[{"id":"1ffe44f0984069b6","title":"Total Solar Eclipse Over Spain","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260813.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-13T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"The
Explanation: \nOn August 12th, 2026, the Moon \ntotally eclipsed \nthe Sun and \ncast its shadow \nacross Siberia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal. \nToday’s image \nfeatures two \ntotal solar eclipses \nviewed from \nZaragoza, Spain, \none over the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar and the other reflecting \nin the Ebro River. For a few moments, Spain saw its first major total solar eclipse \nsince 1905. Those witnessing totality may experience a chill in the air, the \nquieting of birds, the confused chirps of insects, and the shared awe of many. It’s \nthe corona’s \ntime to shine as the Sun’s bright disk is blocked by the Moon. Among other \nreasons to study eclipses, \nthey help scientists understand why the corona is millions of degrees hotter than the Sun’s surface. \nEnthusiastic citizens \ncan contribute to these studies by recording how wildlife responds, imaging the corona, \nand monitoring air temperature and clouds.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"98529f4145e6cd36","title":"Perseids Over a little Planet","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260812.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-12T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"The
Explanation: \n \n\n It looks like a view from the Little Prince's planet.\n\n The featured image is a throwback to the 2024 Perseid meteor shower, surrounded in this projection by the Bieszczady Mountains in Poland.\n\n Visible in the sky is the arch of the Milky Way, along with several nebulas in red and over a hundred meteors pointing to the radiant.\n \n The Perseids are easily visible and quite popular in the Northern Hemisphere summer. (Watching meteor showers in the winter is less convenient for a good reason).\n \n This year they are expected to offer an even more dazzling spectacle than usual, because the peak coincides with a new moon.\n\n The 2026 Perseid meteor shower will peak tonight with as many as 50-100 meteors per hour, when the Earth's path crosses through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle.\n\n Typically, the best times for seeing the meteors are between midnight and pre-dawn.\n\n You won't need binoculars to see the meteors, but a lawn chair and a dark sky location help.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"35859e40890edb9b","title":"Six Moons of Saturn","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260811.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-11T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nHow many moons does Saturn have?\n\nWhile the total will likely continue to grow,\nas of June 2026 the ringed gas giant had\n293 confirmed moons.\n\nThat's easily more\nthan any other planet\nof the Solar System, including ruling gas giant\nJupiter with a mere 115 confirmed moons.\n\nMost of Saturn's known moons are small, irregular satellites.\n\nMany are only few kilometers to a fraction of a kilometer across and\ngrouped in\ntilted outer orbits.\n\nSix of its largest satellites can be seen here, though,\nin this sharp telescopic\nSaturnian family portrait\ntaken on August 5.\n\nLarger than Earth's Moon and even slightly larger than\ninner planet Mercury,\nTitan,\nwith a diameter of 5,150 kilometers, is at lower right.\n\nYou can also spot icy major moons\nMimas,\nTethys,\nEnceladus,\nDione, and\nRhea in the frame.\n\nSaturn's first known natural satellite, Titan was\ndiscovered in 1655 by\nDutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens.\n\nDuring the space age Voyager and\nCassini discoveries\nhave added to the\nswelling ranks\nof Saturnian moons.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"fe18886091fa3666","title":"Three Galaxy Pairs","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260810.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-10T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nEach of these pairs of galaxies is different. \n\nThe two \ngalaxies at the top are likely \nnot interacting, at least presently. \n\nHowever, the top galaxy with the blue stripe, \nNGC 4650A, is a \npolar ring galaxy and may be the result of a past \ngalaxy collision.\n\nThe two galaxies in the middle of the \nfeatured image appear like they could be \ninteracting gravitationally -- but their \nrelative speeds make this unlikely. \n\nOf these two, the larger galaxy, \nNGC 4650, is a \nspiral galaxy with a \nbright bar of stars across its center. \n\nThe two galaxies at the bottom are \nactively interacting. \n\nPossibly in a billion years or so, NGC 4622A and NGC 4622B will \nmerge and become one single galaxy.\n\nAll of these galaxies are likely members of the larger \nCentaurus Galaxy Cluster.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"03ebe1fe17e73cfc","title":"Contemplating the Sun","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260809.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-09T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nHave you contemplated your home star recently? \n\nFeatured here, a \nSun partially eclipsed on the top left by the Moon \nis also seen eclipsed by \nearthlings contemplating the eclipse below. \n\nThis \nspectacular menagerie of silhouettes was taken in 2012 from the \nGlen Canyon National Recreation Area near \nPage, \nArizona, \nUSA, \nwhere park rangers and astronomers expounded on the \nunusual event \nto interested gatherers. \n\nAlso, faintly visible on the Sun's disk, \njust to the lower right of the dark Moon's disk, is a \ngroup of sunspots. \n\nA new solar eclipse will occur this week and give many people in \nnorthern North America, Europe, and northwestern Africa \na new chance to contemplate a \npartially eclipsed Sun.\n\nA thin swath of \nEarth through \nGreenland and Spain \nwill further experience a \ntotal solar eclipse.\n\nAn open question is whether any \nmeteors from the peaking \nPerseids will be visible during totality.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"5cf378c1de011ecd","title":"A Messier Moment for Tempel 2","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260808.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-08T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nWhich of these is\nnot a comet?\n\nYou guessed it -\nthe one on the right is a globular star cluster.\n\nThe diffuse greenish coma of periodic comet\n10P/Tempel 2\nis at left in the frame.\n\nIn fact the globular star cluster is Messier 30,\nalso known as M30, or the 30th entry in astronomer\nCharles Messier's\ncatalog of things which are not comets.\n\nThe well-known 18th century astronomer\nkept a list of objects he observed, now his famous Messier\nCatalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters,\nwhich did not move from night to night against\nthe background stars and so were not the comets he was hunting for.\n\nSo the famous comet hunter would get the correct answer too, even\nthough his telescope would show both 10P/Tempel 2 and distant\nstar cluster as similar looking\nfaint and fuzzy objects in his field of view.\n\nRecorded on July 29, this modern telescopic image\ncaptures periodic comet Tempel 2\nas it briefly swept close on the sky to M30.\n\nWhile the periodic comet's faint, narrow,\norbital dust trail seems to pierce\nthe globular star cluster, Tempel 2 was a mere 3.5 light-minutes away.\n\nMessier 30\nis some 28,000 light-years distant.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"a0c3c2c054b240cb","title":"Rubin's COSMOS field","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260807.