Episodes

In today's image, we see the comet known as Pons-Brooks. This comet returns to the inner solar system every 71 years and has been observed since the 14th century. It is currently visible with the aid of a telescope or binoculars and may brighten enough to be visible to the naked eye on April 8 when it may be possible to view it during the total solar eclipse that occurs that day. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel. This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirro...

In today's image, we see a video where the tones the sound are used to represent different colors in the image. The red colors are represented by the lower tones while the blue is represented by the lower tones and the green, the middle tones. This is a way of representing the image in a different way so it can be "seen" even by one who can not see the image directly. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel. This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for A...

In today's image, we see the shadow of our Moon as cast on the Earth during the total solar eclipse from 1999. The very center region of this shadow will be the area that sees a total solar eclipse with the Sun's light completely blocked by the Moon. The outer areas of the shadow will see a partial solar eclipse and beyond that, no eclipse will be seen at all. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel. This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You...

In today's image, we see the region around the landing site of the fictional Ares 3 craft which was the basis of the novel: The Martian in which an astronaut is stranded on the surface of Mars. The image is taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showing detail of craters in 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 ...

In today's image, we see the planet Mars with its moon, Phobos just appearing in multiple images off the left-hand side. Phobos is an unusual moon in that it orbits so close to Mars that it would actually appear to rise in the west and set in the east and would do this three times each day! It is also known at the doomed moon as it is in such a low orbit, it will eventually be destroyed by today forces of Mars. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel. This Podcast ...

In today's image, we see the Leo Triplet - a group of spiral galaxies in the direction of the constellation of Leo the lion. The galaxies appear relatively close to one another in the sky, spanning a distance of only about two full moons. They are actually close together in space as well as they interact with one another causing tidal distortions. 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 t...

In today's image, we see two galaxy which have recently interacted. We can see how the one galaxy contains material that has been distorted as the gravitational fields of the two galaxies interacted. These interactions also increase the stat formation rate in the galaxy giving rise to the large number of blue stars which color much of these tidal streams. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel. This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can ...

In today's image, we see the Sun setting at the end of a road. This road runs roughly east-west so the Sun will appear to rise and set at the end of the road on the two equinoxes that occur each year. For this in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the Vernal Equinox or the first day of spring. On this day, the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving into the northern part of the sky. It is also the day where day and night will be of equal length - 12 hours each. My podcasts are available in vid...

In today's image, we see an image of Comet Pons-Brooks. The coma is highlighted to show the swirling pattern around it. It is thought this might be caused by the rotation of the nucleus of the comet as material is vaporized of its surface by the energy of the 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 archi...

In today's image, we see galaxies in the process of colliding. The collision will allow large gas clouds to merge and compress, causing star formation rates to increase. We see this in the many large, blue star cluster visible around the image. In a few hundred million years, the collision will have finished and we will have just a single, ordinary galaxy left behind. My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube Channel. This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for A...

In today's image, we see the ongoing construction of the ELT - Extremely Large Telescope. This is expected to be completed later this decade and will be a 40-meter telescope. In the sky above, we see our Milky Way Galaxy as well as two satellite galaxies known as the Magellanic Clouds. 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....

In today's image, we see the galaxy known as NGC 1055. The is a spiral type galaxy as we see it edge-on with the dark dust lane concentrated in the disk component of the 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. ...

In today's image, we see the full moon as it rises over the horizon. The full moon is always directly opposite to the Sun in the sky which makes it 180 degrees (π radians) away from the Sun in 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 th...

In today's image, we see the Seagull Nebula. This is an example of an emission nebula which glows red with the light of hydrogen gas that has been excited by ultraviolet light from newly formed hot stars. 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...

In today's image, we see the exhaust from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. Because of the high winds, the exhaust was twisted into a spiral pattern here. In addition, in the background we can see the green color of the aurora. 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 ...

In today's image, we see multiple images of the full moon as it descends toward the horizon. Because the image was taken near Earth's equator, it descends almost straight down instead of at an angle. On the shore below, we see the blue glow of bioluminescent plankton. 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 a...

In today's image, we see a total eclipse as seen from Antarctica in 2003. A total eclipse occurs when our Moon passes in front of the Sun and blocks out its light. This allows us to see the Sun's outer atmosphere (corona) around the limb of the Moon. Another total solar eclipse will be visible from pats of North America on April 8 of this 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 ...

In today's image, we see Comet Pons-Brooks which will make its closest approach to our Sun (perihelion) on April 21 of this year. In addition, we can see two galaxies in our Local Group - the Andromeda Galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy near the top of 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 ...

In today's image, we see the Tarantula Nebula also known as 30 Doradus. This is a massive star forming region located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This region is also home to the closest supernova seen in modern times, SN 1987A. 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 ...

In today's image, we see the separation of the first two stages of a Falcon 9 rocket as it takes astronauts to the International Space Station. The bright spot below center is the second stage igniting to head to the ISS. The first stage would then return to Cape Canaveral to be reused for future flights. 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...

In today's image, we see a spiral galaxy, perhaps much like our own Milky Way. Because of the positioning of the galaxy, we see it edge-on and can view it as a thin disk rather than seeing the spiral arms. 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 t...

In today's image, we see what is known as the Angel Nebula. This star forming region contains several different types of nebulae including the blue reflection nebulae, the red emission nebulae, and the dark 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 corre...

In today's image, we see light pillars rising up form the ground - caused by a crystal fog of ice/snow close to the ground. In the sky, we see a number of constellations including Ursa Major which contains the Bg Dipper and Ursa Minor which contains the star Polaris. 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 ar...

In today's image, we see a video clip showing the total eclipse of the Sun from August of 2017. During totality, we observe around the edge of the Moon and can see the corona of the Sun as well as solar prominences along the edge. The next total solar eclipse will be on April 8, 2024 and will be visible over parts of eastern North America. 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...