NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

Recent Episodes

2021 September 02 - M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy

Posted September 2, 2021 • 00:03:50

In today's image, we see M51, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy. We see it as a grand spiral galaxy undergoing much start formation, possible because...

2021 September 01 - Dancing Ghosts: Curved Jets from Active Galaxies

Posted September 1, 2021 • 00:03:53

In today's image, we see radio jets curving away from the centers of two active galaxies. The radio emission is caused by electrons spiraling around...

2021 August 31 - A Blue Moon in Exaggerated Colors

Posted August 31, 2021 • 00:04:06

In today's image, we see a blue moon - defined to be the third full moon in a season that happens to have four full moons. The colors have been greatly...

2021 August 30 - A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia

Posted August 30, 2021 • 00:03:21

In today's image, we see a Fire Rainbow or Circumhorizon Arc over West Virginia. This is a relatively rare event requiring specific circumstances to...

2021 August 29 - Orbits of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

Posted August 29, 2021 • 00:04:50

In today's image, we see a diagram showing the orbits of 1000 potentially hazardous asteroids. These are objects large enough to cause a significant...