#stellarsnap — Public Fediverse posts

Faint blue arcs stretch across the sky near Andromeda. But they aren’t part of that galaxy.

SDSO 1 is now recognized as a Ghost Planetary Nebula, a newly defined class. It belongs to our own Milky Way.

Discovered by amateurs. Confirmed with 550 hours of data.

📅 Aug 4, 2025
📷 Patrick Ogle et al.
#SDSO1 #PlanetaryNebula #Andromeda #DeepSky #Astrophotography #StellarSnap

What if time moved slower… just because of where you are?

Earth vs. near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole.

This is real. This is relativity.

Try it yourself: https://stellarsnap.space

#TimeDilation #GeneralRelativity #BlackHole #Astronomy #StellarSnap

📸 Supernova 2025rbs in NGC 7331

Detected on July 14, 2025rbs is a Type Ia supernova in the galaxy NGC 7331, 50 million light-years away. Likely caused by a white dwarf's thermonuclear explosion, it's now the brightest supernova in Earth's sky.

📷 Ben Godson

#Supernova2025rbs #NGC7331 #TypeIa #Astronomy #StellarSnap #DeepSky

📸 Coronal Loops on the Sun

Loops of plasma rise from the Sun’s surface, shaped by magnetic fields. These coronal loops can last for days and reach sizes big enough to surround Earth.

This panel shows four loops captured in 2024 and 2025 from Mantova, Italy, in light emitted by hydrogen.

📷 Andrea Vanoni

#CoronalLoops #SolarProminence #SunActivity #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #SpaceWeather

📸 Lightning over the Volcano of Water

Captured in July 2019, this lightning bolt strikes from antennas near the summit of Volcán de Agua in Guatemala.

Lightning forms when storm clouds build up electric charge from collisions between ice and snow. The discharge heats air hotter than the Sun’s surface.

📷 Sergio Montúfar

#Lightning #VolcanDeAgua #Guatemala #StormPhotography #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #Weather

📸 Globular Cluster Omega Centauri

Omega Centauri, or NGC 5139, is the largest and brightest globular cluster in the Milky Way. Located 15,000 light-years away, it holds about 10 million stars — some older than the Sun.

Its mixed stellar ages and compositions hint that it may be the remnant core of a dwarf galaxy.

📷 Data: SkyFlux Team
🛠️ Processing: Leo Shatz

#OmegaCentauri #GlobularCluster #NGC5139 #Astronomy #Astrophotography #StellarSnap

📸 Titan Shadow Transit

Every 15 years, Saturn’s rings appear edge-on from Earth. The view may be narrow, but it reveals rare transits of Saturn’s moons and their shadows.

In this image from July 18, Titan crosses Saturn’s face, casting a dark round shadow on its cloud tops.

📷 Volodymyr Andrienko

#Titan #Saturn #ShadowTransit #Astronomy #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #NightSky #PlanetaryAlignment

📸 Fireball over Cape San Blas

A fireball is a meteor so bright it can rival Venus or even the full Moon. These rare events burn through Earth's atmosphere, often leaving a smoky trail as they break apart.

This one was spotted last week from a deadwood beach in Cape San Blas, Florida.

📷 Jason Rice
#Fireball #Meteor #CapeSanBlas #BrightMeteor #NightSky #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #Astronomy

📸 A Double Detonation Supernova

Can a supernova explode twice? In SNR 0509-67.5, a white dwarf’s surface ignites first, triggering a second, full Type Ia supernova deep inside.

This remnant, captured by the Very Large Telescope, shows two shells that support the theory. But no one saw it 400 years ago — and its companion star is missing.

📷 ESO / P. Das et al. / NASA / Hubble

#Supernova #SNR0509 #TypeIa #Astronomy #Astrophotography #StellarSnap

📸 Messier 6 – The Butterfly Cluster

A cluster of about 100 young stars spreads its wings in Scorpius. Known as the Butterfly Cluster, Messier 6 glows with brilliant blue stars and one striking orange giant: BM Scorpii.
It spans 25 light-years near the heart of the Milky Way.

📷 Xinran Li / NASA APOD
#Messier6 #ButterflyCluster #Astrophotography #Space #Scorpius #StarCluster #StellarSnap

📸 ISS Meets Saturn

On July 6, from Federal Way, Washington, the International Space Station briefly aligned with Saturn in a rare sky event. Captured in a stacked telescopic image, the ISS and Saturn appear close, but were actually 1.4 billion kilometers apart. Saturn’s brightness was enhanced to match the ISS, which was much closer and brighter in the sky.

📅 July 18, 2025
📷 Credit: A.J. Smadi

#ISS #Saturn #ISSSaturn #Astronomy #Astrophotography #NASA #APOD #StellarSnap

📸 3I/ATLAS – a new interstellar visitor

Discovered July 1 by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, 3I/ATLAS is the third known object from outside our Solar System, after ʻOumuamua and Borisov. This comet, seen by Gemini North in Hawai‘i, has a visible coma and a steeply hyperbolic orbit—it will not return. It’s approaching the Sun, just inside Mars' orbit, but poses no threat to Earth.

📅 July 17, 2025
📷 Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / K. Meech

#3IATLAS #Comet #APOD #Astronomy #NASA #StellarSnap

📸 The Rosette Nebula from DECam
A cosmic bloom in Monoceros. This glowing nebula spans 100 light-years and cradles young stars in its heart. Captured in vivid detail by DECam in Chile.

📅 APOD – July 16, 2025
📷 Credit: CTIO, NOIRLab, DOE, NSF, AURA

#APOD #NASA #RosetteNebula #NGC2237 #DECam #NOIRLab #CTIO #Nebulae #StarFormation #Monoceros #Astrophotography #Astronomy #Space #StellarNursery #EmissionNebula #DeepSky #Telescope #CosmicBloom #Stars #Universe #StellarSnap

📸 Collapse in Hebes Chasma on Mars
Hebes Mensa, a 5-km high mesa on Mars, appears to have partially collapsed into Hebes Chasma. Melted ice may have dissolved salty layers underground, causing the surface to give way.

📅 APOD – July 15, 2025
📷 Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)

#APOD #Mars #HebesChasma #MarsExpress #ESA #NASA #PlanetaryScience #MarsGeology #VallesMarineris #Space #Astronomy #RedPlanet #SolarSystem #StellarSnap

📸 NGC 2685: The Helix Galaxy
This rare polar ring galaxy has stars, gas, and dust orbiting in a tilted ring around a flat disk. Likely formed by capturing material from another galaxy, it remains stable and mysterious. Also known as Arp 336.

📅 APOD – July 14, 2025
📷 Credit: Stefan Thrun

#NASA #APOD #NGC2685 #HelixGalaxy #PolarRingGalaxy #Galaxy #Astronomy #Space #Cosmos #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #GalaxyLovers #DeepSky #UrsaMajor #StarGazing #Universe #Science

📸 Planetary Nebula Mz3: The Ant Nebula
Why is this nebula shaped like an ant? Mz3 is formed by gas expelled from a dying star. It might be shaped by a close companion star or powerful magnetic fields. The central star is similar to our Sun, offering a glimpse at our solar system's future.

📅 APOD – July 13, 2025
📷 Credit: NASA, ESA, R. Sahai (JPL) et al., Hubble Heritage Team

#APOD #NASA #Astronomy #Hubble #PlanetaryNebula #Mz3 #AntNebula #Space #Stars #Astrophotography #StellarSnap

📸 Lynds Dark Nebula 1251
Also known as the Rotten Fish Nebula, LDN 1251 is a dark molecular cloud where stars are forming. It lies about 1,000 light-years away in Cepheus and spans over 25 light-years.

📅 APOD – July 10, 2025
📷 Credit: Cristiano Gualco

#APOD #NASA #LDN1251 #RottenFishNebula #DarkNebula #StarFormation #Cepheus #MilkyWay #Astrophotography #StellarNursery #Nebula #Stargazing #Astronomy #Cosmos #StellarSnap

📸 A Beautiful Trifid
Red emission. Blue reflection. Dark dust. The Trifid Nebula (M20) in Sagittarius blends all three. Star formation shapes its glowing clouds, while dark lanes split the red core into three parts. A cosmic gem, 5,000 light-years away.

📅 APOD – July 9, 2025
📷 Credit: Alessandro Cipolat Bares

#APOD #TrifidNebula #M20 #NASA #Nebula #Sagittarius #EmissionNebula #ReflectionNebula #DarkNebula #StarFormation #Astrophotography #Space #Cosmos #Astronomy #DeepSky #StellarSnap

📸 Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
This rare visitor is only the third known object from beyond our Solar System. Currently approaching from Jupiter’s distance, it will pass inside Mars’ orbit in late October. Though it will not come near Earth, it offers a rare chance to study material from another star system.

📅 APOD – July 7, 2025
📷 Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech

#APOD #NASA #Comet #3IATLAS #Interstellar #Space #Astronomy #SolarSystem #Mars #Jupiter #Astrophysics #OuterSpace #StellarSnap #Cosmos

📸 The Spiral North Pole of Mars
Each winter, Mars adds a fresh layer of carbon dioxide ice atop its North Pole. Swirling winds shaped by the planet’s rotation sculpt this spiral form, known as Planum Boreum. Data from ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s MGS reveal the stunning structure.

📅 APOD – July 6, 2025
📷 ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team

#APOD #NASA #ESA #Mars #MarsExpress #MGS #PlanumBoreum #RedPlanet #Space #Astronomy #StellarSnap #PlanetaryScience #Astrophotography #MarsPole

📸 Ou4: The Giant Squid Nebula
This elusive nebula glows in blue from oxygen atoms and may lie 2,300 light-years away inside Sh2-129. Powered by a triple star system, its outflows span 50+ light-years. A true deep sky giant.