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-07T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \n \n There are more than half a million galaxies in the central panel of this image from the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.\n\n This is the COSMOS field, a patch of sky several times larger than the full moon, first observed by Hubble.\n\n It has also been observed by Webb and other telescopes because it contains comparatively few bright stars from our own galaxy, offering a relatively unimpeded view of other galaxies outside the Milky Way.\n\n The outer panels, numbered 1-10, show zoomed-in views of the corresponding small regions highlighted in the central panel.\n\n The variety of galaxy shapes and sizes is astonishing.\n\n Some of them are so far away that their light has traveled for billions of years before reaching Earth.\n\n Rubin will come back every couple of days to the COSMOS field as part of its ten-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time.\n\n It will allow a dynamic view of the COSMOS field and how the sky changes over time.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"20e0a53557a3274f","title":"New Sharpest Image of the Sun Uncovers Instability","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260806.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-06T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhat does the new sharpest image of our Sun show?\n\nInstability.\n\nTo be clear, a certain kind of interactive process called the \nKelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI).\n\nThis instability can create \nwaves and swirls when two streams flow past each other -- \nin this case variable streams of \nsolar magnetic plasma.\n\nLong hypothesized to occur on the \nSun's surface, \nKHI streaks and swirls were confirmed in \njust-released dramatic high-resolution \nimages taken recently by the \nInouye Solar \nTelescope in \nHawaii, \nUSA. \n\nThe \nfeatured false-yellow image, actually taken in deep blue, \nis the highest resolution image yet of \nthe Sun in \nvisible light.\n\nIt spans about the radius of \nthe Earth, but its finest details are city sized. \n\nVisible are several smooth tops of \nchanging solar granules, while the edges of the flower-like \nstructures have been found to harbor multiple \nKHI swirls. \n\nFuture research may investigate how the KHI helps move energy, \nmagnetic fields, and may even heat the surrounding \nsolar corona.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"6946f628626b2bdb","title":"Spokes on Saturn's B Ring","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260805.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-05T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"Subtle
Explanation: \nDon’t get spooked by Saturn’s ghostly spokes! Today we feature a nearly two-hour timelapse of Saturn \nand its rings looping forwards and backwards. If you look closely, a ghoulish shadow appears and \ndisappears as \nSaturn’s B ring \nrotates. Decades of observation with \nVoyager 2, \nCassini, \nand Hubble \nshow the appearance of Saturn’s spokes varies with \nthe planet’s seasons. \nLike Earth, Saturn’s \nspin axis \nis tilted compared to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. During Saturn’s \nequinox, \nthe rings are \nless tilted \ntoward the Sun and they receive sunlight at a shallower angle. Saturn’s spokes may be electrically \ncharged dust and ice temporarily levitated above the rings by \nelectromagnetic \nforces. It is still uncertain, but the ring plasma and charge environment may be influenced by changing \nultraviolet \nillumination, meteoroid impacts, or indirect effects from interactions between the \nsolar wind \nand the planet’s magnetic field.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"2dc0c1d49748e32e","title":"Curious Cometary Knots in the Helix Nebula","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260804.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-04T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhat causes unusual knots of gas and dust in \nplanetary nebulas? \n\nSeen also in the \nRing Nebula, the \nDumbbell Nebula and \nNGC 2392, \nthe knots' existence was not initially predicted, and their origins are still \nnot well understood. \n\nPictured here is a fascinating image of \npart of the \nHelix Nebula by the \nJames Webb Space Telescope showing tremendous detail in \ninfrared light.\n\nThe cometary knots have masses similar to the \nEarth but have sizes typically several times the orbit of Pluto. \n\nOne hypothesis for the fragmentation and \nevolution of the knots includes existing gas being \ndriven out by a less dense but highly energetic \nstellar wind of the central evolving star. \n\nThe Helix Nebula is one of the closest examples of a \nplanetary nebula created at the end of the \nlife of a Sun-like star. \n\nGiven a technical designation of NGC 7293, the \nHelix Nebula lies about 650 \nlight-years away towards the constellation of Water Carrier \n(Aquarius).","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"229666fa0c5c27e9","title":"Vaporizing Meteor Photobombs the Lacerta Nebula","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260803.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-03T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhat's happening to this meteor?\n\nThis bright meteor streak \nappeared and disappeared quickly during a long exposure of the \nGreat Lacerta Nebula, \nseen faintly in red toward the center of the image.\n\nThe meteoroid, likely a small pebble, \ncreates its glow partly by heating and exciting surrounding air in \nEarth's atmosphere, \nbut itself vaporizes and leaves wind-blown gas and dust with \ncolors that give clues to its composition. \n\nThe featured image was captured last month from \nDeath Valley Observatories in \nNevada, \nUSA. \n\nThis month, though, is particularly good for \nseeing meteors.\n\nPresently there are \nthree \nmeteor \nshowers ongoing, \nalthough they are currently \ncompeting for visibility with the glow of a bright \ngibbous Moon. \n\nThe most active of these showers, the \nPerseids, will be busiest in about 10 days -- \nafter the Moon has dimmed considerably. \n\nThis year, the \nPerseids peak nearly coincides with not only a \nnew Moon, but, from some locations, one that \ntotally eclipses the \nSun.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"e3a05f72c187a076","title":"A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260802.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-02T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"Blue
Explanation: \nWhat's happening to this cloud?\n\nIce crystals in a distant cirrus cloud are acting like little floating \nprisms. \n\nKnown informally as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, a \ncircumhorizon arc \nappears parallel to the horizon.\n\nFor a circumhorizontal arc \nto be visible, \nthe Sun \nmust be at least 58 degrees high in a sky where \ncirrus clouds present below -- \nin this case \ncirrus fibratus. \n\nThe numerous, flat, \nhexagonal ice-crystals \nthat compose the \ncirrus cloud must be \naligned horizontally \nto properly \nrefract sunlight in a collectively similar manner. \n\nTherefore, circumhorizontal\narcs are \nsomewhat unusual to see. \n\nThe featured fire rainbow was photographed in 2021 near \nNorth Fork Mountain in \nWest Virginia, \nUSA.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"6c6ddbbcbd54b9a5","title":"Buck Moon and Belt of Venus","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260801.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-08-01T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nThe Buck Moon\nis a traditional name for the full moon of July.\n\nIn this colorful Adriatic sea and skyscape captured on July 28 from\nKrk Island along the coast of Croatia,\na full Buck Moon is just rising over distant mountains.