{"version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "title": "Astronomy Picture of the Day [ko]", "feed_url": "https://apod.com/en/", "home_page_url": "56", "description": "Astronomy Picture of the Day", "icon": null, "favicon": null, "authors": [{"name": "Unknown", "url": null, "avatar": null}], "language": "en", "expired": null, "hub": null, "items": [{"id": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap261027.html", "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-27-noctilucent-clouds-over-sweden/", "external_url": null, "title": "Noctilucent Clouds over Sweden", "content_text": "", "content_html": "<img alt=\"A dark night sky is pictured over a green field bounded by trees in silhouette. Across the image middle are blue filamentary glows -- noctilucent clouds. Dark clouds are seen across the top of the image.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/NocClouds_Hofer_6048.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:&nbsp;</strong>Sometimes it's night on the ground but day in the air. As the Earth rotates to eclipse the Sun,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2017-june-1-shadowrise-and-sunset/\">sunset rises up</a>from the ground. Therefore, at sunset on the ground, sunlight still shines on&nbsp;<a href=\"https://gpm.nasa.gov/resources/faq/what-are-clouds-made-are-they-more-likely-form-polluted-air-or-pristine-air\">clouds</a>&nbsp;above. Under&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-20-an-anticrepuscular-rainbow-fan/\">usual circumstances</a>, a pretty sunset might be visible, but unusual&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/noctilucent-clouds-8366/\">noctilucent clouds</a>&nbsp;float so high up they can be seen well after dark. Normally too dim to be seen,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2024-july-9-noctilucent-clouds-over-florida/\">they</a>&nbsp;may become visible just after sunset during the summer when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon.&nbsp;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud\">Noctilucent cloud</a>s are the highest clouds and are known more technically as&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/polar-mesospheric-clouds-7953/\">polar mesospheric clouds</a>. Featured here as they appeared in early August, a network of blue noctilucent clouds was captured in the distant sky above a field of green grass near&nbsp;<a href=\"https://youtu.be/WFn7KAKZ-Wk\">Link\u00f6ping</a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden\">Sweden</a>, with trees in&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-october-10-full-moon-silhouettes/\">stark silhouette</a>&nbsp;across the horizon. Much about&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/noctilucent-clouds\">noctilucent clouds</a>&nbsp;has been&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/projects/14/\">discovered</a>&nbsp;only in the past two decades, while&nbsp;<a href=\"https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997JGR...102.2001C/abstract\">how they form and evolve</a>&nbsp;remains a topic of&nbsp;<a href=\"https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1997900524/photo/cute-curious-cat-with-question-marks.jpg\">active research</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:&nbsp;</strong>round and round", "summary": "<img alt=\"A dark night sky is pictured over a green field bounded by trees in silhouette. Across the image middle are blue filamentary glows -- noctilucent clouds. Dark clouds are seen across the top of the image.  Please see the explanation for more detailed information.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/NocClouds_Hofer_6048.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:&nbsp;</strong>Sometimes it's night on the ground but day in the air. As the Earth rotates to eclipse the Sun,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2017-june-1-shadowrise-and-sunset/\">sunset rises up</a>from the ground. Therefore, at sunset on the ground, sunlight still shines on&nbsp;<a href=\"https://gpm.nasa.gov/resources/faq/what-are-clouds-made-are-they-more-likely-form-polluted-air-or-pristine-air\">clouds</a>&nbsp;above. Under&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-20-an-anticrepuscular-rainbow-fan/\">usual circumstances</a>, a pretty sunset might be visible, but unusual&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/noctilucent-clouds-8366/\">noctilucent clouds</a>&nbsp;float so high up they can be seen well after dark. Normally too dim to be seen,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2024-july-9-noctilucent-clouds-over-florida/\">they</a>&nbsp;may become visible just after sunset during the summer when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon.&nbsp;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud\">Noctilucent cloud</a>s are the highest clouds and are known more technically as&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/polar-mesospheric-clouds-7953/\">polar mesospheric clouds</a>. Featured here as they appeared in early August, a network of blue noctilucent clouds was captured in the distant sky above a field of green grass near&nbsp;<a href=\"https://youtu.be/WFn7KAKZ-Wk\">Link\u00f6ping</a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden\">Sweden</a>, with trees in&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-october-10-full-moon-silhouettes/\">stark silhouette</a>&nbsp;across the horizon. Much about&nbsp;<a href=\"https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/noctilucent-clouds\">noctilucent clouds</a>&nbsp;has been&nbsp;<a href=\"https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/projects/14/\">discovered</a>&nbsp;only in the past two decades, while&nbsp;<a href=\"https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997JGR...102.2001C/abstract\">how they form and evolve</a>&nbsp;remains a topic of&nbsp;<a href=\"https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1997900524/photo/cute-curious-cat-with-question-marks.jpg\">active research</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:&nbsp;</strong>round and round", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-10-27T03:00:00Z", "date_modified": "2026-10-27T03:00:00Z", "authors": ["Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n                            {\"url\": string, \n                            'mime_type': string, \n                            'title': strinrg,\n                            'size_in_bytes': int,\n                            'duration_in_seconds': int\n                            "]}, {"id": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap261026.html", "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/2026-october-26-m42-the-great-nebula-in-orion/", "external_url": null, "title": "M42: The Great Nebula in Orion", "content_text": "", "content_html": "<img alt=\"A starfield features a large and colorful nebula in its center, filled with dark dust and glowing gas in red and blue.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/OrionSword_Palaia_2000.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> The <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula\">Great Nebula in Orion</a>, an immense, nearby <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/science-highlights/exploring-the-birth-of-stars/\">starbirth region</a>, is one the most famous of all <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stories/quick-reads/decoding-nebulae/\">astronomical nebulas</a>. Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2010-october-23-orion-head-to-toe/\">immense</a> interstellar <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2023-january-29-barnard-68-dark-molecular-cloud/\">molecular cloud</a> only 1500 <a href=\"http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html\">light-years</a> away. In the featured deep image in <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LRGB\">assigned colors</a> highlighted by emission in <a href=\"https://www.lanl.gov/science-engineering/periodic-table/element/hydrogen\">hydrogen</a>, wisps and sheets of <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1999-may-09-fractal-interstellar-dust-up-close/\">dust</a> and gas are particularly evident. The <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2015-november-4-the-great-orion-nebula-m42/\">Great Nebula in Orion</a> can be found with the <a href=\"https://c.tenor.com/JhvJXq30yA4AAAAC/tenor.gif\">unaided eye</a> near the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-october-15-camera-orion/\">easily identifiable</a> belt of three stars in the popular <a href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/constellations/\">constellation</a> <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_%28constellation%29\">Orion</a>. In addition to housing a bright <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_cluster\">open cluster</a> of stars known as the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2018-august-5-trapezium-at-the-heart-of-orion/\">Trapezium</a>, the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2013-february-13-infrared-orion-from-wise/\">Orion Nebula</a> contains many <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/\">stellar nurseries</a>. These nurseries contain much <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMB2VR0087w\">hydrogen</a> gas, hot young stars, <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1996-october-17-proplyds-infant-solar-systems/\">proplyds</a>, and <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2013-march-24-dust-pillar-of-the-carina-nebula/\">stellar jets</a> spewing material at high speeds. Also known as <a href=\"https://youtu.be/2w8wwUqC4Xc\">M42</a>, the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1998-april-21-water-from-orion/\">Orion Nebula</a> spans about 40 <a href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/\">light years</a> and is located in the same <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-june-6-two-armed-spiral-milky-way/\">spiral arm</a> of <a href=\"http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galaxy.html\">our Galaxy</a> as the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/sun/\">Sun</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> open space", "summary": "<img alt=\"A starfield features a large and colorful nebula in its center, filled with dark dust and glowing gas in red and blue.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/OrionSword_Palaia_2000.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> The <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula\">Great Nebula in Orion</a>, an immense, nearby <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/science-highlights/exploring-the-birth-of-stars/\">starbirth region</a>, is one the most famous of all <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stories/quick-reads/decoding-nebulae/\">astronomical nebulas</a>. Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2010-october-23-orion-head-to-toe/\">immense</a> interstellar <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2023-january-29-barnard-68-dark-molecular-cloud/\">molecular cloud</a> only 1500 <a href=\"http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html\">light-years</a> away. In the featured deep image in <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LRGB\">assigned colors</a> highlighted by emission in <a href=\"https://www.lanl.gov/science-engineering/periodic-table/element/hydrogen\">hydrogen</a>, wisps and sheets of <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1999-may-09-fractal-interstellar-dust-up-close/\">dust</a> and gas are particularly evident. The <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2015-november-4-the-great-orion-nebula-m42/\">Great Nebula in Orion</a> can be found with the <a href=\"https://c.tenor.com/JhvJXq30yA4AAAAC/tenor.gif\">unaided eye</a> near the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-october-15-camera-orion/\">easily identifiable</a> belt of three stars in the popular <a href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/constellations/\">constellation</a> <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_%28constellation%29\">Orion</a>. In addition to housing a bright <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_cluster\">open cluster</a> of stars known as the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2018-august-5-trapezium-at-the-heart-of-orion/\">Trapezium</a>, the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2013-february-13-infrared-orion-from-wise/\">Orion Nebula</a> contains many <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/\">stellar nurseries</a>. These nurseries contain much <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMB2VR0087w\">hydrogen</a> gas, hot young stars, <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1996-october-17-proplyds-infant-solar-systems/\">proplyds</a>, and <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2013-march-24-dust-pillar-of-the-carina-nebula/\">stellar jets</a> spewing material at high speeds. Also known as <a href=\"https://youtu.be/2w8wwUqC4Xc\">M42</a>, the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1998-april-21-water-from-orion/\">Orion Nebula</a> spans about 40 <a href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/\">light years</a> and is located in the same <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-june-6-two-armed-spiral-milky-way/\">spiral arm</a> of <a href=\"http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galaxy.html\">our Galaxy</a> as the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/sun/\">Sun</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> open space", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-10-26T03:00:00Z", "date_modified": "2026-10-26T03:00:00Z", "authors": ["Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n                            {\"url\": string, \n                            'mime_type': string, \n                            'title': strinrg,\n                            'size_in_bytes': int,\n                            'duration_in_seconds': int\n                            "]}, {"id": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap261025.html", "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-25-dark-matter-in-a-simulated-universe/", "external_url": null, "title": "Dark Matter in a Simulated Universe", "content_text": "", "content_html": "<img alt=\"The picture shows a computer simulation of the matter distribution in our universe with dark matter shown in a dark color on a light background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/cds/apod/apod/2021/october/DarkMatter_KipacAmnh_1200.