NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

Recent Episodes

2024 January 05 - Trapezium: At the Heart of Orion

Posted January 5, 2024 • 00:03:51

In today's image, we see the central portion of the Orion Nebula, which includes the Trapezium star cluster. The brightest star in this cluster emits...

2024 January 04 - Zeta Oph: Runaway Star

Posted January 4, 2024 •

In today's image, we see the runaway star Zeta Ophiuchi. The star is moving through space at a very fast speed, causing the shock wave seen in the image....

2024 January 03 - A SAR Arc over New Zealand

Posted January 3, 2024 • 00:03:30

In today's image, we see a type of aurora known as a SAR (Stable Red Auroral) arc. The phenomenon has only been studied for the past 70 years or so...

2024 January 02 - Rocket Transits Rippling Moon

Posted January 2, 2024 •

In today's image, we see a SpaceX rocket as it is being launched. The timing was perfect so that the rocket passed directly in front of the Moon on...

2024 January 01 - NGC 1232: A Grand Design Spiral Galaxy

Posted January 1, 2024 •

In today's image, we see the spiral galaxy known by its catalog designation of NGC 1232. This is a grand design spiral galaxy with spiral arms majestically...