\n\nSince a full moon rises as the Sun sets,\nEarth's shadow\nalso rises in the twilight scene, a diffuse gray band extending above the\nmountainous southeastern horizon.\n\nAbove Earth's shadow band is the pinkish\nantitwilight arch.\n\nThat subtly tinted band of backscattered sunlight is more widely known as the\nBelt of Venus.\n\nBut as it shares the eastern horizon with the atmospheric\nshadow of Earth and Belt of Venus,\nthis full Buck Moon seems to set the stage for the New Moon to come.\n\nThe New Moon of August 12 will cast its shadow on planet Earth in a much anticipated\ntotal solar eclipse.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"3164b4cb3a0a27f8","title":"NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260731.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-31T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nThe Dark Doodad Nebula drifts\nthrough southern skies,\na tantalizing target for binoculars toward the small constellation\nMusca, The Fly.\n\nA dusty interstellar cloud, it's seen against\nrich starfields just south of the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross.\n\nStretching for about 3 degrees across this telescopic field of view, \nthe Dark Doodad\nis punctuated near its southern tip (upper right) by yellowish\nglobular star cluster\nNGC 4372.\n\nOf course NGC 4372 roams the halo of our\nMilky Way\ngalaxy, a background object some 20,000 light-years away and only\nby chance along our line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad.\n\nAbout 700 light-years distant and over 30 light-years long,\nthe Dark Doodad's well defined silhouette belongs to the\npotentially star-forming\nMusca molecular cloud.\n\nThe dusty Dark Doodad's delightfully alliterative moniker was first coined by\nastro-imager and writer\nDennis di Cicco in 1986 while\nobserving Comet Halley from the Australian outback.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"b03c23b8dc4f2e61","title":"Red Sun through Wildfire Smoke","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260730.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-30T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \n \n This could be the view from an exoplanet orbiting around a red dwarf star, but it is our own Sun.\n\n This image was taken on July 22, 2026, in the Okanagan region in the Canadian province of British Columbia.\n\n Wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest acted as a solar filter, allowing the photographer to take this photo of the Sun directly.\n\n Several sunspots are also visible in this eerie image; just below and right of the center is AR 4493, a fast evolving, giant active solar region and sunspot group.\n \n The smoke is made of tiny particles that help block and scatter light with bluer colors, so the light we see coming from the Sun is dimmer and redder than usual (but it is never safe to stare directly at the Sun).\n\n Sunsets and sunrises are also more colorful because of the smoke. \n \n Some 6 billion years from now, the Sun will actually start to turn redder as it approaches its red giant phase.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"9b9a1724dfd87fc6","title":"Psyche Receives Gravity Assist from Mars","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260729.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-29T11:00:00+00:00","content":"
Explanation: \nSolar System bodies make deep space exploration more fuel efficient! \nToday’s video \nshows \nthe Psyche spacecraft \ngaining speed and changing its trajectory with minimal fuel spent due to a \ngravity assist \nfrom Mars in May 2026. Mars has an average orbital speed of almost \n87,000 km/h (54,000 mph) around the Sun. Its orbital motion and its gravity allowed Mars to \npull Psyche along with it, increasing the spacecraft’s speed. Gravity assists have been used since 1959’s \nLuna 3 mission \nto allow for spacecraft \n(the Voyagers, \nCassini) \nto reach farther than they could with fuel alone. This assist helped the Psyche spacecraft on its journey \nto the Psyche asteroid, which it will reach in 2029. While passing Mars, the spacecraft tested instruments \nthat will analyze the asteroid’s composition and magnetic field. This is the first mission to an asteroid \nthought to be largely made of metal, \nan essential building block for planets, rather than rock or ice.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"e0f2a15a6dd19d94","title":"Barnards Loop over Twin Volcanoes","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260728.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-28T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhat's connecting these two volcanoes?\n\nIn ancient folklore, the two volcanoes, \nParinacota (left) and Pomerape (right), \nare connected by representing a \nmythical prince and princess who engaged in a forbidden romance. \n\nBeneath the ground, the \ntwo peaks are not known to be \nconnected by a common pool of \nhot magma, \nand neither volcano has erupted in the past 1000 years. \n\nAbove the ground, there is usually nothing in the sky that connects them -- except if you use careful timing and look from a specific location. \n\nThe featured well-planned image was captured from \nBolivia \nin mid-April with a series of camera exposures \ntaken on the same day and from the same location. \n\nThen, Barnard's Loop \nappeared to connect the volcanic peaks.\n\nAlso visible in the image is the \nOrion Nebula in the center, the star \nBetelgeuse on the right, and the \nRosette \nNebula on the upper right.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"eb30f1eb25d12dc1","title":"NGC 7635: The Bubble Nebula","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260727.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-27T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhat created this huge space bubble?\n\nBlown by the wind from a star, this\ntantalizing, head-like\napparition is cataloged as NGC 7635, but known simply\nas the Bubble Nebula.\n\nTaken from \nKrakow, \nPoland, \nthe \nfeatured view utilizes a long exposure \nto reveal the intricate details of\nthis cosmic bubble and its environment.\n\nAlthough it looks delicate, the 10 \nlight-year \ndiameter bubble offers evidence of\nviolent processes at work.\n\nSeen here right of \nthe Bubble's center, a bright\nhot star is embedded in the nebula's \nreflecting dust.\n\nA fierce \nstellar wind \nand intense radiation from the \nstar, \nwhich likely has a mass 10 to 20 times that of the \nSun,\nhas blasted out the\nstructure of glowing gas\nagainst denser material in a surrounding \nmolecular cloud.\n\nThe intriguing \nBubble Nebula lies a mere 11,000 \nlight-years \naway toward the \nboastful constellation \nCassiopeia.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"a07308e957505452","title":"Tranquility and Serenity","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260725.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-25T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nThe Seas of Tranquility\nand Serenity are calm today.\n\nThey're calm most every day though, since they are actually\nlunar maria,\nancient lava flows filling in large impact\nbasins on the Moon.\n\nAlso known by Latin names Mare Tranquillitatis (right)\nand Mare Serenitatis, the smooth dark lunar \"seas\" are\nin stark contrast to the\nbright cratered lunar highlands surrounding them in\nthis telescopic view.\n\nOf course their names are based on the historical,\npre-telescopic\ndesignations of lunar maria.\n\nEasily visible to the unaided eye,\nthe broad features on the Moon's near side were imagined to be like the\nexpansive oceans of planet Earth.\n\nOn July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down on the Mare\nTranquillitatis (at lower right), establishing\nTranquility base and the first\nhuman presence\non the Moon.