Monday, April 14, 2025

APOD - The Galactic Center in Radio from MeerKAT

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2025 April 14
The featured image shows the very center of our Milky Way  Galaxy as resolved by the MeerKAT array in radio light. Many supernova  remnants and unusual filaments are visible. At the upper right is  an inset image of a small region taken in infrared by JWST.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

The Galactic Center in Radio from MeerKAT
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, SARAO, S. Crowe (UVA), J. Bally (CU), R. Fedriani (IAA-CSIC), I. Heywood (Oxford)

Explanation: What's happening at the center of our galaxy? It's hard to tell with optical telescopes since visible light is blocked by intervening interstellar dust. In other bands of light, though, such as radio, the galactic center can be imaged and shows itself to be quite an interesting and active place. The featured picture shows an image of our Milky Way's center by the MeerKAT array of 64 radio dishes in South Africa. Spanning four times the angular size of the Moon (2 degrees), the image is impressively vast, deep, and detailed. Many known sources are shown in clear detail, including many with a prefix of Sgr, since the galactic center is in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. In our galaxy's center lies Sgr A, found here in the image center, which houses the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole. Other sources in the image are not as well understood, including the Arc, just to the left of Sgr A, and numerous filamentary threads. The inset image shows a small patch recently imaged in infrared light with the James Webb Space Telescope to investigate the effects of magnetic fields on star formation.

Open Science: Browse 3,600+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code Library
Tomorrow's picture: star cylinder


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Sunday, April 13, 2025

APOD - An Unusual Hole in Mars

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2025 April 13
A brown background is shown covered with a gray topping  that has many holes. On the upper right, there is a deep hole  in the brown background. In this hole is more gray topping.   Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

An Unusual Hole in Mars
Image Credit: NASA, MRO, HiRISE, JPL, U. Arizona

Explanation: What created this unusual hole in Mars? Actually, there are numerous holes pictured in this Swiss cheese-like landscape, with all-but-one of them showing a dusty, dark, Martian terrain beneath evaporating, light, carbon dioxide ice. The most unusual hole is on the upper right, spans about 100 meters, and seems to punch through to a lower level. Why this hole exists and why it is surrounded by a circular crater remains a topic of speculation, although a leading hypothesis is that it was created by a meteor impact. Holes such as this are of particular interest because they might be portals to lower levels that extend into expansive underground caves. If so, these naturally occurring tunnels are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. These pits are therefore also prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers.

Tomorrow's picture: radio center


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Saturday, April 12, 2025

APOD - Moon Near the Edge

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2025 April 12
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

Moon Near the Edge
Image Credit & Copyright: Jordi Coy

Explanation: Most of us watch the Moon at night. But the Moon spends nearly as many daylight hours above our horizon, though in bright daytime skies the lunar disk looks pale and can be a little harder to see. Of course in daytime skies the Moon also appears to cycle through its phases, shining by reflected sunlight as it orbits our fair planet. For daytime moonwatchers, the Moon is probably easier to spot when the visible sunlit portion of the lunar disk is large and waxing following first quarter or waning approaching its third quarter phase. And though it might look unusual, a daytime moon is often seen even in urban skies. Captured here in a telephoto snapshot taken on March 12, a waxing daytime Moon is aligned near the edge of a popular observation deck that overlooks New York City's borough of Manahattan.

Tomorrow's picture: a hole in Mars


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Friday, April 11, 2025

APOD - The ISS Meets Venus

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2025 April 11
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The ISS Meets Venus
Image Credit & Copyright: A.J. Smadi

Explanation: Made with a telescope shaded from bright sunlight by an umbrella, on April 5 a well-planned video captured a crescent Venus shining in clear daytime skies from Shoreline, Washington, USA at 11:57AM Pacific Time. It also caught the International Space Station in this single video frame. In close conjunction with the bright planet, the faint outline of the orbital outpost seen at a range of about 400 kilometers appears to be similar in size to the slender planetary crescent. Of course the ISS is much smaller than Venus. Now appearing as planet Earth's brilliant morning star and climbing above the eastern horizon in predawn skies, inner planet Venus was nearly 45 million kilometers from Shoreline.

Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend


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Thursday, April 10, 2025

APOD - 38 Hours with the M81 Group

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2025 April 10
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

38 Hours with the M81 Group
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Yang K.

Explanation: From a garden on planet Earth, 38 hours of exposure with a camera and small telescope produced this cosmic photo of the M81 galaxy group. In fact, the group's dominant galaxy M81 is near the center of the frame sporting grand spiral arms and a bright yellow core. Also known as Bode's galaxy, M81 itself spans some 100,000 light-years. Near the top is cigar-shaped irregular galaxy M82. The pair have been locked in gravitational combat for a billion years. Gravity from each galaxy has profoundly affected the other during a series of cosmic close encounters. Their last go-round lasted about 100 million years and likely raised density waves rippling around M81, resulting in massive star forming regions arrayed along M81's spiral arms. M82 was left with violent star forming regions too, and colliding gas clouds so energetic that the galaxy glows in X-rays. In the next few billion years, their continuing gravitational encounters will result in a merger, and a single galaxy will remain. Another group member, NGC 3077 is below and left of the large spiral M81. Far far away, about 12 million light-years distant the M81 group galaxies are seen toward the northern constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). But in the closer foreground the wide-field image is filled with integrated flux nebulae whose faint, dusty interstellar clouds reflect starlight above the plane of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Tomorrow's picture: a matinee


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Wednesday, April 9, 2025

APOD - HH 49: Interstellar Jet from Webb

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2025 April 9
A dark starfield is dominated by a red cone-like  nebula with its base on the bottom right and extending  diagonally through the image. At the peak of the cone  toward the upper left is a background spiral galaxy.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

HH 49: Interstellar Jet from Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST

Explanation: What's at the tip of this interstellar jet? First let's consider the jet: it is being expelled by a star system just forming and is cataloged as Herbig-Haro 49 (HH 49). The star system expelling this jet is not visible -- it is off to the lower right. The complex conical structure featured in this infrared image by the James Webb Space Telescope also includes another jet cataloged as HH 50. The fast jet particles impact the surrounding interstellar gas and form shock waves that glow prominently in infrared light -- shown here as reddish-brown ridges. This JWST image also resolved the mystery of the unusual object at HH 49's tip: it is a spiral galaxy far in the distance. The blue center is therefore not one star but many, and the surrounding circular rings are actually spiral arms.

Jump Around the Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: open space


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Tuesday, April 8, 2025

APOD - Moon Visits Sister Stars

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2025 April 8
A dark night sky is shown with clouds on the left.   Just above center in blue is the Pleiades star cluster.   Just below the Pleiades is a crescent moon, but bright   enough so that you can see not only the brightly lit  crescent but, more faintly, the rest of the Moon.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Moon Visits Sister Stars
Image Credit: Cayetana Saiz

Explanation: Sometimes, the Moon visits the Pleiades. Technically, this means that the orbit of our Moon takes it directly in front of the famous Pleiades star cluster, which is far in the distance. The technical term for the event is an occultation, and the Moon is famous for its rare occultations of all planets and several well-known bright stars. The Moon's tilted and precessing orbit makes its occultations of the Seven Sisters star cluster bunchy, with the current epoch starting in 2023 continuing monthly until 2029. After that, though, the next occultation won't occur until 2042. Taken from Cantabria, Spain on April 1, the featured image is a composite where previous exposures of the Pleiades from the same camera and location were digitally added to the last image to bring up the star cluster's iconic blue glow.

Jigsaw Challenge: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic jets


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Monday, April 7, 2025

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APOD - NGC 4414: A Flocculent Spiral Galaxy

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2025 April 7
A bright spiral galaxy fills the image with blue  spiral arms laced with red-brown dust.   Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

NGC 4414: A Flocculent Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, O. Graur, S. W. Jha, A. Filippenko

Explanation: How much mass do flocculent spirals hide? The featured image of flocculent spiral galaxy NGC 4414 was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope to help answer this question. Flocculent spirals -- galaxies without well-defined spiral arms -- are a quite common form of galaxy, and NGC 4414 is one of the closest. Stars and gas near the visible edge of spiral galaxies orbit the center so fast that the gravity from a large amount of unseen dark matter must be present to hold them together. Understanding the matter and dark matter distribution of NGC 4414 helps humanity calibrate the rest of the galaxy and, by deduction, flocculent spirals in general. Further, calibrating the distance to NGC 4414 helps humanity calibrate the cosmological distance scale of the entire visible universe.

