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Latest about image of the day

four bright yellow lines of light extend up into a starry night sky

Lasers take aim at a galaxy far, far away | Space photo of the day for May 4, 2026

By Brett Tingley published

Looking like a scene out of "Star Wars," this image shows the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) beaming four separate lasers into the sky towards the Tarantula Nebula.

Astronomy
Two people wearing glasses work above what looks like a large tire with fabric on the outside on a table.

Is it cake? No, it's a parachute! | Space photo of the day for May 1, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd published

In this donut-shaped bag is a massive parachute. Next stop? Mars.

Mars
A black background of space is speckled with a wide array of stars. At the center is a flat, glowing galaxy shaped like a stretched out sombrero.

The cosmos wears a galactic sombrero | Space photo of the day for April 29, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd published

The Sombrero galaxy's name fits perfectly.

Galaxies
A view of the Artemis 2 Orion heat shield underwater. The heat shield appears as different shades of dark blue.

Artemis 2 heat shield is a sunken treasure in the ocean | Space photo of the day for April 28, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd published

This eerie image shows the heat shield following splashdown.

23 Comments
Human Spaceflight
A black space background covered in stars has a central bright, egg-shaped galaxy with blue and red coloring.

Backyard snapshot delivers stunning galaxy image | Space photo of the day for April 27, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd published

The Small Magellanic Cloud, a neighbor of our Milky Way galaxy, stuns in this ambassador's picture.

Galaxies
A black and white image of the landscape of Mars with crescent-shaped dunes.

Ice melts in the springtime on Mars | Space photo of the day for April 24, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd published

Springtime has arrived at the Red Planet's Chasma Boreale, as this photo by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows.

Mars
a white-and-orange rocket rolls out of a large hangar at night

Artemis 2 moon rocket rolls back to launch pad | Space photo of the day for March 20, 2026

By Brett Tingley published

NASA's Space Launch System rocket was back on the move overnight ahead of its second mission to the moon, which will be the first time the vehicle carries a crew.

Space Exploration
SpaceX's Ship 39 looks cool as it undergoes cryosystem checks on Sunday March 8

SpaceX's Ship 39 is so cool in Starship V3 test | Space photo of the day for March 9, 2026

By Robert Lea published

SpaceX engineers tested Ship 39's propellant system, leading to some stunning images.

2 Comments
Space Exploration
An image of RCW 36 in which the Milky Way nebula appears like a vast cosmic bird of prey

Cosmic Hawk spreads its wings| Space photo of the day for March 6, 2026

By Robert Lea published

The Milky Way nebula RCW 36 resembles a stunning cosmic bird of prey in an incredible Very Large Telescope image.

Galaxies
an impressive red spiral structure with a bright point of light at the very center.

Spectacular spiral galaxy revealed by James Webb Space Telescope | Space photo of the day for March 4, 2026

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The James Webb Space Telescope captured a stunning spiral galaxy 65 million light-years away, revealing glowing dust clouds and stellar nurseries.

3 Comments
James Webb Space Telescope
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