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"7dc654add5c41742","title":"RCW 86: Historical Supernova Remnant","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260724.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-24T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nIn 185 AD,\nChinese astronomers\nrecorded the appearance of a new star in the Nanmen asterism.\n\nThat part of the sky is\nidentified with part of the southern constellation\nCentaurus\non modern star charts.\n\nIn fact, the new star was reported to be visible to the naked eye for months\nbefore it faded from view, and is now thought to be the earliest\nrecorded supernova.\n\nIn this 21st century telescopic image,\nthe wispy outlines of a faint emission nebula\nrecognized as the remnant of that historical stellar explosion\ncan be traced against a starry background.\n\nThe ragged but roughly circular extent\nof the nebula, cataloged as RCW 86,\nrepresents interstellar gas ionized by the supernova's\nstill expanding shock wave.\n\nSpace-based\nimages indicate an abundance of the element iron in RCW 86 and\nthe absence of a neutron star or pulsar\nwithin the remnant,\nsuggesting that the original supernova was Type Ia.\n\nUnlike the core collapse\nsupernova explosion of a massive star, a\nType Ia supernova\nis a thermonuclear\ndetonation on a white dwarf\nstar that has accreted material from its companion in a binary star system.\n\nNear the plane of our\nMilky Way\ngalaxy and larger than the full moon on the sky this supernova remnant\nis too faint to be seen by eye though.\n\nRCW 86 is some 8,000 light-years distant and around 100 light-years\nacross.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"70f3f48d538aeacf","title":"The Large Magellanic Cloud","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260723.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-23T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \n \n Have you ever seen another galaxy with your own eyes?\n\n The featured image shows the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the closest neighbors of our Milky Way.\n \n If you are anywhere south of latitude 20° N (but the further south, the better), you can see it with the unaided eye if you go to a dark sky location, away from big cities and light polution.\n\n It is a dwarf irregular galaxy about 163,000 light-years away, and a member of our Local Group of galaxies.\n\n Despite being small, with a total mass approximately equivalent to 10% - 20% of the mass of the Milky Way, the LMC is very actively forming stars.\n\n This is likely due in part to the gravitational push and pull of tides caused by the Milky Way on the LMC.\n\n Some astronomers have predicted that it will collide with the Milky Way in in about 2 billion years.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"ab9730f7b5f033e5","title":"The Corona Australis Molecular Cloud and the Chandelier Cluster","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260722.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-22T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"Both
Explanation: \nThe Southern Crown (Corona Australis) dazzles with young and ancient celestial jewels. \nThe Corona Australis Cloud \nis a collage of \nreflection and emission nebulae \non the left of \ntoday’s image. \nAt 430 light years away, this cloud is one of the closest \nstar-forming regions \nto Earth. It contains gas cool enough (-260 Celsius or -440 Fahrenheit) to collapse into \nprotostars. \nRecently formed stars paint blue hues across the cloud as their light reflects off surrounding material. The waltz of the R Coronae Australis \nbinary system \nstirs up the nebula \nNGC 6729. \nThe younger of the pair \nionizes \nnearby gas with its ultraviolet light, causing it to glow. \nThe Chandelier Cluster \n(NGC 6723) dangles from the top right, but is actually tens of thousands\nof light years farther away than its apparent star-forming neighbor.\nWhile NGC 6723 experienced multiple periods of star formation creating \nslightly younger \nstars, the chandelier twinkles with stars almost as old as the universe.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"e8c89b5ac7f41310","title":"Turtle Rock on Mars","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260721.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-21T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"An
Explanation: \nIs this a fossilized turtle on Mars? \n\nNo. \n\nAlthough resembling a large \nEarth tortoise, \nthis is a layered rock outcrop on \nMars that is \nestimated to span about 15 meters, making it much larger than \nturtles on Earth.\n\nNASA’s robotic \nCuriosity rover came across \nthis unusual mound, dubbed Miraflores, \nlast month during its 4922nd Martian day exploring Mars. \n\nThe small butte may survive \nbecause it was somehow more resistant to \nerosion than surrounding rock. \n\nMore recent wind has now covered its top with \norange \nMartian sand. \n\nBelow the top shell, many layers of \nstratified rock are \nvisible, possibly indicating a long history of \nintermittent \nwind-blown sand \nbeing deposited and then hardened by ground water. \n\nSimilar wind-eroded layered landforms, such as yardangs in the Qaidam Desert of \nChina, exist here on Earth.\n\nCuriosity and its companion \nrover Perseverance continue to investigate the \nancient history of Mars as well as \nsearching for signs of \nprimeval life.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"86a6533187f5e69a","title":"NGC 3576: The Statue of Liberty Nebula","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260720.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-20T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"The
Explanation: \nWhat's happening in the \nStatue of Liberty nebula? \n\nBright \nstars and interesting molecules are forming and being \nliberated.\n\nThe\ncomplex\nnebula resides in the star forming region called RCW 57, and besides the iconic monument, to some looks like a \nflying superhero or a\nweeping angel. \n\nThis re-assigned color image showcases dense knots of dark interstellar dust, fields of glowing hydrogen gas \nionized by these stars, and great loops of gas expelled by dying stars.\n\nA detailed study of NGC 3576, also known as \nNGC 3582 and \nNGC 3584, \nuncovered at least 33 massive stars in the end stages of formation, \nand the clear presence of the complex carbon molecules known as \npolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).\n\nPAHs are thought to be created in the cooling gas of \nstar forming regions, \nand their development in the \nSun's formation nebula five billion years \nago may have been an important step in the \ndevelopment of life on Earth.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"a16c7fee51617f6b","title":"Flying Saucer Crash Lands in Utah Desert","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260719.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-19T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"The
