Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 2, 2026

NanoSail-D2

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 2, 2026 is “NanoSail-D2,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Vandebergh). The original explanation runs about 128 words.

From the explanation

“In 2011, on January 20, NASA’s NanoSail-D2 unfurled a very thin and very reflective 10 square meter sail becoming the first solar sail spacecraft in low Earth orbit.”

— APOD editors, January 2, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 2, 2026
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Ralf Vandebergh
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 128 words

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 2, 2026 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-january-2-nanosail-d2

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.