Shows / NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
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.
Episodes
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 30 - Waves on Titan
In today's image, we see a simulation showing what waves would be like on Earth and Titan, taking into account the different conditions on each object.My…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 29 - The Moon, Venus, and the Pleiades
In today's image, we see multiple images of our Moon, the planet Venus, and the Pleiades star cluster taken as the Moon was setting as a thin crescent earlier…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 28 - CG 30: Cometary Globules
In today's image, we see what are known as cometary globules which are sometimes formed as part of the star formation process.My podcasts are available in…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 27 - Comet R3 PanSTARRS Behind Satellite Trails
In today's image, we see Comet R3 PanSTARRS hiding among a number of satellite trails in this 10 minute exposure of the sky.My podcasts are available in video…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 26 - Mystic Mountain Monster Being Destroyed
In today's image, we see a star forming region in space. This region is slowly being eaten away by the new stars forming within it. My podcasts are available…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 25 - The Persistence of Sunlight
In today's image, we see ,stipple images of our Sun as it sets. The distortion is caused by sunlight passing through distinct layers of Earth's atmosphere. My…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 24 - Young Moon and Sister Stars
In today's image, we see a conjunction go the young crescent moon and the Pleiades star cluster.My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 23 - The Large Scale Structure of the Universe
In today's image, we see a map from DESI - Dark Energy Spectroscopic Explorer which observed 47 million galaxies to give us a view of the universe on the…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 22 - Earthiest with an iPhone
In today's image, we see a video taken by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, recording video as the Earthiest behind the Moon. The Artemis II spacecraft passed…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 21 - Three Sky Arches over Snowy Alps
In today's image, we see three arches in the sky over the Alps. Two are of our galaxy - one toward the center and another opposite the center. The other is the…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 20 - Comet R3 PanSATRRS over a Himalayan Valley
In today's image, we see Comet R3 PanSTARRS over the Himalayan mountains. The comet made its closest approach to the Sun yesterday and is now on its way out of…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 19 - Eye on the Milky Way
In today's image, we see a lagoon from Chile, imaged to give the appearance of a great eye looking out toward our Milky Way galaxy.My podcasts are available in…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 18 - PanSTARRS and Planets
In today's image, we see comet PanSTARRS as well as the planets Mercury and Mars in the sky. PanSTARRS is nearing its closest approach to our Sun very soon and…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 17: M82: Starburst Galaxy with a Superwind
In today's image, we seethe spiral galaxy known as M82 or the Cigar Galaxy. The red going out perpendicular to the disk of the galaxy is a super wind - caused…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 16 - South Celestial Tree
In today's image, we see star trails around the South Celestial Pole. Unlike the North Celestial Pole, there is no bright star currently located near the South…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 15 - The ISS Transits the Moon
In today's image, we see the International Space Station and our Moon close together in the sky. A transit occurs when one astronomical object passes in front…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 14 - The Long Wispy Tail of Comet R3 (PanSTARRS)
In today's image, we see the long tail of comet R3 (PanSTARRS) as it stretches back across the sky.My podcasts are available in video form through this YouTube…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 13 - NGC 602 and Beyond
In today's image, we see the newly forming star cluster known as NGC 602 in the Small Magellanic Cloud. It is sometimes compared to pearls inside an oyster. My…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 12 - Comet R3 (PanSTARRS) Brightens
In today's image, we see an image taken a couple of days ago of Comet R3 showing a long ion tail. The comet will make its closest approaches to the Sun and…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 11 - Artemis II: Flight Day 6
In today's image, we see the Orion spacecraft known as Intrepid as it flies around the far side of the Moon on April 6, setting the record for the greatest…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 10 - Exploring the Antennae
In today's image, we see two colliding galaxies known as the Antennae for their distinct appearance and specifically their tidal tails stretching out to either…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 09 - Destruction of Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS)
In today's image, we see a video put together from about 40 hours' worth of data showing the destruction of a comet as it passes close to our Sun. My podcasts…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 08 - Earthset
In today's image, we see the crescent Earth as it is about to set behind the limb of our Moon as seen by the Orion spacecraft from the Artemis II mission a…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 07 - NGC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula
In today's image, we see the reflection nebula known as the Blue Horsehead. This is a dusty region around. hot, blue star.My podcasts are available in video…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 06 - The Path of Artemis II
In today's image, we see the path to be taken by the Artemis II spacecraft as it leaves Earth, loops around the Moon and then returns to Earth. The entire…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 05 - NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy
In today's image, we see the galaxy known as NGC 3310 - an example of a spiral galaxy which is undergoing a burst of star formation because of a recent…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 04 - Hello World
In today's image, we see the vies from the Orion spacecraft of the Artemis II mission which is taking humans on a trip around our moon for the first time since…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 03 - Caught in the Web: Visualization of a Black Hole Merger in the Tarantula Nebula
In today's image, we see s combination of two images - one is the image of the Tarantula Nebula, the other a simulation of a black hole merger.My podcasts are…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 02 - Liftoff! Returning to the Moon
In today's image, we see the liftoff of the Artemis II mission which will take astronauts to a trip around the moon for the first time since 1972.My podcasts…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 April 01 - The Claw and Bubble Nebulae
In today's image, we see the Claw and Bubble nebulae which are a part of their star forming region in our Milky Way galaxy.My podcasts are available in video…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 31 - Uranus's Largest Moon: Titania
