View the winning entries from the 2026 Photomicrography Competition

APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. # An Anticrepuscular Rainbow Fan **Explanation:** This is an unusual rainbow. For one thing, the rainbow is not complete, appearing only in a sunlit fan -- but that by itself is not very unusual. What is most unusual is the fake location of the Sun. The Sun appears to be toward the front, just below those hills -- but it is not. That is not how rainbows work. Rainbows involve a backward reflection from falling rain, so that the Sun must really be behind you. In this case, gaps between clouds near the setting Sun allowed rays to cross the entire sky and appear to converge in front, an unusual phenomenon called anticrepuscular rays. The photo was taken with a phone last week at sunset in Presenzano, Italy. The seemingly reverse rainbow was noticed when hanging up laundry. **Tomorrow's picture:** open space Date | October 20, 2026 ---|--- Credit & Copyright | Aurelia Degli Esposti Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe A service of: | ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. Random APOD Generator Yesterday's Image APOD: 2026 October 19 – Treble Clef: Unusual X-ray Hot Radio Source Tomorrow's Image

In the late 19th century, Whitby was a town shaped by the sea, where fishing boats crowded the harbor, narrow streets wound between old buildings, and generations of local families made their living from the water and surrounding countryside. Beyond its growing reputation as a seaside resort, Whitby remained a working community with a distinct […]

10 track album

APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video # Chasing the International Space Station **Explanation:** Blasting into the predawn sky on Tuesday, October 13, a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are headed for low Earth orbit in this stunning timelapse video captured from Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Starting with a launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Falcon and Dragon are chasing the International Space Station on NASA's 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission. On cue, the space station itself enters the frame from the top. Almost 8 seconds into the 30 second timelapse. the bright streak of the ISS appears heading "down" toward the horizon. The first and second stages of the Falcon 9 are separating as the spectacular exhaust plume jellyfish grows, already catching the light of the rising Sun. The visible sequence of first stage boost back, re-entry, and landing burns begins around 20 seconds into the video. With the second stage following the ISS toward the distant horizon, the jellyfish plume continues to drift in the predawn sky, even after the successful first stage landing at planet Earth's Landing Zone 40. **Tomorrow's picture:** pixels in space Date | October 16, 2026 ---|--- Video Credit: | Eric Holland Authors & editors: | Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe A service of: | ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. Random APOD Generator Yesterday's Image APOD: 2026 October 15 – The Milky Way over Manhattan Tomorrow's Image

from the album The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises