Astronomy Picture of the Day
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NASA
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Buck Moon and Belt of Venus 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…
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NASA
Astronomy Picture of the Day
NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad 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…
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NASA
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Red Sun through Wildfire Smoke Explanation: This could be the view from an exoplanet orbiting around a red dwarf star, but it is our own Sun. This image of 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;…
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NASA
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Barnards Loop over Twin Volcanoes 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…
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