Explanation: \nA flying saucer from outer space crash-landed in the \nUtah desert after being tracked by radar and chased by helicopters. \n\nThe year was 2004, and no space aliens were involved. \n\nThe saucer, pictured here, was the \nGenesis \nsample return capsule, part of a human-made robot\nGenesis \nspaceship \nlaunched in 2001 by NASA itself to study the Sun. \n\nThe unexpectedly\nhard landing\nat over 300 kilometers per hour occurred because the\nparachutes \ndid not open as planned. \n\nThe Genesis mission had been orbiting the\nSun collecting\nsolar wind particles that are\nusually deflected away by\nEarth's magnetic field.\n\nDespite the crash landing, \nmany return samples remained in good enough condition to analyze.\n\nGenesis-related discoveries included new details about the\ncomposition of the\nSun and how the abundance of some types of \nelements differ \nacross the Solar System.\n\nThese \nresults have provided intriguing clues into details of how the \nSun and planets formed billions of years ago.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"20b69754db359bfa","title":"Shadow and Rainbow","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260718.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-18T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nAt sunset, an alignment of rainbow and mountain shadow\nwas captured in this remarkable snapshot.\n\nThe stunning view was recorded from a fire lookout on Smith Peak in the\nPlumas National Forest\nnear Portola, California on July 13. \n\nStill, near sunset it's no accident that the\nmajestic mountain shadow seems to point to\nthe center of the graceful rainbow arc.\n\nDue to perspective and the long line of sight the\nmountain shadow naturally forms a\ntapering triangular shape,\nits apex positioned at the point opposite the Sun\non the horizon.\n\nFollowing thunderstorms in the region, the\nrainbow arched across\nthe early evening sky, with\nits colorful and characteristic 42 degree arc formed\nas sunlight is refracted and reflected by the atmospheric water droplets.\n\nThe geometric center of a rainbow arc lies at the antisolar point.\n\nAnd in this scene from the golden hour on\nplanet Earth, that's\nalso opposite the setting Sun along the distant horizon.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"b625e51c59ca02e7","title":"The Dust Trail of Comet Tempel 2","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260717.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-17T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nComet 10P/Tempel 2\norbits the Sun once every 5.4 years.\n\nCurrently visible in binoculars or small telescopes toward\nthe constellation Capricornus, the\nperiodic\ncomet is captured in this sharp telescopic\nimage from July 11\nsporting a bright nuclear region and pretty greenish coma.\n\nRemarkably, a thin dust trail,\nnot a typical dust tail, is also seen extending both east and west of\nthe Tempel 2 nucleus.\n\nUnlike a\ncomet dust tail,\nwhich tends to temporarily\nfan out in a direction away from the Sun, this dust trail\nis due to the residual dust\nshed during\nmany past\norbits along this ancient periodic comet's orbital plane.\n\nIn fact, Tempel 2's dust trail may get a little narrower and brighter\nfrom our perspective as Earth crosses through the comet's orbital plane\non July 20.\n\nComet 10P/Tempel 2\nwill reach a perihelion on August 2, and make\nits closest approach to Earth on August 3.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"77af71be9d43b706","title":"NGC 300: A Cosmic Gemstone with Stars and Gas Clouds","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260716.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-16T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \n \n This sparkling, colorful gemstone is a spiral galaxy, NGC 300.\n\n It is one of the closest spiral galaxies to Earth, only about 6 million light-years away.\n \n But does it really look like this?\n\n Here is a more standard portrait of it.\n\n This unusual image combines the light from the stars and dust within the galaxy with the light from ionized clouds of interstellar gas shown in red (Sulphur), green (Hydrogen) and blue (Oxygen).\n\n Combining red and green light in different proportions makes yellow or orange light, most visible in the image.\n\n Light from other ionized gases is also at work in neon signs, fluorescent tubes and street lights.\n\n These massive clouds of ionized gas are typically created by young, massive stars that produce high-energy ultraviolet radiation capable of ionizing the gas.\n\n Massive stars are short-lived, compared with lighter stars like our sun, and explode as supernovas at the end of their lives.\n\n Some of the colorful clouds in the image could be hiding supernova remnants.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"b6bfcefcdab3d396","title":"Red Sprites in the Tatacoa Desert","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260715.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-15T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"Lightning
Explanation: \nIs there an angry \nSith \nusing \nforce lightning \nin the \nTatacoa Desert? \nThis is not science fiction, but a \nred sprite \nwith multiple \nstreamers! \nOrdinary \nlightning \noccurs when thundercloud particles collide, lose their electrons, and build up negative charge at the cloud bottom. The cloud’s negative charge repels negative charge deeper into the Earth, leaving Earth’s surface positively charged. The \nopposite charges attract, \nreaching towards each other and superheating the air into a white strike of \nplasma. \nRed sprites \nare \nmillisecond events triggered by \npositive cloud-to-ground \nlightning. They extend up into \nthe mesosphere where the air is too thin for \nthunder. \nTheir red glow comes from heated \nmolecular nitrogen. \nThere are \nseveral potential causes \nfor red sprites, including that the preceding \npositive lightning exposes the negatively charged cloud core \nto the positively charged upper atmosphere, allowing those charges to connect. \nNASA’s Juno \nhas observed \nsprites on Jupiter, \nindicating that sprites occur on other planets!","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"403f3474bead33b9","title":"Double Lobed Asteroid Torifune","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260714.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-14T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhy is this asteroid a double? \n\nEarlier this month the \nJapanese \nrobotic spacecraft Hayabusa2 shot past asteroid \n98943 Torifune and captured \npictures.\n\nAlthough previous observations from \ndistant Earth indicated that Torifune was oblong, \nHayabusa2 found that \nTorifune actually has two joined lobes. \n\nWith a length of about four \nsoccer fields, this \nspace rock frequently \ncomes near the \nEarth as it orbits the \nSun, \nalthough it is not a threat. \n\nBesides the two lobes, \nTorifune shows \nmany large boulders, \nbut, surprisingly, \nno obvious craters, \nlikely because its surface is a \npile of rubble. \n\nLike asteroid Arrokoth,\n it appears that each lobe formed separately before colliding and becoming \nstuck together. \n\nHayabusa2 famously encountered \nasteroid Ryugu in 2018, \nand now heads for an encounter in 2031 with \n1998 KY26, a smaller asteroid that \nrotates unusually fast and might have reservoirs of ice.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"08cccd917dbda81d","title":"Galaxy NGC 474: Shells and Star Streams","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260712.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-12T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhat's happening to galaxy \nNGC 474? \n\nThe multiple layers of emission appear strangely complex given the relatively featureless appearance of the \nelliptical galaxy in less deep images. \n\nThe cause of the \nshells is a topic of research, but they\nare possibly \ntidal tails related to debris left over from absorbing numerous small galaxies in the past billion years. \n\nAlternatively, the shells may be like ripples in a pond, where the ongoing collision with the spiral galaxy just to the right of \nNGC 474 is causing \ndensity waves \nto ripple through the galactic giant. \n\nRegardless of the actual cause, the featured image dramatically highlights the increasing evidence that the halos of some elliptical \ngalaxies are surprisingly complicated. \n\nSimilarly, the halo of our own \nMilky Way Galaxy \nis one example of such \nunexpected intricacies. \n\nNGC 474 spans about 250,000 \nlight years and lies about \n100 million light years distant toward the constellation of the Fish \n(Pisces).","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"698508e66dd3ab28","title":"Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260711.