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> Is our universe haunted? It might look that way on this <a href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/dark-matter/\">dark matter</a> map. The gravity of unseen <a href=\"https://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_astro/dark_matter/\">dark matter</a> is the leading explanation for why <a href=\"https://ed.ted.com/lessons/dark-matter-how-does-it-explain-a-star-s-speed-don-lincoln\">galaxies rotate so fast</a>, why <a href=\"https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/galaxy-clusters-prove-dark-matters-existence-fd962c979458\">galaxies orbit clusters so fast</a>, why gravitational lenses so strongly deflect light, and how <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2014-may-12-illustris-simulation-of-the-universe/\">visible matter</a> is distributed. The featured image from the <a href=\"https://www.amnh.org/\">American Museum of Natural History</a>'s <a href=\"https://www.amnh.org/research/hayden-planetarium\">Hayden Planetarium</a> Space Show, Dark Universe, highlights one example of how pervasive dark matter might haunt our universe. In this frame from a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEEg1XkbXDo\">detailed computer simulation</a>, complex filaments of dark matter, shown in black, are strewn <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2011-october-3-dark-matter-movie-from-the-bolshoi-simulation/\">about the universe</a> like <a href=\"https://www.badspiderbites.com/giant-spider-web/\">spider webs</a>, while the relatively rare clumps of familiar <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baryon\">baryon</a>ic matter are colored orange. These simulations are good statistical matches to astronomical observations. In what is perhaps a <a href=\"https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-scottish-fold-in-brown-thick-pile-blanket-NodtnCsLdTE\">scarier</a> turn of events, <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/dark-matter/\">dark matter</a> -- although quite strange and in an <a href=\"https://home.cern/science/physics/dark-matter\">unknown form</a> -- is no longer thought to be the strangest source of <a href=\"https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008AmJPh..76..265N/abstract\">gravity in the universe</a>. That honor now falls to <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/dark-energy/\">dark energy</a>, a more uniform source of <a href=\"http://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2013/11/16/why-does-dark-energy-make-the-universe-accelerate/\">repulsive gravity</a> that seems to now dominate the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2015-may-31-supernova-1994d-and-the-unexpected-universe/\">expansion</a> of the entire <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/apod/the-nature-of-the-universe-great-debate-in-1998-program/\">universe</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> Orion the Great", "summary": "<img alt=\"The picture shows a computer simulation of the matter distribution in our universe with dark matter shown in a dark color on a light background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/cds/apod/apod/2021/october/DarkMatter_KipacAmnh_1200.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> Is our universe haunted? It might look that way on this <a href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/dark-matter/\">dark matter</a> map. The gravity of unseen <a href=\"https://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_astro/dark_matter/\">dark matter</a> is the leading explanation for why <a href=\"https://ed.ted.com/lessons/dark-matter-how-does-it-explain-a-star-s-speed-don-lincoln\">galaxies rotate so fast</a>, why <a href=\"https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/galaxy-clusters-prove-dark-matters-existence-fd962c979458\">galaxies orbit clusters so fast</a>, why gravitational lenses so strongly deflect light, and how <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2014-may-12-illustris-simulation-of-the-universe/\">visible matter</a> is distributed. The featured image from the <a href=\"https://www.amnh.org/\">American Museum of Natural History</a>'s <a href=\"https://www.amnh.org/research/hayden-planetarium\">Hayden Planetarium</a> Space Show, Dark Universe, highlights one example of how pervasive dark matter might haunt our universe. In this frame from a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEEg1XkbXDo\">detailed computer simulation</a>, complex filaments of dark matter, shown in black, are strewn <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2011-october-3-dark-matter-movie-from-the-bolshoi-simulation/\">about the universe</a> like <a href=\"https://www.badspiderbites.com/giant-spider-web/\">spider webs</a>, while the relatively rare clumps of familiar <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baryon\">baryon</a>ic matter are colored orange. These simulations are good statistical matches to astronomical observations. In what is perhaps a <a href=\"https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-scottish-fold-in-brown-thick-pile-blanket-NodtnCsLdTE\">scarier</a> turn of events, <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/dark-matter/\">dark matter</a> -- although quite strange and in an <a href=\"https://home.cern/science/physics/dark-matter\">unknown form</a> -- is no longer thought to be the strangest source of <a href=\"https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008AmJPh..76..265N/abstract\">gravity in the universe</a>. That honor now falls to <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/dark-energy/\">dark energy</a>, a more uniform source of <a