Tomorrow's picture: Moon sisters


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Sunday, April 6, 2025

APOD - Moonquakes Surprisingly Common

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2025 April 6
An astronaut is seen standing on the Moon next to   an instrument with the lunar lander several meters in the   distance. The dark of deep space covers the top of the frame.   Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Moonquakes Surprisingly Common
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 11 Crew

Explanation: Why are there so many moonquakes? Analyses of seismometers left on the moon during the Apollo moon landings reveal a surprising number of moonquakes occurring within 100 kilometers of the surface. In fact, 62 moonquakes were detected in data recorded between 1972 and 1977. Many of these moonquakes are not only strong enough to move furniture in a lunar apartment, but the stiff rock of the moon continues to vibrate for many minutes, significantly longer than the softer rock earthquakes on Earth. The cause of the moonquakes remains unknown, but a leading hypothesis include tidal gravity from -- and relative heating by -- our Earth. Regardless of the source, future moon dwellings need to be built to withstand the frequent shakings. Pictured here, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands beside a recently deployed lunar seismometer, looking back toward the lunar landing module.

Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
Tomorrow's picture: yes, flocculent


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Saturday, April 5, 2025

APOD - The Gargoyles' Eclipse

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2025 April 5
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

The Gargoyles' Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Bertrand Kulik

Explanation: In dramatic silhouette against a cloudy daytime sky over Paris, France, gargoyles cast their monstrous gaze outward from the west facade of Notre Dame Cathedral. Taken on March 29, this telephoto snapshot also captures the dramatic silhouette of a New Moon against the bright solar disk in a partial solar eclipse. Happening high in Parisian skies, the partial eclipse was close to its maximum phase of about 23 percent. Occurring near the end of the first eclipse season of 2025, this partial solar eclipse followed the total eclipse of the Full Moon on March 13/14. The upcoming second eclipse season of 2025 will see a total lunar eclipse on September 7/8 and partial solar eclipse on September 21. The partial solar eclipse will be seen only from locations in planet Earth's southern hemisphere.

Tomorrow's picture: moonquakes


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Friday, April 4, 2025

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APOD - Hickson 44 in Leo

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2025 April 4
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

Hickson 44 in Leo
Image Credit & Copyright: Jiang Wu

Explanation: Scanning the skies for galaxies, Canadian astronomer Paul Hickson and colleagues identified some 100 compact groups of galaxies, now appropriately called Hickson Compact Groups. The four prominent galaxies seen in this intriguing telescopic skyscape are one such group, Hickson 44. The galaxy group is about 100 million light-years distant, far beyond the spiky foreground Milky Way stars, toward the constellation Leo. The two spiral galaxies in the center of the image are edge-on NGC 3190 with its distinctive, warped dust lanes, and S-shaped NGC 3187. Along with the bright elliptical, NGC 3193 (above and left) they are also known as Arp 316. The spiral toward the lower right corner is NGC 3185, the 4th member of the Hickson group. Like other galaxies in Hickson groups, these show signs of distortion and enhanced star formation, evidence of a gravitational tug of war that will eventually result in galaxy mergers on a cosmic timescale. The merger process is now understood to be a normal part of the evolution of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. For scale, NGC 3190 is about 75,000 light-years across at the estimated distance of Hickson 44.

Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend


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Thursday, April 3, 2025

APOD - The Da Vinci Glow

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2025 April 3
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

The Da Vinci Glow
Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer

Explanation: A 26 hour old Moon poses behind the craggy outline of the Italian Dolomites in this twilight mountain and skyscape. The one second long exposure was captured near moonset on March 30. And while only a a sliver of its sunlit surface is visible, most of the Moon's disk can be seen by earthshine as light reflected from a bright planet Earth illuminates the lunar nearside. Also known as the Moon's ashen glow, a description of earthshine in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Of course earthshine is just the most familiar example of planetshine, the faint illumination of the dark portion of a moon by light reflected from its planet.

Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space


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Wednesday, April 2, 2025

APOD - Jupiter and Ring in Infrared from Webb

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2025 April 2
The featured image shows Jupiter in infrared light as captured  by the James Webb Space Telescope. Visible are clouds, the Great  Red Spot -- appearing light in color -- and a prominent ring around  the giant planet.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Jupiter and Ring in Infrared from Webb
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt

Explanation: Why does Jupiter have rings? Jupiter's main ring was discovered in 1979 by NASA's passing Voyager 1 spacecraft, but its origin was then a mystery. Data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003, however, confirmed the hypothesis that this ring was created by meteoroid impacts on small nearby moons. As a small meteoroid strikes tiny Metis, for example, it will bore into the moon, vaporize, and explode dirt and dust off into a Jovian orbit. The featured image of Jupiter in infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope shows not only Jupiter and its clouds, but this ring as well. Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) -- in comparatively light color on the right, Jupiter's large moon Europa -- in the center of diffraction spikes on the left, and Europa's shadow -- next to the GRS -- are also visible. Several features in the image are not yet well understood, including the seemingly separated cloud layer on Jupiter's right limb.

Celestial Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: open space


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Tuesday, April 1, 2025

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APOD - A Double Sunrise from a Partial Eclipse

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2025 April 1

https://www.youtube.com/embed/oTkbHJsqCZM?rel=0


A Double Sunrise from a Partial Eclipse
Video Credit & Copyright: Jason Kurth; Music: House of the Rising Sun (Sebastian McQueen via SoundCloud)

Explanation: Can the Sun appear to rise twice at the same time? This was just the case a few days ago from Les Escoumins, Quebec, Canada as our Solar System's bright central orb rose just as it was being partially eclipsed by the Moon. The featured video shows this unusual double-sunrise in real time and being reflected by the St. Lawrence River. Soon after the initial two spots of light appear over distant clouds, what appears to be bright horns become visible -- which are really just parts of the Sun not being eclipsed. Soon, the entire eclipsed Sun is visible above the horizon. In all, this broken sunrise took less than two minutes during a partial eclipse that lasted many times longer. Although the Moon circles the Earth once a month (moon-th), it does not always eclipse the Sun because its tilted orbit usually takes it above or below.

Gallery: Partial Solar Eclipse of 2025 March
Tomorrow's picture: jupiter red


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Sunday, March 30, 2025

APOD - A Partial Solar Eclipse over Iceland

Astronomy Picture of the Day

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2025 March 30
A a cloudy sky appears with an overall pink - red hue.  The Sun appears partially eclipsed over a slanting hill.   A person on the hill has their arms raised and appears to   be holding up the partially eclipsed Sun.   Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

A Partial Solar Eclipse over Iceland
Image Credit & Copyright: Wioleta Gorecka

Explanation: What if the Sun and Moon rose together? That happened yesterday over some northern parts of planet Earth as a partial solar eclipse occurred shortly after sunrise. Regions that experienced the Moon blocking part of the Sun included northeastern parts of North America and northwestern parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The featured image was captured yesterday over the Grábrók volcanic crater in Iceland where much of the Sun became momentarily hidden behind the Moon. The image was taken through a cloudy sky but so well planned that the photographer's friend appeared to be pulling the Sun out from behind the Moon. No part of the Earth experienced a total solar eclipse this time. In the distant past, some of humanity was so surprised when an eclipse occurred that ongoing battles suddenly stopped. Today, eclipses are not a surprise and are predicted with an accuracy of seconds.

Growing Gallery: Partial Solar Eclipse of 2025 March
Tomorrow's picture: inside out solar system


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Saturday, March 29, 2025

APOD - Stereo Helene

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2025 March 29
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

Stereo Helene
Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, ISS, JPL, ESA, NASA; Stereo Image by Roberto Beltramini

Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and float next to Helene, small, icy moon of Saturn. Appropriately named, Helene is a Trojan moon, so called because it orbits at a Lagrange point. A Lagrange point is a gravitationally stable position near two massive bodies, in this case Saturn and larger moon Dione. In fact, irregularly shaped ( about 36 by 32 by 30 kilometers) Helene orbits at Dione's leading Lagrange point while brotherly ice moon Polydeuces follows at Dione's trailing Lagrange point. The sharp stereo anaglyph was constructed from two Cassini images captured during a close flyby in 2011. It shows part of the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Helene mottled with craters and gully-like features.