📅 APOD – July 5, 2025
📷 Credit: Massimo Di Fusco

#APOD #NASA #Astronomy #Ou4 #SquidNebula #Sh2129 #DeepSky #Stars #Nebula #Space #NightSky #Astrophotography #HR8119 #TripleStarSystem #Cosmos #Science #Stargazing #MilkyWay #Universe #StellarSnap

📸 NGC 6946 and NGC 6939
This deep-sky image shows two cosmic neighbors in Cepheus: open star cluster NGC 6939 at 5,600 light-years and spiral galaxy NGC 6946, The Fireworks Galaxy, at 22 million light-years. Over 68 hours of exposure reveal stunning detail and faint dust lanes.

📅 July 4, 2025
📷 Alberto Pisabarro / https://www.loscoloresinvisibles.com/en
🔗 https://stellarsnap.space

#APOD #NGC6946 #FireworksGalaxy #NGC6939 #Cepheus #SpiralGalaxy #OpenCluster #DeepSky #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #NightSky

📸 Nova V462 Lupi Now Visible
A rare celestial event is underway in the southern sky. Nova Lupi 2025 is a thermonuclear explosion on a white dwarf, discovered mid-June and now visible with binoculars. Even more rare: Nova Velorum 2025 is visible too, making two simultaneous novas!

📅 July 3, 2025
📷 Credit: Matipon Tangmatitham (NARIT)

#APOD #Nova #V462Lupi #NovaVelorum #MilkyWay #Lupus #Vela #Stargazing #BinocularView #NightSky #SpaceEvent #Astronomy #Astrophotography #SpaceScience #StellarSnap

📸 Milky Way Through Otago Spires
The glowing core of our galaxy rises between two spires in Otago, New Zealand. Seen in early June skies, the Milky Way arcs upward after sunset, revealing billions of stars. A moment of perfect timing and planning.
📅 July 2, 2025
📷 Kavan Chay
🔗 https://stellarsnap.space

#APOD #MilkyWay #Astrophotography #Stars #Otago #NewZealand #Galaxy #NightSky #Astronomy #Space #Cosmos #SkyView #StellarSnap

📸 NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy
This deep image reveals a tidal stream of stars, the remains of a smaller galaxy torn apart by NGC 4651. The stream extends nearly 100,000 light-years above the main spiral disk.

📅 June 30, 2025
📷 Rabeea Alkuwari & Anas Almajed
🔗 https://stellarsnap.space

#APOD #Astronomy #NGC4651 #UmbrellaGalaxy #Space #Galaxy #TidalStream #ComaBerenices #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #DeepSky #Cosmos

StellarSnap.space is featured on the homepage of NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) today.

Reviewed by APOD cofounder Prof. Robert Nemiroff (former NASA, now at Michigan Tech) and added to the Modern Formats list.

Browse APODs by date, keyword, or randomly. Includes glossary, encyclopedia, orbit and time dilation simulators.

🌍 https://stellarsnap.space
🖼️ https://apod.nasa.gov

#NASA #APOD #Astronomy #Space #WebDev #StellarSnap #Astrophotography

📸 Dark Sand Cascades on Mars
Dark streaks on pinkish dunes near Mars' North Pole resemble trees, but they're actually sand slides exposed as CO₂ frost melts in spring. Captured by the HiRISE camera on NASA’s MRO.
📅 June 29, 2025
📷 NASA, HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona)
🔗 https://stellarsnap.space
#APOD #Mars #HiRISE #MRO #NASA #MartianGeology #SandDunes #PlanetaryScience #RedPlanet #SpaceScience #StellarSnap

📸 Lunar Farside
From lunar orbit, we can view the Moon's rugged farside. This sharp mosaic, made from over 15,000 images by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, reveals a surface very different from the smooth nearside.
📅 June 28, 2025
📷 NASA / GSFC / ASU / LRO
🔗 https://stellarsnap.space
#APOD #LunarFarside #Moon #LRO #LunarReconnaissanceOrbiter #NASA #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #LunarScience #PlanetaryScience #MoonCrust #NoDarkMaria

📸 Messier 109
Barred spiral galaxy M109 lies just beneath the Big Dipper in Ursa Major. Though small in our sky, it spans 120,000 light-years across at a distance of 60 million light-years. This view also shows possible satellite galaxies UGC 6969, UGC 6940, and UGC 6923.
📅 June 27, 2025
📷 Robert Eder
🔗 https://stellarsnap.space
#APOD #Messier109 #M109 #NGC3992 #BarredSpiral #UrsaMajor #GalaxyCluster #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #DeepSky #SatelliteGalaxies

📸 The Seagull Nebula
Shaped like a bird in flight, the Seagull Nebula spans over 200 light-years near Sirius in Canis Major. IC 2177 forms the head, while surrounding clouds glow with hydrogen gas. A bluish arc is a bow shock from the runaway star FN Canis Majoris.
📅 June 26, 2025
📷 Timothy Martin
🔗 https://stellarsnap.space
#APOD #SeagullNebula #IC2177 #CanisMajor #Nebula #BowShock #FNCanisMajoris #StarFormation #DeepSky #MilkyWay #Astrophotography #StellarSnap #NightSky #EmissionNebula