href=\"http://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2013/11/16/why-does-dark-energy-make-the-universe-accelerate/\">repulsive gravity</a> that seems to now dominate the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2015-may-31-supernova-1994d-and-the-unexpected-universe/\">expansion</a> of the entire <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/apod/the-nature-of-the-universe-great-debate-in-1998-program/\">universe</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> Orion the Great", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-10-25T03:00:00Z", "date_modified": "2026-10-25T03:00:00Z", "authors": ["Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n                            {\"url\": string, \n                            'mime_type': string, \n                            'title': strinrg,\n                            'size_in_bytes': int,\n                            'duration_in_seconds': int\n                            "]}, {"id": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap261024.html", "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-24-rosettas-selfie/", "external_url": null, "title": "Rosetta's Selfie", "content_text": "", "content_html": "<img alt=\"Image of a Rosetta spacecraft solar array in foreground and the nucleus of comet 67P in background.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/ESA_Rosetta_Philae_CIVA_141007.png\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> <a href=\"https://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/10/14/mission-selfie-from-16-km/\">This Rosetta spacecraft selfie</a> was snapped on October 7th, 2014. At the time the <a href=\"https://rosetta.esa.int/\">comet-chasing spacecraft</a> was about 472 million kilometers from planet Earth, but only 16 kilometers from the surface of <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-november-13-rosettas-comet-in-gemini/\">comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko</a>. Looming beyond the spacecraft near the top of the frame, dust and gas stream away from the comet's curious <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2014-august-7-rosettas-rendezvous/\">double-lobed nucleus</a>. Bright sunlight glints off one of Rosetta's 14 meter long solar arrays. In fact, two exposures, one short and one long, were combined to record the dramatic high contrast scene using the CIVA camera system on Rosetta's still-attached <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philae_(spacecraft)\">Philae lander</a>. Its chosen <a href=\"https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016DPS....4810101T/abstract\">primary landing site</a> was on the visible hemisphere of the smaller lobe of the nucleus. This was the last image from Philae's camera before the lander separated from Rosetta on November 12. Shortly after separation Philae took another image looking back toward the orbiter and <a href=\"http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/09/Philae_s_descent_and_science_on_the_surface\">began its descent</a> to the nucleus of the comet.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture: </strong>dark matters<br />", "summary": "<img alt=\"Image of a Rosetta spacecraft solar array in foreground and the nucleus of comet 67P in background.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/ESA_Rosetta_Philae_CIVA_141007.png\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> <a href=\"https://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/10/14/mission-selfie-from-16-km/\">This Rosetta spacecraft selfie</a> was snapped on October 7th, 2014. At the time the <a href=\"https://rosetta.esa.int/\">comet-chasing spacecraft</a> was about 472 million kilometers from planet Earth, but only 16 kilometers from the surface of <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-november-13-rosettas-comet-in-gemini/\">comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko</a>. Looming beyond the spacecraft near the top of the frame, dust and gas stream away from the comet's curious <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2014-august-7-rosettas-rendezvous/\">double-lobed nucleus</a>. Bright sunlight glints off one of Rosetta's 14 meter long solar arrays. In fact, two exposures, one short and one long, were combined to record the dramatic high contrast scene using the CIVA camera system on Rosetta's still-attached <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philae_(spacecraft)\">Philae lander</a>. Its chosen <a href=\"https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016DPS....4810101T/abstract\">primary landing site</a> was on the visible hemisphere of the smaller lobe of the nucleus. This was the last image from Philae's camera before the lander separated from Rosetta on November 12. Shortly after separation Philae took another image looking back toward the orbiter and <a href=\"http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/09/Philae_s_descent_and_science_on_the_surface\">began its descent</a> to the nucleus of the comet.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture: </strong>dark matters<br />", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-10-24T03:00:00Z", "date_modified": "2026-10-24T03:00:00Z", "authors": ["Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n                            {\"url\": string, \n                            'mime_type': string, \n                            'title': strinrg,\n                            'size_in_bytes': int,\n                            'duration_in_seconds': int\n                            "]}, {"id": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap261023.html", "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-23-andromeda-in-southern-spring/", "external_url": null, "title": "Andromeda in Southern Spring", "content_text": "", "content_html": "<img alt=\"The Andromeda galaxy above rolling hills.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/APOD_Lucy.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2022-january-18-from-orion-to-the-southern-cross/\">Looking toward</a> the north from Mullion, New South Wales, Australia, the Andromeda Galaxy never gets more than a few degrees above the horizon. During the southern hemisphere spring, Andromeda is highest in the sky around midnight though. And in this telephoto scene from October 10/11, multiple exposures were used to reveal the spiral galaxy in tantalizing detail as it climbed above rolling Australian hills. <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/apod/?date=220119\">Also known as M31</a>, the Andromeda Galaxy is one of the brightest objects in the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/\">Messier catalog</a>, but is only visible to the unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch. Digitally tracked and stacked frames <a href=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/APOD_M31_planning_info.jpg\">were combined</a> with a foreground shot in the deep astro-image composite to reveal the galaxy's greater extent in planet Earth's night. In the springtime night skyscape,the closest large spiral galaxy <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/apod/?date=200925\">spans nearly 6 full moons</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture: </strong>pixels in space<br />", "summary": "<img alt=\"The Andromeda galaxy above rolling hills.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/APOD_Lucy.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2022-january-18-from-orion-to-the-southern-cross/\">Looking toward</a> the north from Mullion, New South Wales, Australia, the Andromeda Galaxy never gets more than a few degrees above the horizon. During the southern hemisphere spring, Andromeda is highest in the sky around midnight though. And in this telephoto scene from October 10/11, multiple exposures were used to reveal the spiral galaxy in tantalizing detail as it climbed above rolling Australian hills. <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/apod/?date=220119\">Also known as M31</a>, the Andromeda Galaxy is one of the brightest objects in the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/\">Messier catalog</a>, but is only visible to the unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch. Digitally tracked and stacked frames <a href=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/APOD_M31_planning_info.jpg\">were combined</a> with a foreground shot in the deep astro-image composite to reveal the galaxy's greater extent in planet Earth's night. In the springtime night skyscape,the closest large spiral galaxy <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/apod/?date=200925\">spans nearly 6 full moons</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture: </strong>pixels in space<br />", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-10-23T03:00:00Z", "date_modified": "2026-10-23T03:00:00Z", "authors": ["Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n                            {\"url\": string, \n                            'mime_type': string, \n                            'title': strinrg,\n                            'size_in_bytes': int,\n                            'duration_in_seconds': int\n                            "]}, {"id": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap261022.html", "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-22-the-first-green-star-wd-j13306435/", "external_url": null, "title": "The First Green Star, WD J1330+6435", "content_text": "", "content_html": "<img alt=\"A star shines with a greenish hue in front of a dark field with more distant stars, surrounded by a greenish disk with debris.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/green_wd_mark-garlick_annotated2.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> Star light, star bright: is there a green star out tonight? Other than the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/sun/\">Sun</a>, all stars are so far from Earth that they appear as points in the sky.  