Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Mars and the Beehive Under an Aurora

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 14, 2026 is “Mars and the Beehive Under an Aurora,” an image. It is credited to Petr Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava), Josef Kujal, Vojan Höfer. The original explanation runs about 150 words.

The bright Mars is near the center of the Beehive cluster (M44) in the sky's horizon. A colorful aurora sits above in the sky, looking like a curtain of light. Dark trees and a river line the foreground.
Credit: Petr Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava), Josef Kujal, Vojan Höfer Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What a cosmic coincidence! In today’s image, Mars joins the Beehive cluster (M44 or Praesepe) below an auroral curtain and above a horizon of happy little trees near Lansjärv, Sweden.”

— APOD editors, October 14, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 14, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Petr Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava), Josef Kujal, Vojan Höfer
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 150 words

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Topics in this entry

MarsAuroras

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 14 in other years

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Source

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.