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-11T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nUnlike most entries\nin Charles Messier's famous catalog of deep sky objects,\nM24\nis not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.\n\nIt's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allows\na view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral arm\nof our Milky Way galaxy.\n\nDirect your gaze\nthrough this gap with binoculars or a small telescope and you are\nlooking through a window over 300 light-years wide at stars some\n10,000 light-years or more from Earth.\n\nSometimes called the\nSmall Sagittarius Star Cloud,\nM24's luminous stars stretch across\nthis gorgeous interstellar scene. \n\nSpanning over four full moons on the sky toward the\nconstellation Sagittarius, the telescopic field of view includes\ndark markings\nB92 and B93 near the center of M24,\nalong with other\nclouds of dust and glowing nebulae toward the center of the Milky Way.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"2c4baef2154e31b7","title":"Western Moon, Eastern Sea","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260710.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-10T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nThe Mare Orientale,\nLatin for Eastern Sea, is one of the most striking\nlarge scale lunar features.\n\nThe youngest of the large lunar impact basins it's \nvery difficult to see from an\nearthbound perspective.\n\nStill, captured on July 7 during a period of favorable tilt, or\nlibration\nof the lunar nearside,\nthe Eastern Sea can be found at the upper right in this sharp\ntelescopic view.\n\nIn the image, the large lunar mare is\nextremely foreshortened and stretches along the Moon's western edge.\n\nFormed by the impact of an asteroid over 3 billion years\nago and nearly 1000 kilometers across, the\nimpact basin's\nconcentric circular features are ripples in the lunar crust.\n\nBut they are a little easier to spot in\nmore direct images of the region taken from\nlunar orbit.\n\nSo why is the Eastern Sea at the Moon's western edge?\n\nThe Mare Orientale\nlunar feature was named before 1961.\n\nThat's when the convention labeling\neast and west on lunar maps\nwas reversed.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"ecb6e0f0a370c6cb","title":"The Red Glow of the Cosmic Bat Nebula","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260709.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-09T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"There
Explanation: \nThis Cosmic Bat \nwishes you a happy \nSummerween! \nThis mid-year celebration of Halloween transcends hemispheres, even though summer in the Northern hemisphere is winter in the South. Contrary to its eery aura, \nthe Cosmic Bat Nebula \n(LDN 43), \nnot to be confused with \nthe Bat Nebula \n(NGC 6995), is a vibrant \nbirthplace for stars. \nA bit of young starlight peeks through the \ndense clouds \nof gas and dust that make up the Cosmic Bat’s 12 lightyear wingspan. The \nultraviolet \nlight from the young stars energizes the nebula’s hydrogen gas, causing it to \nglow an ominous red. \nThe jet \nof glowing hydrogen gas emerging from the bat’s head \nhints at the star formation \nhidden within.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"684fc9456b9820a1","title":"NGC 6188: Dragons of Ara","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260707.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-07T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"The
Explanation: \nWhere can you find dragons fighting in the night sky? \n\nIn the southern \nconstellation of the Altar: \nAra.\n\nThe dragons are, of course, actually made of \nsuggestively shaped \ngas and dust. \n\nThe celestial home of the \nmythological battling beasts is cataloged as \nNGC 6188 and located about 4,000 \nlight years away near the edge of a \nlarge molecular cloud. \n\nMassive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1 association were formed there only a few million years ago, \nsculpting the dark shapes \nand powering the nebular glow with \nstellar winds and intense \nultraviolet radiation. \n\nJoining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas, \nvisible toward the lower right, is unusual emission nebula \nNGC 6164, \nalso created by one of the region's \nmassive stars. \n\nThis \nimpressively wide field \npicture, \ncaptured from \nQueensland, \nAustralia, \nspans over 2 degrees (four \nfull Moons).","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"907b5bdd7c9d8c18","title":"Dueling Bands over the Atacama Desert","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260706.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-06T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhat are these two bands in the sky? \n\nThe more commonly seen band is on the left and is the central band of our \nMilky Way galaxy. \n\nOur Sun orbits in the disk of \nthis spiral galaxy \nso that from inside, it \nappears as a band \nof comparable brightness all the way \naround the sky. \n\nThe less commonly seen band, on the right, is \nzodiacal light -- sunlight reflected from dust \norbiting the Sun in our \nSolar System. \n\nZodiacal light is \nbrightest near the Sun and so is best \nseen just before sunrise or just after sunset. \n\nOn some evenings, this ribbon of zodiacal light can \nappear quite prominent. \n\nIt was \ndiscovered only in this century \nthat zodiacal dust was mostly expelled by comets that have passed \nnear Jupiter. \n\nThe featured image was captured about a year ago from the \nAtacama Desert in \nChile.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"f8ae0f49dc5a46ed","title":"Saturn's Iapetus: Painted Moon","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260705.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-05T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"An
Explanation: \nWhat has happened to Saturn's moon Iapetus? \n\nVast sections of \nthis strange world are dark as \ncoal, \nwhile others are as \nbright as snow. \n\nTo help better understand this unusually tinted moon, \nin 2007 \nNASA \ndirected the \nrobotic Cassini spacecraft then orbiting \nSaturn to swoop within 2,000 kilometers. \n\nPictured here, from about 75,000 kilometers out, \nis the hemisphere of Iapetus that is \nalways trailing. \n\nA large impact crater seen in the south spans 500 kilometers and appears superposed on an \nolder crater \nof similar size. \n\nThe dark material is seen increasingly coating the easternmost part of \nIapetus, darkening craters and highlands alike. \n\nA leading hypothesis is that the dark material is mostly a form of carbon-rich soil leftover from when relatively warm but dirty ice \nsublimates. \n\nAn initial coating of this dark material may have been \neffectively painted on by the accretion of meteor-liberated debris from \nother moons.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"4438d9897ad1689b","title":"Pathfinder on Mars","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260704.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-04T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nOn July 4th,\n1997, using its own array of\nfireworks,\na parachute, and a cocoon of airbags, the\nMars Pathfinder\nspacecraft bounced like a\ngiant beach ball\nat least 15 times before it came to rest on the surface of Mars\nat 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time.\n\nAfter its then novel\nairbag-assisted landing sequence\nwas completed,\nPathfinder transmitted\nthis color mosaic\nto mission operators on Earth.