NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day

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NGC 604: Giant Stellar Nursery

NGC 604: Giant Stellar Nursery

Located some 3 million light-years away in the arms of nearby spiral galaxy M33, giant stellar nursery NGC 604 is about 1,300 light-years across. That's nearly 100 times the size…

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Dragon's Egg Bipolar Emission Nebula

Dragon's Egg Bipolar Emission Nebula

How did a star form this beautiful nebula? In the middle of emission nebula NGC 6164 is an unusually massive star. The central star has been compared to an oyster's…

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Contrail Shadow X

Contrail Shadow X

What created this giant X in the clouds? It was the shadow of contrails. When airplanes fly, humid engine exhaust may form water droplets that might freeze in Earth's cold…

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Moon and Smoke Rings from Mt. Etna

Moon and Smoke Rings from Mt. Etna

Yes, but can your volcano do this? To the surprise of some, Mt. Etna emits, on occasion, smoke rings. Technically known as vortex rings, the walls of the volcano slightly…

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Diamonds in the Sky

Diamonds in the Sky

When the dark shadow of the Moon raced across North America on April 8, sky watchers along the shadow's narrow central path were treated to a total solar eclipse. During…

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