NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

40 Episodes
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By: Robert M Wagner

These podcasts are my discussion of NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day. These are brief (3-5 minute) audio summaries of the picture posted on NASA's Picture of the Day website: APOD. Video versions of these are available on YouTube. I use these as the introduction to each of my introductory astronomy classes. Students will be able to access them here to review what was discussed in class. I appreciate any comments or suggestions which can be sent to: wagnerastronomy@gmail.com.

2025 July 12 - Clouds and the Golden Moon
Yesterday at 5:00 AM

In today's image, we see an image showing the full moon of July 10 analog with some clouds in Earth's atmosphere.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts...


2025 July 11 - The Veins of Heaven
Last Friday at 5:00 AM

In today's image, we see noctilucent clouds up high in the sky as seen in Sweden recently. These clouds are high in the sky so that the Sun is still above the horizon from their perspective even though the Sun will have set for an observer on the ground.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the...


2025 July 10 - Lynds Dark Nebula 1251
Last Thursday at 5:00 AM

In today's image, we see LDN 1251, an example of a dark nebula in which stars are currently forming. in addition, several Herbig-Haro objects are one as well as a distant spiral galaxy.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 July 09 - A Beautiful Trifid
Last Wednesday at 5:00 AM

In today's image, we see M20 - The Trifid Nebula. This region contains three different types of nebulae - the dark, dusty nebulae, the blue reflection nebulae, and the pink emission nebulae.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 July 08 - The Pleiades in Red and Blue
Last Tuesday at 5:00 AM

In today's image, we see the Pleiades star cluster in an image derived from 25 hours' worth of exposure to bring out some of the fine detail in the gas and dust around the cluster.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this...


2025 July 07 - Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Last Monday at 5:00 AM

In today's image, we see a diagram showing the orbit od an interstellar visitor to the solar system, known as 3I/ATLAS. This is a comet which comes from outside our solar system based on its trajectory. It will pass between the orbits of Earth and Mars, but is not in danger of striking either planet.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture...


2025 July 06 - The Spiral North Pole of Mars
07/06/2025

In today's image, we see the north polar region of mars as constructed from laster altimeter data to give us a better view of this region of Mars.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


...


2025 July 05 - Ou4: The Giant Squid Nebula
07/05/2025

In today's image, we see the region known as Ou4, a relatively recently discovered nebula, seen in the blue light here, signifying the emission of oxygen atoms that have been ionized twice.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 July 04 - NGC 6946 and NGC 6939
07/04/2025

In today's image, we see the spiral galaxy NGC 6946 and the open star cluster NGC 6939 in the same image. This is a very deep exposure, requiring 68 hours of imaging through a telescope.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 July 03 - Nova V462 Lupi Now Visible
07/03/2025

In today's image, we see the nova known as V462 Lupi. This is one of two novae currently visible in the southern sky. Another one is expected sometime that will be visible in the northern part of the sky.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding...


2025 July 02 - Milky Way over Otago Spires
07/02/2025

In today's image, we see an image showing our Milky Way rising between the Otago Spires in New Zealand.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


I welcome comments and suggestions about these podcasts. I...


2025 July 01 - Eye Sky a Dragon
07/01/2025

In today's image, we see a "Little Planet" 360 degree image. Here we see the sunset, the Milky Way galaxy, as well as a deserted outpost and even the photographer in the image.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 June 30 - NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy
06/30/2025

In today's image, we see the galaxy known by the popular name of the Umbrella Galaxy. The "umbrella" is actually a tidal stream of material from a small satellite galaxy that is being torn apart by the larger galaxy.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding...


2025 June 29 - Dark Sand Cascades on Mars
06/29/2025

In today's image, we see dark steaks on the plant Mars caused as a darker sand cascades down the sand dunes neat the Martian North Pole.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


I welcome...


2025 June 28 - Lunar Farside
06/27/2025

In today's image, we see the far side of the Moon. This is the portion of our Moon that can never be seen from Earth because of the fact that the lunar rotation and revolution are equal.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the...


2025 June 27 - Messier 109
06/27/2025

In today's image, we see the barred spiral galaxy known as Messier 109. This galaxy is similar in size and structure to our own Milky Way, but is located 60 million light years away from our galaxy.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of...


2025 June 26 - The Seagull Nebula
06/26/2025

In today's image, we see the emission nebula known as the Seagull Nebula. This is part of a great emission nebula located in the direction of the constellation of Canis Major, the large dog.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this...


2025 June 25 - Rubin's First Look: A Sagittarius Skyscape
06/25/2025

In today's image, we see one of the first images from the new Vera C. Rubin observatory. This shows a part of the sky near the constellation of Sagittarius including the Trifid Nebula.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.<...


2025 June 24 - In the Center of Spiral Galaxy M61
06/24/2025

In today's image, we see the spiral galaxy known as M61. In the arms of tis galaxy, we see the telltale signs of star formation including the blue star clusters and pink ionized hydrogen regions.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of...


