Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 2023

APOD, December 2023

31 entries from December 2023: 28 images and 3 videos. 21 carry a copyright notice from the credited creator.

Milky Way Rising December 1, 2023 · Copyrighted

Milky Way Rising

Image Credit & Copyright: José RodriguesStartrails over Beijing Ancient Observatory December 2, 2023 · Copyrighted

Startrails over Beijing Ancient Observatory

Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai ( TWAN )Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano December 3, 2023 · Video · Copyrighted

Moon Setting Behind Teide Volcano

Video Credit & Copyright: Daniel López ( El Cielo de Canarias ); Music: Piano della Moon ( Dan Silva )A thin crescent moon is shown with a bright red contrail going through it, right to left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 4, 2023 · Copyrighted

Plane Crossing Crescent Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Juned PatelAn illustrations depicts a high energy cosmic ray starting an air shower in the Earth's atmosphere. Below is an array of air shower detectors. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 5, 2023

Energetic Particle Strikes the Earth

Illustration Credit: Osaka Metropolitan U. / L-INSIGHT , Kyoto U. / Ryuunosuke TakeshigeBrown dust pillars in the Carina Nebula are shown. Many appear like a torch since their ends are lit up with starlight. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 6, 2023

Stars Versus Dust in the Carina Nebula

Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Heritage ( STScI / AURA ); Processing: Franco Meconi ( Terraza al Cosmos )Orion and the Ocean of Storms December 7, 2023

Orion and the Ocean of Storms

Image Credit: NASA , Artemis 1Vega and Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks December 8, 2023 · Copyrighted

Vega and Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

Image Credit & Copyright: Dan BartlettPic du Pleiades December 9, 2023 · Copyrighted

Pic du Pleiades

Image Credit & Copyright: Jean-Francois GraffandA landscape shows tall mountains in the distance and evergreen trees nearby. Overhead is a star filled sky, with the stars of the Big Dipper easily apparent. A rollover image labels names for the Big Dipper stars. Please see the explanation December 10, 2023 · Copyrighted

Big Dipper over Pyramid Mountain

Image Credit & Copyright: Steve CullenSolar Minimum versus Solar Maximum December 11, 2023 · Video

Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum

Video Credit: NASA , SDO , SVSA night sky filled with stars is shown behind a picturesque foreground. The foreground contains rounded rocks and a person before a distant sea. The background contains bands of the Milky Way and bright aurora. Please see the explanation fo December 12, 2023 · Copyrighted

Aurora and Milky Way over Norway

Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio CobianchiA starfield is shown filled with colorful gas glowing in different colors, and dark dust. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 13, 2023 · Copyrighted

Deep Field: The Heart Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: William Ostling , Telescope LiveSupernova Remnant Cassiopeia A December 14, 2023

Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A

Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CSA , STScI ; D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (University of Gent)Betelgeuse Eclipsed December 15, 2023 · Copyrighted

Betelgeuse Eclipsed

Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastian VoltmerCrescent Enceladus December 16, 2023

Crescent Enceladus

Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team , SSI , JPL , ESA , NASATwo people are pictured from the back looking at a dark star-filled sky. The sky is also filled with numerous streaks caused by meteors from the Geminids meteor shower. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 17, 2023 · Copyrighted

Geminids over China's Nianhu Lake

Image Credit & Copyright: Hongyang LuoA checkerboard is shown with squares colored light and dark grey. A green tube sits on the board and casts a shadow. The image has a letter A typed on a dark square, and a letter B types on a light square cast in shadow. The question is ask December 18, 2023

The Same Color Illusion

Image Credit: Edward H. Adelson , WikipediaA red gaseous nebula is shown in front of a dark starfield. The shape of the nebula resembles the US state of California. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 19, 2023 · Copyrighted

NGC 1499: The California Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: Steven PowellA building is seen from a distance on white snow and with mountains in the background. An ice-crystal filled sky is seen above. Superposed on the night sky are numerous curving whisps -- halos of ice reflecting background moonlight. Please December 20, 2023 · Copyrighted

Ice Halos over Bavaria

Image Credit & Copyright: Bastian WernerThree Galaxies and a Comet December 21, 2023 · Copyrighted

Three Galaxies and a Comet

Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett183 Days in the Sun December 22, 2023 · Copyrighted

183 Days in the Sun

Image Credit & Copyright: José Zarcos PalmaA December Summer Night December 23, 2023 · Copyrighted

A December Summer Night

Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Griffin ( Otago Museum )A nebula in purple and pink is shown with dust pillars curving around. In the center is a bright orange spot. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 24, 2023

NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf

Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble ; Processing: H. Bond ( STScI ), R. Ciardullo ( PSU ), Forrest Hamilton (STScI)A tree-lined hill is shown topped by a majestic cathedral. Directly behind the cathedral is of a triangular-shaped mountain top. Directly behind the mountain is a crescent moon, although the exposure is long enough to see the rest of lunar December 25, 2023 · Copyrighted

Cathedral, Mountain, Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Valerio MinatoA complex nebula is shown in front of a dense starfield. The nebula appears orange. A bright star is seen just to the right of the nebula. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 26, 2023 · Copyrighted

IC 443: The Jellyfish Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: David PayneA waterfall is shown in the image center below a starry sky. Arching above the waterfall is a colorful aurora. Arching above the aurora is the central band of the Milky Way. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. December 27, 2023 · Copyrighted

Rainbow Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall

Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano PellegriniJupiter and the Geminid December 28, 2023 · Copyrighted

Jupiter and the Geminid

Image Credit & Copyright: Gaurav SinghShakespeare in Space December 29, 2023

Shakespeare in Space

Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CSA , STScIThe Persistence of Moonlight December 30, 2023 · Copyrighted

The Persistence of Moonlight

Image Credit & Copyright: Giacomo VenturinIllustris: A Simulation of the Universe December 31, 2023 · Video

Illustris: A Simulation of the Universe

Video Credit: Illustris Collaboration , NASA , PRACE , XSEDE , MIT , Harvard CfA ; Music: The Poisoned Princess ( Media Right Productions )

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