not only esthetically pretty but scientifically
useful, making surface regions of differing chemical composition
visually distinct. For example, the light-colored heart-shaped Tombaugh
Regio on the lower right is clearly shown here to be divisible into two
regions that are geologically different, with the leftmost lobe,
Sputnik Planitia, also appearing unusually smooth. After Pluto, New
Horizons continued on, shooting past asteroid Arrokoth in 2019 with
enough speed to escape our Solar System completely.

Tomorrow's picture: dusty pelican
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2026 September 7
A busy starfield is dominated by red and blue glowing gas and dark
filamentary dust. The nebula appears to some to have the shape of a
pelican. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Killion

Explanation: The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070
(an official designation) is divided from the larger North America
Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The deep featured
picture from Utah, USA incorporates 25 hours of exposure and brings out
great details of this filamentary dust. The Pelican Nebula receives
much study because it is a particularly active mix of star formation
and evolving gas clouds. The light from young energetic stars is slowly
transforming the cold gas to hot gas, with the advancing boundary
between the two, known as an ionization front, visible in bright orange
on the upper right. Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain.
Millions of years from now, the Pelican Nebula, bounded by dark nebula
LDN 935, might no longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance and
placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears
completely different.

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Tomorrow's picture: geometric Saturn
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2026 September 8
A dark field has a bright circular disk near the center. Around the
center of this disk are bands. One of the bands appear particularly
geometric and appears to have 10 sides. Please see the explanation for
more detailed information.

Hubble: Decagon Around Saturn's South Pole
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, HST; A. S+ínchez-Lavega (UPV), A. Simon
(NASA-GSFC), M. Wong (UC Berkeley); Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)

Explanation: Why are SaturnCÇÖs poles geometric? SaturnCÇÖs North Pole has
been known to be surrounded by a hexagonal (6 sides) cloud since
discovery in 1987 in data taken by NASACÇÖs Voyager spacecrafts, which
quickly flew past the ringed world in the early 1980s. Now, recent
observations of Saturn by the Hubble Space Telescope reveal a slightly
different geometric cloud pattern around the South Pole: a decagon (10
sides). The geometric boundaries are possibly caused by waves when the
fast-moving gas away from the poles interacts with slower-moving gas
closer to the poles. In the featured image composite by the Hubble
taken last year, the South Pole of Saturn is marked by an X and
surrounded by bands of circulating clouds. The decagon appears most
prominent in the dark inner regions. The northern hexagon has proven
stable for over 40 years, while the stability of the southern decagon
will surely remain a topic of research.

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Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 September 10
A brown nebula in the shape of a running giraffe is seen in front of a
dark field of stars.

LDN 1295: The Giraffe Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Alessandro Merga
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: What does this image look like to you? Many see a giraffe
facing right, with neck stretched high and long legs mid-stride (but
some may see a squirrel instead). The featured image shows LDN 1295,
also called the Giraffe Nebula, in the constellation of the mythical
queen of Aethiopia (Cassiopeia). It is an object in the Lynds Catalogue
of Dark Nebulas, compiled in 1962 by American astronomer Beverly Lynds,
a pioneer for women in astronomy and astrophysics. Dark nebulas are
interstellar clouds of dust and gas that block the visible light of the
stars behind them. These nebulas are often faint and challenging
targets for astrophotographers. Why do we see animal shapes and faces
in nebulas, clouds, and pretty much everywhere? It is due to
pareidolia, our tendency to look for familiar patterns. Pareidolia may
provide animals with an evolutionary advantage, for example in
identifying (and avoiding) predators.

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Tomorrow's picture: freewheeling
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 September 11

M83: The Southern Pinwheel
Image Credit & Copyright:: Aldo Zanetti

Explanation: Beautiful and bright spiral galaxy M83 lies some twelve
million light-years away, near the southeastern tip of the very long
constellation Hydra. Prominent spiral arms traced by dark dust lanes
and blue star clusters lend this galaxy its popular name, the Southern
Pinwheel. Still, reddish star forming regions that dot this cosmic
pinwheel's spiral arms have suggested another nickname, the
Thousand-Ruby Galaxy. A mere 40,000 light-years across, smaller than
the Milky Way, M83 is a member of a group of galaxies that includes
active galaxy Centaurus A. In fact, the core of M83 itself is bright at
x-ray energies, showing a high concentration of neutron stars and black
holes left from an intense burst of star formation. This sharp,
groundbased telescopic view also features foreground Milky Way stars
and distant background galaxies.