2025 June 23 - W5: Pillars of Star Formation
06/23/2025

In today's image, we see W5, which is a star forming region. The central, hollowed out region, contains the older stars while the edges contains the stars just forming.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


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2025 June 22 - A Berry Bowl of Martian Spherules
06/22/2025

In today's image, we see small spherules of hematite on the Martian surface as discovered by the Opportunity Rover back on 2004. These are another one of the pieces of evidence that liquid water once existed on Mars in the past.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo...


2025 June 21 - Two Planets, Two Analemmas
06/21/2025

In today's image, we see analemmas that were taken on two different planets - Earth and Mars. An analemma shows the changing position of the Sun over the course of a year.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 June 20 - Major Lunar Standstill 2024-2025
06/20/2025

In today's image, we see multiple stacked images showing both sunrise and moonrise from June 2024 through June 2025. During this time, the Moon is what is called a standstill where it is an an extreme of its orbit and its position appears to change very little.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the...


2025 June 19 - NGC 3521: Galaxy in a Bubble
06/19/2025

In today's image, we see a deep image of a galaxy showing a halo of material. This is likely the remnant of other small galaxies which have been torn apart by the tidal forces of the larger galaxy.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to...


2025 June 18 - Space Station Silhouette on the Moon
06/18/2025

In today's image, we see an image of the International Space Station as it passes in front of our Moon. The Silhouette of the ISS is clearly visible in the image.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 June 17 - Rosette Nebula Deep Field
06/17/2025

In today's image, we see the region in space near the Rosette Nebula. This is a part of a star forming region where a new cluster of stars is in the process of forming at the center of the Rosette nebula.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the...


2025 June 16 - APOD is 30 Years Old Today
06/16/2025

In today's image, we see a mosaic of images from APOD images used during the past five years. These are put together to reproduce Van Gogh's famous Starry Night painting.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


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2025 June 15 - Two Worlds, One Sun
06/15/2025

In today's image, we see the sunset as seen on two different planets. On the left we see the sunset as seen from Earth. On the right we see the sunset as seen from the planet Mars.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the...


2025 June 14 - Meteors and Satellite Trails over the Limay River
06/14/2025

In today's image, we see a view over the Limay River in Argentina. In the sky, we see our Milky Way, the planet Venus as well as several meteors and many satellite trails going across the sky.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the...


2025 June 13 - Rubin's Galaxy
06/13/2025

In today's image, we see the galaxy known as UGC 2885, also known as Rubin's galaxy after astronomer Vera Rubin who studied galaxies like this to suggest the existence of dark matter in the haloes of galaxies.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date...


2025 June 12 - Solar Eclipse
06/12/2025

In today's image, we see an example of a total solar eclipse from 2023. A total solar eclipse occurs when our Moon passes in front of our Sun, temporarily blocking out its light.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 June 11 - 25 Brightest Stars in the Night Sky
06/11/2025

In today's image, we see s compilation of images of the 25 brightest stars visible in the sky. This includes the brightest star, Sirius. You will note Polaris is not on the list, being the 50th brightest star, but important because of its location near the north celestial pole.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive...


2025 June 10 - Enceladus in True Color
06/10/2025

In today's image, we see the moon of Saturn known as Enceladus. This moon is known to have an ocean of liquid water below its surface and is a potential candidate for life.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.<...


2025 June 09 - Between Scylla & Charybdis
06/09/2025

In today's image, we see two recently discovered nebula candidates. Scylla is a candidate for a supernova remnant while Charybdis is a candidate for a planetary nebula. Both need further study before they can be confirmed.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date...


2025 June 08 - Facing NGC 3344
06/08/2025

In today's image, we see the nearby spiral galaxy known by its catalog designation NGC 3344. This is an example of a face on spiral galaxy where we are looking down from above (or up from below!) allowing us to see the grand spiral structure present.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the...


2025 June 07 - Perseverance Selfie with Ingenuity
06/07/2025

In today's image, we see an image taken by the Perseverance rover from the surface of Mars. The image shows the rover itself as well as the Ingenuity helicopter which completed its 72nd and final mission in 2024.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the...


2025 June 06 - NGC 6302: The Butterfly Nebula
06/06/2025

In today's image, we see the planetary nebula known as the Butterfly Nebula for its distinctive shape. A planetary nebula is the end state of a star much like our own Sun.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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2025 June 05 - Savudrija Star Trails
06/05/2025

In today's image, we see the area around the Savudrija Lighthouse alone with star trails in the sky. the star trails consist of 400 images of 30 seconds each, stacked together.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


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2025 June 04 - A Milky Road to the Rubin Observatory
06/03/2025

In today's image, we see the Milky Way and Small Magellanic Cloud in the sky over the soon to be in operation, Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


I...


2025 June 03 - Rainbow Airglow over the Azores
06/03/2025

In today's image, we see the airglow and gravity waves in the sky giving various rainbow patterns in the night sky.


My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel.


This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.


I welcome comments and suggestions about these...