Astronomy Picture of the Day · March 2026

APOD, March 2026

31 entries from March 2026: 26 images and 5 videos. 18 carry a copyright notice from the credited creator.

Video March 1, 2026 · Video

The Moon During a Total Lunar Eclipse

Video Credit: Wang Letian & Zhang JiajieThe featured image shows a dusty starfield with intricate dust filaments all over. Red, blue, and brown nebulas will the field. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 2, 2026 · Copyrighted

The Dusty Surroundings of Orion and the Pleiades

Image Credit & Copyright: Ignacio FernándezVideo March 3, 2026 · Video

Flying over the North Pole of Mars

Video Credit: ESA , Mars Express , VMC ; Processing & License : Simeon SchmaußA starfield is shown with a large circular blue ring in the center. In the ring's center is a bright blue spot. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 4, 2026 · Copyrighted

Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Bresseler ; Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II )A desert landscape with a large volcanic land feature jutting out in the center. Above is a series of eclipse phases of the moon traveling from the top left downward toward the peak of the central volcanic landmark. The phases show the moon March 5, 2026 · Copyrighted

Total Lunar Eclipse over Tsé Bit'a'í

Image Credit & Copyright: Satoru Murata ; Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMCP , CRESST II )The Astrosphere of HD 61005 March 6, 2026

The Astrosphere of HD 61005

Image Credit: X-ray: NASA / CXC / Johns Hopkins Univ. / C.M. Lisse et al.; Infrared: NASA / ESA / STIS ; Optical: NSF / NoirLab / CTIO / DECaPS2 Processing: NASA / CXC / SAO / N. Wolk – Text: Cecilia Chirenti ( NASA GSFC , UMCP , CRESST II )Two Eclipses of Saros 133 March 7, 2026 · Copyrighted

Two Eclipses of Saros 133

Image Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel ( TWAN ), Petr Horalek / Institute of Physics in Opava / KPNO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURAA leafless tree is pictured below a starry sky. In the sky behind the tree is an aurora glowing mostly green but with some purple. The shape of the aurora seems to follow the branches of the tree. Please see the explanation for more detaile March 8, 2026 · Copyrighted

The Aurora Tree

Image Credit & Copyright: Alyn WallaceThe featured image shows a starfield surrounding a nebula that resembles the human brain. A blue outer oval has a bright nebulosity inside. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 9, 2026

The Cranium Nebula from the Webb Telescope

Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CSA , STScI ; Processing: J. DePasquale ( STScI )A colorful sky appears above several large telescopes. Prominent in the sky is the band of the Milky Way Galaxy which arches across the frame. Orange laser beams connect one of the telescopes to the sky on the image right. Please see the ex March 10, 2026 · Copyrighted

Sky Glows over Paranal Observatory

Image Credit & Copyright: Julien LootenA cometary globule extends in front of a field of stars, showing what seems like an open mouth towards a distant galaxy in the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 11, 2026 · Copyrighted

CG 4: The Globule and the Galaxy

Image Credit & Copyright: William Vrbasso Text: Cecilia Chirenti ( NASA GSFC , UMCP , CRESST II )A Near-Full Rotation of Uranus March 12, 2026 · Video

A Near-Full Rotation of Uranus

Video Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, STScI, P. Tiranti, H. Melin, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb) Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)Toolondo Totality Trails March 13, 2026 · Copyrighted

Toolondo Totality Trails

Image Credit & Copyright: Jason PerryA Year for K2-315b March 14, 2026

A Year for K2-315b

Artist Illustration Credit: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle, Christine Daniloff, MITA grand Mayan Pyramids is shown below a starry sky highlighted by the band of the Milky Way and the planets Saturn and Jupiter. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 15, 2026 · Copyrighted

Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent

Image Credit & Copyright: Robert FedezA spiral galaxy fills the frame with a white center in the middle. Two bright arms spiral out from the center filled with red nebulas along their spines and surrounded by bright blue star clusters. Please see the explanation for more detail March 16, 2026

NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Galaxy

Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA , D. Calzetti & the LEGUS Team , R. ChandarThe Tadpoles of IC 410 March 17, 2026 · Copyrighted

The Tadpoles of IC 410

Image Credit & Copyright: Nico CarverClouds of gas glow red in the night sky above a dark tree on the horizon that stands in a meadow. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 18, 2026 · Copyrighted

Cygnus and the Solitary Tree

Image Credit & Copyright: 2025 Horacio Lander / AstroHoracio Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II )A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch produces a glowing cloud, reminiscent of a jellyfish. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 19, 2026 · Copyrighted

Launch Plume: SpaceX Jellyfish

Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Seeley Text: Cecilia Chirenti ( NASA GSFC , UMCP , CRESST II )Spring Equinox at Teide Observatory March 20, 2026 · Copyrighted

Spring Equinox at Teide Observatory

Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado ( Starry Earth , TWAN )Galaxies in the River: NGC 1300 and NGC 1297 March 21, 2026 · Copyrighted

Galaxies in the River: NGC 1300 and NGC 1297

Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager and Eric BensonVideo March 22, 2026 · Video

Leaving Earth

Video Credit: NASA , JHU Applied Physics Lab , Carnegie Inst. Washington , MESSENGERA starry sky appears above a snowy street with a house on the right. The constellation of Orion is visible on the left. Up from the ground many pillars of light are seen. Two people stand watching the pillars on the street in the foreground March 23, 2026 · Copyrighted

Light Pillars and Orion over Mohe

Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai ( TWAN )Video March 24, 2026 · Video

A Gravity Map of Earth

Video Credit: NASA , GSFC , GRACE , SVSThe plane of the Milky Way shines across the night sky above several large human statues that face away from the camera. March 25, 2026 · Copyrighted

The Guardians of Rapa Nui beneath the Milky Way

Image Credit and Copyright: Rositsa Dimitrova Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II )218 plots shown on a grid represent all of the mergers of black holes and neutron stars detected in gravitational waves and reported to date. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 26, 2026

Black Holes and Neutron Stars: 218 Mergers and Counting

Image Credit: Ryan Nowicki , Bill Smith & Karan Jani Text: Cecilia Chirenti ( NASA GSFC , UMCP , CRESST II )Hickson 44 in Leo March 27, 2026 · Copyrighted

Hickson 44 in Leo

Image Credit & Copyright: Peter KennettRobert Goddard and Nell March 28, 2026

Robert Goddard and Nell

Image Credit: Esther Goddard, from the Clark University archiveA highly pixelated image is shown with multiple colors on a pixelated black background. Several identifiable icons are included like a human and a telescope disk. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. March 29, 2026

A Message from Earth

Image Credit: Frank Drake et al., Arecibo Observatory ; License: Arne Nordmann (Wikimedia)A starfield glows faintly with red glowing gas and dust. In the center there is some sort of unusual galaxy with a red jet emanating toward the upper right and a dark dust lane through its center. Please see the explanation for more detaile March 30, 2026 · Copyrighted

Peculiar Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A

Image Credit & Copyright: SADR Observatory Team: J-C Dalouzy , P. Bazart, M. Dherbécourt, C. Humbert, G. Leroy, J-P Quéau, H. Talbot, & E. ValinA half-lit moon is shown that is unfamiliar. The moon appears mostly gray but with some light patches. Two large craters appear near the terminator, and some large cracks are also evident. Please see the explanation for more detailed inform March 31, 2026

Uranus's Largest Moon: Titania

Image Credit: NASA , Voyager 2 ; Processing & License: zelario12

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