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Tomorrow's picture: lunar sun catcher
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2026 September 12

Apollo 11: Catching Some Sun
Image Credit: Apollo 11, NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague)

Explanation: Bright sunlight glints as long dark shadows mark this
image of the surface of the Moon. It was taken on July 20, 1969, by
Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the lunar
surface. Pictured is the mission's lunar module, the Eagle, and
spacesuited lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin is unfurling a long
sheet of foil also known as the Solar Wind Composition Experiment.
Exposed facing the Sun, the foil trapped particles streaming outward in
the solar wind, catching a sample of material from the Sun itself.
Along with 22 kilograms of moon rocks and lunar soil samples, the solar
wind collector was returned for analysis in earthbound laboratories.

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Tomorrow's picture: noctilucent comet
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 September 13

Comet NEOWISE Rising over the Adriatic Sea
Video Credit & Copyright: Paolo Girotti

Explanation: This sight was worth getting out of bed early. Just over
four years ago, Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) rose before dawn to the
delight of northern sky enthusiasts awake that early. Up before sunrise
on July 8th, the featured photographer was able to capture in dramatic
fashion one of the few comets visible to the unaided eye this century,
an inner-Solar System intruder that has become known as the Great Comet
of 2020. The resulting video detailed Comet NEOWISE from Italy rising
over the Adriatic Sea. The featured time-lapse video combines over 240
images taken over 30 minutes. The comet was seen rising through a
foreground of bright and undulating noctilucent clouds, and before a
background of distant stars. Comet NEOWISE remained unexpectedly bright
for over a month, with its ion and dust tails found to emanate from a
nucleus spanning about five kilometers across.

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Tomorrow's picture: elemental you
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 September 14
A chart is shown which a version of the periodic table of the elements.
Each element has a thumbnail image that indicates how it was first
created in the universe. Please see the explanation for more detailed
information.

Where Your Elements Came From
Image Credit: NASA's GSFC, SVS

Explanation: The hydrogen in your body and present in every molecule of
water came from the Big Bang. There are no other appreciable sources of
hydrogen in the universe. The carbon in your body was made by nuclear
fusion in the interior of stars, as was the oxygen. Much of the iron in
your body was made during supernovas of stars that occurred long ago
and far away. The gold in your jewelry was likely made from neutron
stars during collisions that may have been visible as short-duration
gamma-ray bursts or gravitational wave events. Elements like phosphorus
and copper are present in our bodies in only small amounts but are
essential to the functioning of all known life. The featured periodic
table is color coded to indicate humanity's best guess as to the
nuclear origin of all known elements. The sites of nuclear creation of
some elements, such as copper, are not really well known and are
continuing topics of observational and computational research.

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Tomorrow's picture: Sun triple
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 September 15
A blue sky has a light cloud crossing the middle of the image. Two
crescent objects are visible through the cloud, a large faint crescent
in the center and a brighter crescent above it. Please see the
explanation for more detailed information.

A Daytime Eclipse: Moon Occults Venus
Image Credit & Copyright: Arnaud Mariat

Explanation: There was something behind the clouds. Upon close
inspection, it was the Moon, which was hard to see yesterday around
noon above the small village of Cessy, France. But soon, it was not
only the Moon. As expected, a bright dot suddenly appeared from behind
the Moon -- the planet Venus far in the distance. Captured in the
single featured exposure, both appeared to show a crescent phase. The
Moon's crescent was quite slight -- with only about 10 percent of its
face illuminated by the Sun. In contrast, Venus's crescent was more
full -- showing about 25 percent illumination. Venus appeared brighter
because it is nearer the Sun and because its clouds are more reflective
than the dark lunar surface. An occultation of Venus by the Moon is
visible to only about 10 percent of the Earth, but in yesterday's event
even most of that was experiencing daytime.

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Tomorrow's picture: galactic eye
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 16
Hubble and JWST image of M64. A massive spiral galaxy glows with a
yellow core, surrounded by arms full of orange-brown dust and pink and
blue patches of star formation. Framed by a haze of dark dust, the
galaxy shines against black space dotted with a few stars.

Webb's View of M64
Image Credit: NASA, CSA, ESA, F. Belfiore (ESO), J. Lee (STScI), A.
Leroy (OSU), and D. Thilker (JHU);
Image Processing: G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University)
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

Explanation: Sometimes where Hubble finds darkness, Webb sees light. An
example is todayCÇÖs composite images of Messier 64 (M64), a nearby
spiral galaxy of many names. The dark band of dust partially blocking
its bright core earned it the moniker CÇ£the Black Eye Galaxy.CÇØ WebbCÇÖs
Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) sees that dust, shown in red, as it
absorbs and re-emits light from surrounding newborn stars. These young
stars are embedded in pink star-forming regions in the secondary
Hubble-only image. M64CÇÖs inner and outer gas regions counter-rotate,
creating regions of increased star formation where the two gas
CÇ£currentsCÇØ meet and compress. A merger between M64 and a smaller galaxy
was likely the cause of the opposing motion of the outer gas. Spiral
galaxies were once thought to have peaceful histories. M64 was key
evidence that spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way, can and do
experience mergers. WebbCÇÖs view of M64 will tell astronomers about the
structure, motion, and composition of the galaxyCÇÖs dust and add context
to the galaxyCÇÖs merger history and evolution.