Tomorrow's picture: Ringed Jupiter


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Friday, March 28, 2025

[27+] Voyages Marins Uniques - Créatures uniques qui habitent le fond ..

25+

APOD - Lunar Dust and Duct Tape

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.

2025 March 28
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
Image Credit: Apollo 17, NASA

Explanation: Why is the Moon so dusty? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, eons of constant micrometeorite bombardment have blasted away at the rocky surface creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith. For the Apollo astronauts and their equipment, the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface in December 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their rover's fenders in an effort to keep the rooster tails of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape".

Northern Hemisphere Alert : March 29 Partial Solar Eclipse Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space


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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Thursday, March 27, 2025

APOD - Messier 81

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.

2025 March 27
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download  the highest resolution version available.

Messier 81
Image Credit & Copyright: Lorand Fenyes

Explanation: One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky is similar in size to our Milky Way Galaxy: big, beautiful Messier 81. Also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's galaxy for its 18th century discoverer, this grand spiral can be found toward the northern constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The sharp, detailed telescopic view reveals M81's bright yellow nucleus, blue spiral arms, pinkish starforming regions, and sweeping cosmic dust lanes. But some dust lanes actually cut across the galactic disk (left of center), contrary to other prominent spiral features. The errant dust lanes may be the lingering result of a close encounter between M81 and the nearby galaxy M82 lurking outside of this frame. Scrutiny of variable stars in M81 has yielded a well-determined distance for an external galaxy -- 11.8 million light-years.

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.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
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& Michigan Tech. U.


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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

APOD - Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula

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.

2025 March 26
A starfield dominated by a large nebula is pictured.   The center is blue and the perimeter is red. Many dark   dust pillars are visible.   Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Montilla (AAE)

Explanation: You'd think the Pacman Nebula would be eating stars, but actually it is forming them. Within the nebula, a cluster's young, massive stars are powering the pervasive nebular glow. The eye-catching shapes looming in the featured portrait of NGC 281 are sculpted dusty columns and dense Bok globules seen in silhouette, eroded by intense, energetic winds and radiation from the hot cluster stars. If they survive long enough, the dusty structures could also be sites of future star formation. Playfully called the Pacman Nebula because of its overall shape, NGC 281 is about 10,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. This sharp composite image was made through narrow-band filters in Spain in mid 2024. It combines emissions from the nebula's hydrogen and oxygen atoms to synthesize red, green, and blue colors. The scene spans well over 80 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 281.

Tomorrow's picture: open space


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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

[22+] Oasis Végétale Urbaine - Anemone huphensis (Höstanemon) med Cimi..

20+

APOD - A Blue Banded Blood Moon

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.

2025 March 25
A developing total lunar eclipse is shown in three frames.  At the top part of the uneclipsed Moon is visible with a   distinctive blue band separating it from the rest of the   reddened Moon. The middle frame shows a mostly reddened Moon  with a the blue band just visible on the upper right, while  the lowest frame shows an entirely eclipsed moon all in red.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

A Blue Banded Blood Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Zixiong Jin

Explanation: What causes a blue band to cross the Moon during a lunar eclipse? The blue band is real but usually quite hard to see. The featured HDR image of last week's lunar eclipse, however -- taken from Norman, Oklahoma (USA) -- has been digitally processed to exaggerate the colors. The gray color on the upper right of the top lunar image is the Moon's natural color, directly illuminated by sunlight. The lower parts of the Moon on all three images are not directly lit by the Sun since it is being eclipsed -- it is in the Earth's shadow. It is faintly lit, though, by sunlight that has passed deep through Earth's atmosphere. This part of the Moon is red -- and called a blood Moon -- for the same reason that Earth's sunsets are red: because air scatters away more blue light than red. The unusual purple-blue band visible on the upper right of the top and middle images is different -- its color is augmented by sunlight that has passed high through Earth's atmosphere, where red light is better absorbed by ozone than blue.

Celestial Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
Tomorrow's picture: star factory


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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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