They are mostly white, but sometimes noticeably <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2025-december-28-ngc-1898-globular-cluster-in-the-large-magellanic-cloud/\">red or blue</a>. This color typically relates to the temperature: blue stars are hotter than red stars. What about other colors? The <a href=\"https://markgarlick.com/view.php?folder=Space&amp;hash=fb0732935557b8ed4727b65645aa5e23&amp;mediatype=i&amp;type=full\">featured image</a> is an illustration showing <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD_J1330%2B6435\">WD J1330+6435</a>, a <a href=\"https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs1.html\">white dwarf star</a>, surrounded by an accretion disk with gas and rocks orbiting the star. White dwarfs are <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-february-16-unexplained-shocks-around-a-white-dwarf-star/\">small, faint stars</a> that are left over when a star like the Sun <a href=\"https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs2.html\">exhausts its nuclear fuel</a>. Astronomers <a href=\"https://warwick.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/astronomers-reveal-true-colours-of-white-dwarf-stars/\">recently found</a> that some white dwarf stars, despite their name, would appear <a href=\"https://warwick.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/astronomers-reveal-true-colours-of-white-dwarf-stars/wd_colours_final_credit_mark-hollands_university-of-warwick.png?maxWidth=1920\">yellow, green, cyan, pink, or purple</a>. In <a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/rasti/article/doi/10.1093/rasti/rzag069/8914458\">these cases</a>, trace elements that were accreted to these stars interact with the stellar atmosphere and shift its normally white color. But, alas! I wish I may, I wish I might, but they are too faint to <a href=\"https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1725302592525-376faceb1303\">see tonight</a>... <br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> eye in the sky", "summary": "<img alt=\"A star shines with a greenish hue in front of a dark field with more distant stars, surrounded by a greenish disk with debris.\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/green_wd_mark-garlick_annotated2.jpg\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> Star light, star bright: is there a green star out tonight? Other than the <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/sun/\">Sun</a>, all stars are so far from Earth that they appear as points in the sky.  They are mostly white, but sometimes noticeably <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2025-december-28-ngc-1898-globular-cluster-in-the-large-magellanic-cloud/\">red or blue</a>. This color typically relates to the temperature: blue stars are hotter than red stars. What about other colors? The <a href=\"https://markgarlick.com/view.php?folder=Space&amp;hash=fb0732935557b8ed4727b65645aa5e23&amp;mediatype=i&amp;type=full\">featured image</a> is an illustration showing <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD_J1330%2B6435\">WD J1330+6435</a>, a <a href=\"https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs1.html\">white dwarf star</a>, surrounded by an accretion disk with gas and rocks orbiting the star. White dwarfs are <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-february-16-unexplained-shocks-around-a-white-dwarf-star/\">small, faint stars</a> that are left over when a star like the Sun <a href=\"https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs2.html\">exhausts its nuclear fuel</a>. Astronomers <a href=\"https://warwick.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/astronomers-reveal-true-colours-of-white-dwarf-stars/\">recently found</a> that some white dwarf stars, despite their name, would appear <a href=\"https://warwick.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/astronomers-reveal-true-colours-of-white-dwarf-stars/wd_colours_final_credit_mark-hollands_university-of-warwick.png?maxWidth=1920\">yellow, green, cyan, pink, or purple</a>. In <a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/rasti/article/doi/10.1093/rasti/rzag069/8914458\">these cases</a>, trace elements that were accreted to these stars interact with the stellar atmosphere and shift its normally white color. But, alas! I wish I may, I wish I might, but they are too faint to <a href=\"https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1725302592525-376faceb1303\">see tonight</a>... <br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> eye in the sky", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-10-22T03:00:00Z", "date_modified": "2026-10-22T03:00:00Z", "authors": ["Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n                            {\"url\": string, \n                            'mime_type': string, \n                            'title': strinrg,\n                            'size_in_bytes': int,\n                            'duration_in_seconds': int\n                            "]}, {"id": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap261021.html", "url": "https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-october-21-new-ghosts-revealed-in-cassiopeia/", "external_url": null, "title": "New Ghosts Revealed in Cassiopeia", "content_text": "", "content_html": "<img alt=\"The sky is speckled with stars. Bright tufts of emission nebulae trace across the image's equator. Arcs and smudges of ionized oxygen emission also included.