\n\nIn the scene from another world,\nthe Mars Sojourner robot rover is visible in the foreground,\ncrouched on top of the unfolded Pathfinder.\n\n\nAbout the size\nof a large house cat, the six-wheeled, solar-powered Sojourner became\nthe first successful Martian rover.\n\nSurrounding Pathfinder are deflated airbags and\nthe rock-strewn terrain of the\nAres Vallis\nfloodplain.\n\nIn the distance Martian hills appear against a dusty brownish sky.\n\nThe Pathfinder lander was subsequently renamed the\nCarl Sagan Memorial Station.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"6fdf1db365767773","title":"Three Galaxies in Pavo","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260703.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-03T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nSome 190 million light-years away,\nfar beyond the bright stars and nebulae of the Milky Way,\nthese three galaxies\nare drawn together by gravity in a\nmesmerizing cosmic dance.\n\nClearly distorted by galactic-scale gravitational interactions,\nlarge spiral galaxies NGC 6769 and NGC 6770 are seen face-on,\nwith luminous galactic disks scarred by obscuring interstellar\ndust lanes.\n\nTheir young blue star clusters along drawn out spiral arms\nare spawned in star forming regions that resulted from collisions of\nmassive molecular clouds.\n\nBelow, spiral NGC 6771 presents a more edge-on perspective,\nits boxy central bulge due to tidal\nstar streams.\n\nOf course, in the\ndistant future\na merger of the three galaxies is inevitable.\n\nAt the estimated distance of this galaxy trio,\nknown to some as the\nDevil's Mask,\nthe sharp telescopic frame spans over 300 thousand light-years\nwithin the boundaries of the far southern \nconstellation Pavo.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"730db2cc056df96a","title":"Sibling Supernova Remnants","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260702.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-02T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"Against
Explanation: \n\n What happens when one of the stars in a binary goes supernova?\n\n This image combines visible (yellow), ultraviolet (purple) and infrared light (cyan, red and orange) to show two supernova remnants and their surrounding environment, about 6,000 light-years away.\n\n The younger one is the well-known Jellyfish Nebula in the center (mostly in yellow).\n\n If we could see it by eye, it would appear larger than the full moon in the sky.\n\n The filament shown in purple is part of an older, overlapping supernova remnant, G189.6+3.3.\n\n A new study used data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to piece together their story.\n\n Astronomers believe that there were two stars in a binary system, then the first one exploded as a supernova, kicking away its companion, which also exploded as a supernova tens of thousands of years later, creating the superimposed supernova remnants we see today.\n\n The bright star on the right is actually a triple star system named Propus.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"51df6ec9f7cb9a6e","title":"The Cotton Candy Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260701.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-07-01T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nAlthough they look like cotton candy, you cannot eat these clouds! Taken in \nCádiz, Spain, \ntoday's image \nfeatures \nthe Rho Ophiuchi complex, \na rich tapestry of young and old astronomical phenomena. This colorful cloud complex is a \nnearby star-forming region containing hundreds of \nyoung stellar objects, \nincluding \nprotostars and \nT Tauri stars. \nLight from \nthe triple star system \nat its center \nreflects \noff of small dust grains to create the blue \nreflection nebula. \nUltraviolet \nlight from hot stars \nionizes \nthe surrounding hydrogen gas, creating the red \nemission nebula. \nAntares, \na red supergiant \nbig enough to engulf the Solar System’s \nasteroid belt, \nlights up the yellow region. Dark \ninterstellar dust \nblocks some of the complex’s color. Recent \nJWST observations \nexhibit shadows cast by hidden \ncircumstellar disks, \nthe beginning stages of planet formation. \nMessier 4, \na globular cluster almost as old as the universe, sits in the bottom right and witnesses yet \nanother chaotic burst of youth in the Milky Way.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"60c6244dff489365","title":"Unusually Smooth Sections of Asteroid Itokawa","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260630.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-30T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"Dark
Explanation: \nWhy are parts of this asteroid's surface so smooth? \n\nThe answer seems likely to do with the dynamics of an \nasteroid that is a loose \npile of rubble rather than a solid rock. \n\nThe unusual asteroid \nItokawa was visited by the \nJapanese spacecraft \nHayabusa in 2005 which imaged and \ndocumented its unusual structure and mysterious \nlack of craters. \n\nAnalyses of the border regions between smooth and rugged sections indicate that jostling of the asteroid might be creating segregation between large and small rocks near the surface, like the \nBrazil nut effect. \n\nThe robotic Hayabusa actually \ntouched down \non one of the smooth patches, dubbed the \nMUSES Sea, and collected \nsoil samples.\n\nThese samples were \nreturned to Earth and are not only \ngiving clues to the ancient history of \nthis unusual asteroid, \nbut also about the early years of our entire \nSolar System.\n\nComputer simulations show that 500-meter asteroid Itokawa may \nimpact the Earth within the next few million years.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"13e516948c4d8e11","title":"M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260629.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-29T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nWhy is the Cigar Galaxy billowing red smoke? \n\nM82, as this\nstarburst galaxy is also known, was stirred up by a\nrecent pass near large\nspiral galaxy\nM81. \n\nThis doesn't fully \nexplain \nthe source of the red-glowing outwardly\nexpanding gas and dust, however. \n\nEvidence indicates that this gas and dust is being\ndriven out by the combined emerging\nparticle winds of many stars, together creating a galactic\nsuperwind. \n\nThe dust particles are \nthought to originate \nin M82's interstellar medium and are actually \nsimilar in size to particles in cigar smoke. \n\nThe featured photographic mosaic combines images taken in \nvisible light from the \nHubble Space Telescope and images taken in \ninfrared light from \nJames Webb Space Telescope. \n\nIt shows the light-colored central galaxy nearly \nedge on across the \nimage center with tremendous orange and red colored \nfilaments of gas and dust \nextending both up and down. \n\nThe filaments extend for over 10,000\nlight years.\n\nThe 12-million light-year distant\nCigar Galaxy is the\nbrightest galaxy in the sky in infrared light and can be seen in visible light with a small\ntelescope towards the constellation of the Great Bear\n(Ursa Major).","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"7bebfc21d507edf6","title":"AR 4478: Giant Sunspot Group","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260628.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-28T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"The
Explanation: \nRight now, one of the largest sunspot groups in recent history is crossing the Sun. \n\nActive Region 4478 is not only big -- it's violent, showing tangled magnetic fields capable of throwing off huge clouds of particles into the\nSolar System. \n\nSome of these CMEs might impact the Earth. \n\nAt the extreme, these \nsolar storms could cause some \nEarth-orbiting satellites to malfunction, \nthe Earth's atmosphere to slightly distort, and electrical power grids to surge. \n\nWhen impacting \nEarth's upper atmosphere, \nthese particles can produce \nbeautiful auroras.\n\nPictured here, \nAR 4478 and its dark \nsunspots \nwere captured in visible light a few days ago from \nBarcelona, \nSpain. \n\nAlmost as large as \nAR 3664 was in 2024, the \nAR 4478 sunspot group is so big that it is \nvisible just with glasses specially designed to view \nsolar eclipses. \n\nThis week, \nskygazing enthusiasts all over the globe will not only be tracking AR 4478 during the day -- but keenly watching night skies for its \ncorresponding bright auroras.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"598fd6f6f06d1d8a","title":"Mars Marathon by Perseverance","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260627.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-27T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nIn this recent HiRISE\nview from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter,\nthe little green dot indicated on the surface of the big Red Planet is the\nPerseverance\nMars rover.\n\nRecorded on June 13, the car-sized, six-wheeled robot was imaged\na day before completing a Martian marathon,\ntraveling a total distance of 26.218 miles\n(42.195 kilometers)\nsince it began exploring the surface of Mars.\n\nThat equivalent marathon distance was achieved by Perseverance on its\nmission sol (Martian day) 1,890, after about 5 Earth years\nand 4 Earth months of driving.\n\nPerseverance is continuing to hunt\nfor biosignatures.\n\nIn the HiRISE image, the Mars rover's tracks\ncan be seen leading to\nits location\nin an area west of its\nlanding site in Jezero crater near an\nancient river delta.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"9550e5c10030d1e5","title":"Milky Way Urban Style","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260626.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-26T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nIn a cosmic vista you can never see, the\nMilky Way\narcs through the night above Seoul, South Korea.\n\nRemarkably, this\nurban night skyscape\nreveals our galaxy's faintly luminous\ncentral region and dark obscuring dust clouds in spite of the\nbrilliant city lights.\n\nTo overcome the extreme\nlight pollution\nof the metropolitan area and record faint cosmic details,\nan infrared filter was used to capture the night scene in a single exposure.\n\nWhile the filter transmits predominately infrared light,\nit still passes some\nvisible light\nto give the scene a natural appearance.\n\nThe view is from Seoul's Ttukseom Hangang Park,\nwith the Han River and a well lit railway bridge across the foreground.\n\nThe 123 story Lotte World Tower looms in the distance,\nthe tallest building in South Korea.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"b9c71a5c607b085d","title":"Anticrepuscular Rays over Sicily","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260625.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-25T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \n\n The Sun has just set... in the opposite side of the sky.\n\n Pictured here are anticrepuscular rays apparently converging in the east in this image of the limestone plateau in the heart of the Hyblaean Mountains of southeastern Sicily, in Italy.\n\n How were these anticrepuscular rays formed, if the Sun wasn't there?\n\n After the Sun set (in the west, as usual) its light still illuminated a cloud higher up in the sky.\n\n Partially blocked by the cloud, the sunlight produced patterns of light and shadow, crossing the sky in parallel lines.\n\n Perspective makes it look like they converge in the east, in the same way that train tracks appear to meet in the distance.\n\n This effect can also happen at sunrise, only the directions are exchanged.\n\n In rare cases, both crepuscular and anticrepuscular rays can be seen at the same time.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"37029153bc3013ba","title":"M27: The Dumbbell Nebula","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260622.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-22T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"A
Explanation: \nIs this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. \n\nThe first hint of our \nSun's future \nwas discovered inadvertently in\n1764.\n\nAt that time,\nCharles Messier was compiling a list\nof diffuse objects not to be confused with comets.\n\nThe 27th object on\nMessier's list, now known as\nM27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a\nplanetary nebula,\none of the brightest\nplanetary nebulas on the sky and visible with binoculars\ntoward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula).\n\nIt takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, \nfeatured here in colors enhanced by red for \nhydrogen \nand blue for \noxygen.\n\nWe now know that in about 6 billion years, \nour Sun will \nshed its outer gases into a \nplanetary nebula like M27, \nwhile its remaining center will become an \nX-ray hot \nwhite dwarf star. \n\nUnderstanding the physics and significance of\nM27 was well beyond 18th century science, though.\n\nEven today, many things \nremain mysterious about\nplanetary nebulas, including how their \nintricate \nshapes are created.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"3f4ca1bfc53e26aa","title":"Keogram: The Sky in 2025","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260621.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-21T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"An
Explanation: \nWhat if you could see the entire sky -- all at once -- for an entire year?\n\nThat, very nearly, is what is pictured here. \n\nEvery 15 seconds during 2025, an \nall-sky camera took an image of the sky over the \nNetherlands.\n\nCentral \ncolumns from these images were then aligned \nand combined to create the featured\nkeogram, with January at the top, \nDecember at the bottom, \nand the middle of the night \nrunning vertically just left of center.\n\nWhat do we see? \n\nMost obviously, the daytime \nsky is mostly blue, while the nighttime sky is mostly black. \n\nThe twelve \nlight bands \ncrossing the night sky are caused by the \nglow of the \nMoon.\n\nThe thinnest \npart\nof the black hourglass shape occurs during the summer \nsolstice, like \ntoday, \nwhen days are the longest, while the thickest part occurs at the winter \nsolstice.\n\nEquinoxes can also be located in the keogram, for example \nthe northern-spring \nequinox from one year ago is about \nthree-quarters of the way up.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}},{"id":"9bc8b74c8f967c0c","title":"Daytime Moon Meets Evening Star","link":"https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260620.html","author":"Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)","published_at":"2026-06-20T11:00:00+00:00","content":"\"See
Explanation: \n\nVenus is now appearing on\nthe celestial stage\nas Earth's brilliant evening star, performing with\nthe Moon, other wandering planets, and bright stars\nin western skies.\n\nFor evening sky gazers\non June 17, the celestial beacon rose after sunset close by\na young, slender, crescent Moon.\n\nBut from some locations the Moon could be seen to occult or pass in\nfront of Venus.\n\nAnd from a backyard observatory in\nsouthern British Columbia, Canada, the\nlunar occultation was played out in daylight.\n\nThis stunning telescopic snapshot captured\na scene in dramatically cloudy skies,\nfollowing Venus' hour long disappearance,\nas the evening star emerged beyond the bright lunar limb.","metadata":{"score":null,"source_feed_id":"nasa-apod","source_feed_type":"rss"}}]