apod 2023

The Universe is around 13.8 billion years old, although the exact age remains unknown. But how do experts calculate the age? According to NASA, astronomers can calculate the age of the Universe by looking for the oldest stars, and measuring the rate of expansion of the universe and extrapolating back to the Big Bang. Since the Universe moves too slowly for us to witness it develop, scientists have developed a new way to uncover the secrets - through computer simulations.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is the…

Over the past few months, we have witnessed several breathtaking but peculiarly-shaped nebulae, as part of NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day which is published on a daily basis. Although most nebulae belong to just three types - spherical, elliptical, and bipolar, some of them might be irregularly shaped, so much so that they resemble objects on Earth. Some of the most peculiar shapes include the Headphone Nebula, the Heart and Soul Nebula, and the Flying Ghost Nebula. For the unaware, a nebula is a star-forming region…

Our solar system, with the Sun at the center and 8 other planets besides Earth, reside in an obscure part of a galaxy known as the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a barred spiral galaxy that spans about 100,000 light-years across and was formed approximately 14 billion years ago. According to NASA, the Milky Way Galaxy has over 100 billion stars and all of them orbit a supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center, which is estimated to be four million times as massive as our Sun.NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a…

Galaxies which exist in the vastness of space, consist of various celestial objects such as stars, clouds of dust, and gas, all of which are bound together by gravity. Most galaxies exist in groups or clusters with dozens or hundreds of members, and these cluster galaxies are all in constant motion, pulled and twisted by their neighbour's gravity. Galaxy clusters are the largest objects in the Universe bound by gravity and astronomers can use them to measure important cosmological properties, according to NASA.Today's…

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day is published on a daily basis and the US space agency showcases photographs of celestial objects captured by astrophotographers from all over the world. NASA also snaps objects in space using its advanced technology such as the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope and other observational assets. In fact, the newly launched James Webb Telescope has enabled NASA to observe and study objects located millions of light-years away in space, much…

Over the past few months, we have seen several stunning snapshots of celestial objects as part of NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, which is published on a daily basis. Snapshots of celestial objects like galaxies, black holes, nebulae, and more, were captured by astrophotographers from all over the world and have been shared by NASA. However, today's picture is a different one as it is not a snapshot of one particular object, but rather an occultation. For the unaware, occultation occurs when an object like a moon…

Jupiter is the fifth planet in the solar system, and it is by far the biggest one. In fact, it is twice as big as all the other planets in our solar system combined. Jupiter is also known as the Gas Giant due to a dense atmosphere of hydrogen and helium with windy clouds of ammonia. It also has the most moons in the solar system, with 92 confirmed moons with orbits, according to International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is a snapshot of Jupiter's swirls, formed due…

The universe contains an astonishing number of stars, estimated to be around 200 billion trillion. There are at least 100 billion stars within our own Milky Way Galaxy, while the entire universe harbours over 100 billion galaxies. When a star explodes, the subsequent explosion which takes place, known as a Supernova, is the largest explosion to occur in space. According to NASA, a supernova happens when there is a change in the core, or center, of a star. A change can occur in two different ways, with both resulting in a…

Over the past few days, we have seen NASA publish mesmerizing snapshots of celestial objects as part of its daily Astronomy Picture of the Day. But how does NASA capture these objects that are located millions of kilometers away in space? The space agency uses its advanced telescopes such as Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope. One of the most visually appealing celestial objects captured by NASA is spiral galaxies. These types of galaxies have winding…

We have seen several stunning images of celestial objects in the last few days as part of NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, which the space agency publishes on a daily basis. Some of these celestial objects include Nebulae, which are giant clouds of dust and gas in space. Some nebulae originate from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a dying star while other nebulae are star-forming regions. Although most of the Nebulae are located millions of light-years away, NASA is able to capture them with the help…