\" name=\"imagename1\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/IC63.png\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> Jinkies, look at all those ghosts! It took 100 hours of observation and a special oxygen <a href=\"https://www.schoolsobservatory.org/learn/telescopes/how/filters\">filter</a> for <a href=\"https://app.astrobin.com/i/6b6z2r\">today\u2019s image</a> to capture three faint <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stories/quick-reads/decoding-nebulae/\">nebulas</a> hidden in the <a href=\"https://noirlab.edu/public/education/constellations/cassiopeia/\">Cassiopeia constellation</a>. IC 59 and <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/ic-63-ghost-nebula/\">IC 63</a>, the original <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2025-october-31-ghosts-in-cassiopeia/\">Ghosts of Cassiopeia</a>, haunt the region near multi-star system <a href=\"https://archive.aavso.org/vsots_gammacas\">\u03b3 Cassiopeia</a>. <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves/\">Energetic light</a> from \u03b3 Cassiopeia causes the hydrogen gas in IC 59 and 63 to glow red. Their <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stories/quick-reads/be-glad-you-dont-have-to-dust-in-space/\">dust</a> reflects and scatters some blue-ish white starlight. Newly discovered Objects 1, 2, and 3 appear as blue phantoms, revealing the presence of ionized oxygen. But ionized by what? Like at the bow of a speeding boat, \u03b3 Cassiopeia may be piling up material as the system moves through interstellar gas and dust. It follows that Object 3 may be the compressed and heated oxygen of that <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/cosmic-bow-shocks/\">bow shock</a>. Object 1 could be a <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-june-22-m27-the-dumbbell-nebula/\">planetary nebula</a> if a central <a href=\"https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs1.html\">white dwarf</a> is identified. The origins of these astronomical apparitions remain a mystery to be solved.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> it's not easy being green", "summary": "<img alt=\"The sky is speckled with stars. Bright tufts of emission nebulae trace across the image's equator. Arcs and smudges of ionized oxygen emission also included.\" name=\"imagename1\" src=\"https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/cds/apod/apod/2026/october/IC63.png\" /><br /><b> Explanation: </b>\n\n<strong>Explanation:</strong> Jinkies, look at all those ghosts! It took 100 hours of observation and a special oxygen <a href=\"https://www.schoolsobservatory.org/learn/telescopes/how/filters\">filter</a> for <a href=\"https://app.astrobin.com/i/6b6z2r\">today\u2019s image</a> to capture three faint <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stories/quick-reads/decoding-nebulae/\">nebulas</a> hidden in the <a href=\"https://noirlab.edu/public/education/constellations/cassiopeia/\">Cassiopeia constellation</a>. IC 59 and <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/ic-63-ghost-nebula/\">IC 63</a>, the original <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2025-october-31-ghosts-in-cassiopeia/\">Ghosts of Cassiopeia</a>, haunt the region near multi-star system <a href=\"https://archive.aavso.org/vsots_gammacas\">\u03b3 Cassiopeia</a>. <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves/\">Energetic light</a> from \u03b3 Cassiopeia causes the hydrogen gas in IC 59 and 63 to glow red. Their <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stories/quick-reads/be-glad-you-dont-have-to-dust-in-space/\">dust</a> reflects and scatters some blue-ish white starlight. Newly discovered Objects 1, 2, and 3 appear as blue phantoms, revealing the presence of ionized oxygen. But ionized by what? Like at the bow of a speeding boat, \u03b3 Cassiopeia may be piling up material as the system moves through interstellar gas and dust. It follows that Object 3 may be the compressed and heated oxygen of that <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/cosmic-bow-shocks/\">bow shock</a>. Object 1 could be a <a href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-june-22-m27-the-dumbbell-nebula/\">planetary nebula</a> if a central <a href=\"https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs1.html\">white dwarf</a> is identified. The origins of these astronomical apparitions remain a mystery to be solved.<br /><br /><strong>Tomorrow's picture:</strong> it's not easy being green", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-10-21T03:00:00Z", "date_modified": "2026-10-21T03:00:00Z", "authors": ["Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n                            {\"url\": string, \n                            'mime_type': string, \n                            'title': strinrg,\n                            'size_in_bytes': int,\n                            'duration_in_seconds': int\n                            "]}]}