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Tomorrow's picture: treasure
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
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2026 September 10
A colorful nebula resembles an open treasure chest on a field of stars.

A Treasure Chest in the Carina Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Reiter;
Acknowledgement: M. H. +ûzsara+º
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

Explanation: This treasure chest is full of stars. The featured image
was obtained with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and shows a dust
pilar in the Carina Nebula inside our Galaxy, roughly 7500 light-years
away. It is formed by interstellar gas and dust, and shaped by powerful
stellar winds and radiation form neighboring stars like the nearby Eta
Carinae stellar system which is more luminous than 5 million suns. The
star formation inside the pillar is excavating its head, creating the
open lid of the chest. Astronomers estimate that there are about 70
stars in a compact cluster inside the pillar. This cluster is now
thought to be only around 1.3 million years old. Its bounty of young
stars includes a massive star approximately 19 times as massive as the
Sun. More massive stars are rarer, shine brighter and evolve faster
than less massive stars. They are the shiniest jewels in the treasure
chest.

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Tomorrow's picture: what's next?
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 18

Messier 33: The Triangulum Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: George Chatzifrantzis

Explanation: The small, northern constellation Triangulum harbors this
magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, Messier 33. Its popular names
include the Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy. M33 is over
50,000 light-years in diameter, third largest in the Local Group of
galaxies after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About
3 million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 is itself thought to be a
satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy and astronomers in these two galaxies
would likely have spectacular views of each other's grand spiral star
systems. As for the view from the Milky Way, this sharp telescopic
image shows off M33's blue star clusters and pinkish star forming
regions along the galaxy's loosely wound spiral arms. In fact, the
cavernous NGC 604 is the brightest star forming region, seen here at
about the 5 o'clock position from the galaxy center. Like M31, M33's
population of well-measured variable stars have helped make this nearby
spiral a cosmic yardstick for establishing the distance scale of the
Universe.

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Tomorrow's picture: star party weekend
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 19

A Zodiacal Night
Image Credit & Copyright: Neelam and Ajay Talwar (TWAN)

Explanation: Also known as the false dawn, a luminous band of zodiacal
light is captured in this dark night skyscape. The serene view was
recorded just before the beginning of astronomical twilight during
September's star party at the remote Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, Ladakh,
India, planet Earth. At about 4,500 meters altitude, the dark sky
reserve presents a haven for hardy stargazing and astrophotography
enthusiasts. While meteors streak through the night, bright planet
Jupiter appears immersed in the faint zodiacal glow near the eastern
horizon. Follow the zodiacal band toward the zenith to find open star
cluster M44 and a yellowish tinged planet Mars near the center of the
frame. In fact, serendipitous detections of interplanetary dust by
NASA's Juno spacecraft suggest Mars itself is the source of dust that
back scatters sunlight and creates zodiacal light in planet Earth's
night.

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Tomorrow's picture: only sunny days
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
written by a professional astronomer.

2026 September 20
The featured image the Sun in many positions above the Callanish
stones. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Analemma over the Callanish Stones
Image Credit & Copyright: Giuseppe Petricca

Explanation: If you went outside at the same time every day and took a
picture that included the Sun, how would the Sun's position change? A
visual answer to that question is an analemma, a composite image taken
from the same spot at the same time over the course of a year. The
featured analemma was composed from images taken every few days at noon
near the village of Callanish in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, UK. In
the foreground are the Callanish Stones, a stone circle built around
2700 BC during humanity's Bronze Age. It is not known if the placement
of the Callanish Stones has or had astronomical significance. The
ultimate causes for the figure-8 shape of this and all analemmas are
the tilt of the Earth axis and the ellipticity of the Earth's orbit
around the Sun. At the solstices, the Sun will appear at the top or
bottom of an analemma. The featured image was taken near the December
solstice and so the Sun appears near the bottom. Equinoxes, however,
correspond to analemma middle points -- not the intersection point. In
two days there will be an equinox ("equal night"), when day and night
are equal over all of planet Earth. Many cultures celebrate a change of
season at an equinox.

APOD's main NASA site is moving: From apod.nasa.gov to
science.nasa.gov/apod
Tomorrow's picture: open space
__________________________________________________________________

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

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