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Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐
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🔭 A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus

Image Credit & Copyright: Jordi Jofre

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Spanning light-years, this suggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebula floats in silhouette against a rich background of of stars and glowing hydrogen gas. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus, the dusty, dark nebula is part of a Milky Way molecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low-mass stars are forming within, but their collapsing cores are only visible at long infrared wavelengths. Still, the luminous depths of the Milky Way in Cepheus add to this stunning galactic skyscape.
November 7, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe

Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Shiny NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, and also one of the dustiest. Some call it the Silver Coin Galaxy for its appearance in small telescopes, or just the Sculptor Galaxy for its location within the boundaries of the southern constellation Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer Caroline Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253 is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to our own Local Group of Galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes, tendrils of dust seem to be rising from its galactic disk laced with young star clusters and star-forming regions in this colourful galaxy portrait. The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation, earning NGC 253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also known to be a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, likely due to black holes near the galaxy's centre.
November 6, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Micro Moon vs. Super Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Şenol Şanlı"

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Two full Moons are shown. They are different sizes because the Micro Moon image on the left was captured when the Moon was near its furthest from the Earth, while the Super Moon on the right was captured when the Moon was near its closest to the Earth. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 10, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 from Hubble

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, K. Noll

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A spiral galaxy covers the right part of the image. Brown dust and blue stars trace the spiral arms. On the left part of the image are several more red galaxies far in the distance. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Road to the Galactic Centre

Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Abramyan

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
The picture shows the a composite image of Monument Valley, Utah, USA in the foreground, and the plane of the Milky-Way Galaxy including the Galactic Centre in the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 9, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Comet Lemmon Beyond Lomnický Peak

Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Barsa

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
An image of the night sky over distant mountains features a comet with long tails. One of the tails goes nearly to the edge of the picture on the upper right. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 4, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 A Full Moon at Perigee

Image Credit & Copyright: Betul Turksoy

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
What is big, bright, and beautiful, can wear a cape made of clouds, and is at the closest point in its elliptical orbit around planet Earth? A full moon at perigee of course, captured here near moonset in predawn skies on November 5 from Kayseri, Turkiye. Full moons that happen at (or very near) perigee, and so are slightly larger and brighter than full moons on average, have become popularly known as supermoons. In fact, this full moon at perigee is the closest and brightest of the three supermoons of 2025. Rising as the Sun sets, this full moon follows this October's Harvest Moon and is traditionally known to some as the Hunter's Moon.
November 8, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 A Double Helix Lunar Eclipse

Image Credit & Copyright: Chunlin Liu

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A wide angle image of the night sky is punctuated by a radio telescope on the lower left. Two bands of light run through the sky: the Milky Way and zodiacal light. The bands intertwine like a double helix. Near the top is an orange orb that is a totally eclipsed moon. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus

Image Credit & Copyright: Jordi Jofre

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Spanning light-years, this suggestive shape known as the Seahorse Nebula floats in silhouette against a rich background of of stars and glowing hydrogen gas. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of Cepheus, the dusty, dark nebula is part of a Milky Way molecular cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150 (B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low-mass stars are forming within, but their collapsing cores are only visible at long infrared wavelengths. Still, the luminous depths of the Milky Way in Cepheus add to this stunning galactic skyscape.
November 7, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 A Horseshoe Einstein Ring from Hubble

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A dark star field with several small galaxies features a yellowish galaxy in the centre. Surrounding this galaxy is a blue nearly circular horseshoe shaped object. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe

Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Shiny NGC 253 is one of the brightest spiral galaxies visible, and also one of the dustiest. Some call it the Silver Coin Galaxy for its appearance in small telescopes, or just the Sculptor Galaxy for its location within the boundaries of the southern constellation Sculptor. Discovered in 1783 by mathematician and astronomer Caroline Herschel, the dusty island universe lies a mere 10 million light-years away. About 70 thousand light-years across, NGC 253 is the largest member of the Sculptor Group of Galaxies, the nearest to our own Local Group of Galaxies. In addition to its spiral dust lanes, tendrils of dust seem to be rising from its galactic disk laced with young star clusters and star-forming regions in this colourful galaxy portrait. The high dust content accompanies frantic star formation, earning NGC 253 the designation of a starburst galaxy. NGC 253 is also known to be a strong source of high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, likely due to black holes near the galaxy's centre.
November 6, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Pleiades from Planet Earth