In today's image, we see the largest of the Uranian moons, Titania. Titania show large cliffs likely related to its icy geology possibly involving the freezing…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 30 - Peculiar Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A
In today's image, we see the galaxy known as Centaurus A which is an example of an active galaxy - the nearest active galaxy to our own Milky Way.My podcasts…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 29 - A Message from Earth
In today's image, we see what is known as the Aricebo Message which was sent from Earth toward the globular cluster M13 back in 1974.My podcasts are available…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 28 - Robert Goddard and Nell
In today's image, we see Robert Goddard standing alongside Nell, the first liquid fueled rocket launched just 100 years ago this month.My podcasts are…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 27 - Hickson 44 in Leo
In today's image, we see Hickson 44 which is a compact group of galaxies located in the constellation of Leo. Galaxies in these compact groups are often…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 26 - Black Holes and Neutron Stars: 218 Mergers and Counting
In today's image, we see all 218 gravitational wave events that have been confirmed since the first detection in 2015. These events occur when two massive…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 25 - The Guardians of Rapa Nui Beneath the Milky Way
In today's image, we see great stone statues or mo'ai on Easter Island. The observatories here were used by the peoples of Polynesia to help navigate between…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 24 - A Gravity Map of Earth
In today's image, we see a video showing the gravity map of Earth. In some areas (red) gravity is a bit stronger and in others (blue) it is a bit weaker.My…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 23 - Light Pillars and Orion over Mohe
In today's image, we see Light Pillars coming up from the ground over Mohe, China. These are formed by ice crystals in kind of ice fog near the ground. My…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 22 - Leaving Earth
In today's image, we see a timelapse video from the MESSENGER spacecraft as it left Earth and headed toward the innermost planet, Mercury.My podcasts are…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 21 - Galaxies in the River: NGC 1300 and NGC 1297
In today's image, we see a part of the constellation of Eridanus (The River) and two prominent galaxies in this region: NGC 1300, a barred spiral galaxy and…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 20 - Equinox at Teide Observatory
In today's image, we see star trails in the sky over the Teide Observatory in the canary Islands. Here were can clearly see the North Celestial Pole as well as…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 19 - Launch Plume: SpaceX Jellyfish
In today's image, we see the plume left behind by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from earlier this month.My podcasts are available in video form through this…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 18 - Cygnus and the Solitary Tree
In today's image, we see tree in the foreground with the nebulae of the Cygnus region in the sky above. The Cygnus region contains many nebulae because of its…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 17 - The Tadpoles of IC 410
In today's image, we see two tadpoles in the sky. The tadpoles are actually denser areas where stars are forming, with material pushed back by stars which have…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 16 - NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Galaxy
In today's image, we see the spiral galaxy known as the Spanish Dancer galaxy and also known as NGC 1566. This is an example of a grand design spiral with…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 15 - Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
In today's image, we see the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent at the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. This was built between the 9th and 12th centuries and was…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 14 - A Year for K2-315b
In today's image, we see an artist's conception image of the exoplanet K2-315b which orbits a star about 185 light years away from Earth. It happens to orbit…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 13 - Toolondo Totality Trails
In today's image, we see the total lunar eclipse from Mar 3. The hour long exposure shows trails of stars as well as of the eclipsed Moon. My podcasts are…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 12 - A Near-Full Rotation of Uranus
In today's image, we see the planet Uranus as images by the James Webb Space Telescope. We see a video which compresses nearly a full day of rotation of the…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 11 - CG 4: The Globule and the Galaxy
In today's image, we see the star forming region known as CG 4. This is also known as a cometary globule for its appearance. In this image it almost appears as…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 10 - Sky Glows over Paranal Observatory
In today's image, we see the skyglow over Paranal Observatory in Chile. In addition, we can see the masters used to excite atoms in the atmosphere, creating an…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 09 - The Cranium Nebula from the Webb Telescope
In today's image, we see the Cranium Nebula. It has not yet been determined if this is a planetary nebula such as forms at the end of the life of a str like…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 08 - The Aurora Tree
In today's image, we see the aurora in the sky over Iceland. The positioning was adjusted so that it appears that the aurora is coming off the branches of the…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 07 - Two Eclipses of Saros 133
In today's image, we see two images of eclipses from earlier this year and another from 18 years ago. These represent two eclipses from the same Saros cycle…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 06 - The Astrosphere of HD 61005
In today's image, we see a bubble of material being expelled from a young sun-like star by its stellar wind. This may be similar to our own Sun when it was…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 05 - Total Lunar Eclipse over Tsé Bit'a'í
In today's image, we see images of the total lunar eclipse from a couple of days ago as its sets behind the rock feature known as Tsé Bit'a'í in the Navajo…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 04 - Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula
In today's image, we see an example of a planetary nebula which is the end state of a star much like our own Sun. The outer layers are expelled out into a ring…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 03 - Flying over the North Pole of Mars
In today's image, we see a video created from various still images taken by the Mars Express spacecraft in 2019 which give a view that we might see flying over…
- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
2026 March 02 - The Dusty Surrounding of Orion and the Pleiades
In today's image, we see the region of the sky around the constellations of Orion and Taurus. This is a prominent region of the winter sky and the long…