Image Credit & Copyright: Max Inwood

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
The lovely Pleiades star cluster shines in Earth's night sky, a compact group of stars some 400 light-years distant toward the constellation Taurus and the Orion Arm of our Milky Way galaxy. Recognized since ancient times, the remarkable celestial gathering is visible to the unaided eye. The Pleiades cluster is also well-placed for viewing from both northern and southern hemispheres, and over the centuries has become connected to many cultural traditions and celebrations, including the cross-quarter day celebration Halloween. In Greek myth, the Pleiades were seven daughters of the astronomical titan Atlas and sea-nymph Pleione. Galileo first sketched the star cluster viewed through his telescope with stars too faint to be seen by eye and Charles Messier recorded the position of the cluster as the 45th entry in his well-known catalog of things which are not comets. In this dramatic night skyscape from planet Earth, the stars of the Pleiades appear embedded in dusty blue reflection nebulae, poised above Mt Sefton, one of the tallest peaks in New Zealand. There known as Matariki, the star cluster is associated with the celebration of the Maori new year.
November 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Spiral Galaxy NGC 3370 from Hubble

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess, K. Noll

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A spiral galaxy covers the right part of the image. Brown dust and blue stars trace the spiral arms. On the left part of the image are several more red galaxies far in the distance. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Ghosts in Cassiopeia

Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Rodriguez

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Halloween is an astronomy holiday and spooky shapes always seem to lurk in in planet Earth's night skies. In fact, near the centre of this telescopic view toward the constellation Cassiopeia these swept-back interstellar clouds IC 59 (left) and IC 63 look ghostly on a cosmic scale. About 600 light-years distant, the clouds aren't actually ghosts. They are slowly disappearing though, under the influence of energetic radiation from hot, luminous star gamma Cas. The brightest bluish star in the frame, Gamma Cas is physically located only 3 to 4 light-years from the nebulae. Slightly closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is dominated by red H-alpha light emitted as hydrogen atoms ionized by the hot star's ultraviolet radiation recombine with electrons. Farther from the star IC 59 also shows H-alpha emission, and both nebulae shine with the characteristic blue tint of dust reflected star light. The field of view spans about 2 degrees or 20 light-years at the estimated distance of the interstellar apparitions.
October 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
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🔭 Comet Lemmon Beyond Lomnický Peak

Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Barsa

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
An image of the night sky over distant mountains features a comet with long tails. One of the tails goes nearly to the edge of the picture on the upper right. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 4, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐
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🔭 Lynds Dark Nebula 43

Image Credit & Copyright: Team Ciel Austral

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Sure, Halloween is an astronomy holiday. But astronomers always enjoy scanning the heavens for spook-tacular galaxies, stars, and nebulae. This favorite is item number 43 from the Beverly Lynds' 1962 Catalogue of Dark Nebulae, fondly known as the Cosmic Bat nebula. While its visage looks alarmingly like a scary flying mammal, Lynds Dark Nebula 43 is over 12 light-years across. Glowing with eerie light, stars are forming within the dusty interstellar molecular cloud that is dense enough to appear in silhouette against a luminous background of Milky Way stars. Watch out. This Cosmic Bat nebula is a mere 400 light-years distant toward the serpent-bearing constellation Ophiucus.
October 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 A Double Helix Lunar Eclipse

Image Credit & Copyright: Chunlin Liu

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A wide angle image of the night sky is punctuated by a radio telescope on the lower left. Two bands of light run through the sky: the Milky Way and zodiacal light. The bands intertwine like a double helix. Near the top is an orange orb that is a totally eclipsed moon. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐
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🔭 Dust Shapes of the Ghost Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: Kent Wood

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A dark star field surrounds an unusual clump of brown dust. To some, the dust clumps appear as shapes of people or monsters. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
October 29, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 A Horseshoe Einstein Ring from Hubble

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A dark star field with several small galaxies features a yellowish galaxy in the centre. Surrounding this galaxy is a blue nearly circular horseshoe shaped object. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
November 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐
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🔭 NGC 6995: The Bat Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: Francis Bozon-Gangloff

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
The featured image shows a starfield with a multi-coloured nebula in the centre. The nebula is quite filamentary but appears to some like a bat. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
October 28, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Pleiades from Planet Earth

Image Credit & Copyright: Max Inwood

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
The lovely Pleiades star cluster shines in Earth's night sky, a compact group of stars some 400 light-years distant toward the constellation Taurus and the Orion Arm of our Milky Way galaxy. Recognized since ancient times, the remarkable celestial gathering is visible to the unaided eye. The Pleiades cluster is also well-placed for viewing from both northern and southern hemispheres, and over the centuries has become connected to many cultural traditions and celebrations, including the cross-quarter day celebration Halloween. In Greek myth, the Pleiades were seven daughters of the astronomical titan Atlas and sea-nymph Pleione. Galileo first sketched the star cluster viewed through his telescope with stars too faint to be seen by eye and Charles Messier recorded the position of the cluster as the 45th entry in his well-known catalog of things which are not comets. In this dramatic night skyscape from planet Earth, the stars of the Pleiades appear embedded in dusty blue reflection nebulae, poised above Mt Sefton, one of the tallest peaks in New Zealand. There known as Matariki, the star cluster is associated with the celebration of the Maori new year.
November 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐
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🔭 Two Tails of Comet Lemmon

Image Credit: Massimo Penna

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A dark sky shows bright comet with its tails extending diagonally from the lower left. Two tails are visible for the comet -- a long blue tail and a shorter wider white tail. Oddly, a wiggly tan stream appears to be a third tail -- but is actually the dust from a dissipated meteor. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
October 27, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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🔭 Ghosts in Cassiopeia

Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Rodriguez

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Halloween is an astronomy holiday and spooky shapes always seem to lurk in in planet Earth's night skies. In fact, near the centre of this telescopic view toward the constellation Cassiopeia these swept-back interstellar clouds IC 59 (left) and IC 63 look ghostly on a cosmic scale. About 600 light-years distant, the clouds aren't actually ghosts. They are slowly disappearing though, under the influence of energetic radiation from hot, luminous star gamma Cas. The brightest bluish star in the frame, Gamma Cas is physically located only 3 to 4 light-years from the nebulae. Slightly closer to gamma Cas, IC 63 is dominated by red H-alpha light emitted as hydrogen atoms ionized by the hot star's ultraviolet radiation recombine with electrons. Farther from the star IC 59 also shows H-alpha emission, and both nebulae shine with the characteristic blue tint of dust reflected star light. The field of view spans about 2 degrees or 20 light-years at the estimated distance of the interstellar apparitions.
October 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐
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🔭 Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri (Observatoire de Paris) et al.,

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
A white nebula appears in a colorful star field. To some, the nebula appears like a ghost. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
October 26, 2025 at 11:32 PM
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🔭 Lynds Dark Nebula 43

Image Credit & Copyright: Team Ciel Austral

star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/a...
Sure, Halloween is an astronomy holiday. But astronomers always enjoy scanning the heavens for spook-tacular galaxies, stars, and nebulae. This favorite is item number 43 from the Beverly Lynds' 1962 Catalogue of Dark Nebulae, fondly known as the Cosmic Bat nebula. While its visage looks alarmingly like a scary flying mammal, Lynds Dark Nebula 43 is over 12 light-years across. Glowing with eerie light, stars are forming within the dusty interstellar molecular cloud that is dense enough to appear in silhouette against a luminous background of Milky Way stars. Watch out. This Cosmic Bat nebula is a mere 400 light-years distant toward the serpent-bearing constellation Ophiucus.
October 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM