2026 Astronomy Magazine Astrophotography Contest
See the winners!
Skip to content
Astronomy Magazine logo
  • Login / Register
  • Logout
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • News
  • Science
    • Solar System
    • Exoplanets
    • Stars
    • Milky Way
    • Galaxies
    • Exotic Objects
    • Cosmology
  • Observing
    • In The Sky
    • Upcoming Events
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Comets
    • Deep-Sky Objects
    • Observing Basics
    • Telescopes and Equipment
    • Astrophotography
    • Gear Guide
    • This Week in Astronomy
  • Space Exploration
    • What’s Launching This Week
    • Human Spaceflight
    • Robotic Spaceflight
  • The Magazine
  • Ask Astro
  • Star Products
  • News
  • Science
    • Solar System
    • Exoplanets
    • Stars
    • Milky Way
    • Galaxies
    • Exotic Objects
    • Cosmology
  • Observing
    • In The Sky
    • Upcoming Events
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Comets
    • Deep-Sky Objects
    • Observing Basics
    • Telescopes and Equipment
    • Astrophotography
    • Gear Guide
    • This Week in Astronomy
  • Space Exploration
    • What’s Launching This Week
    • Human Spaceflight
    • Robotic Spaceflight
  • The Magazine
  • Ask Astro
  • Star Products
  • Login / Register
  • Logout
  • Shop
  • Subscribe

Picture of the Day

A long, tilted galaxy sits in the center of the frame, a glowing pale-yellow band crossed lengthwise by a dark, rusty-red streak, with a hazy bluish-white glow flaring at both ends. A very faint gray trail stretches from its right end down toward the lower-right corner. Hundreds of small white, gold, and orange stars and tiny distant galaxies fill the black background, with one bright blue star near the top.

A hamburger with a tail

A tall, roughly oval ring of tangled, thread-like clouds fills the frame against a dark red haze sprinkled with tiny stars. The strands glow red with streaks of pale blue and white, brightest along a curved arc at upper left, a long sweeping arc at right, and a pair of thin, nearly straight streaks running diagonally through the middle, while a fainter, looser loop trails off toward the bottom.

Thrown for a loop

A thin, bright crescent Moon curves along the lower left edge of a pale gray disk near the top of a tall, dark navy frame, wrapped in a soft brownish glow. Far below, near the bottom left, a small bright dot sits in a short diagonal line of tiny specks, three above it and one below.

Jove and Luna

A circular all-sky photo framed by a ring of reddish grass and dark trees that curls around the edges like a tunnel. Inside, a deep blue sky full of stars is crossed from left to right by the Milky Way, a hazy band with a glowing pinkish core and dark streaks on the left. Pale yellow-gray light rims the horizon, and a small bright red light glows at the bottom above a dirt track.

Gegenschein over Shennongjia

A straight two-lane road stretches toward a dark horizon, flanked by trees and grassy fields. Above it, the pale, textured band of the Milky Way arcs across the sky with a bright, pinkish glow at its core, while dozens of streaking meteors — white, green, and orange — shoot down through the stars in different directions. A faint yellowish glow lingers along the horizon.

On the Way

A round, cloud-like shell fills the center of the frame, its interior a tangle of glowing orange and red wisps edged by a faint blue-green rim. The surrounding sky is dark and speckled with stars, with soft reddish haze drifting across the background.

A wind-blown crescent

A pale blue-violet sphere glows softly near the center of a dense starfield, set against faint rust-red clouds of nebulosity. Dark, ropy dust lanes thread through the reddish haze, and a small cluster of bright blue-white stars sits in the lower right corner.

A bubble adrift

A bright green comet head glows near the top of a star-filled frame, streaming a long, faint white tail that stretches diagonally down almost the full height of the image. Wisps of dim brown dust clouds drift across the dark background, with a vivid blue-white star near the upper left.

McNaught lights up Taurus

A vast sky fades from deep blue-black at the top to a warm orange glow near the horizon. Low in the sky, a small bright ring of light glows amber, like a thin crescent with a soft halo around it. Below, a dark, flat landscape stretches to the horizon, dotted with scattered pinpoints of town lights.

Diamond in the sky

A galaxy with tightly wound, dusty blue spiral arms surrounds a glowing golden-yellow core, seen face-on against a dark, star-flecked background dotted with a few smaller, fainter galaxies. A bright blue-white star sits just to the left of the galaxy, and an orange star glows near the bottom edge of the frame.

A feathery spiral in Sagittarius

A rounded, richly textured cloud of orange and gold gas fills the left side of the frame, its lower edge tapering to a bright point like a torch flame. Blue-tinted dust and haze spread across the right side, with faint dark filaments threading through a dense star field on a black background.

The Hidden Nebula’s glowing edge

The aftermath of a solar flare

1 2 3 … 45 Older posts
Astronomy Magazine

Astronomy magazine: 50 years and counting

The world's best-selling astronomy magazine offers you the most exciting, visually stunning, and timely coverage of the heavens above. Each issue includes expert science reporting, vivid color photography, complete sky coverage, spot-on observing tips, informative telescope reviews, and much more! All this in a user-friendly style that's perfect for astronomers at any level.

Count me in

Astronomy Newsletter

Get newsletters, updates and special offers via email from Astronomy.com!

Please enter a valid email address.
Astronomy Magazine logo
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Customer Service
  • Advertising
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell

@ 2025 Firecrown Media. All Rights Reserved.

More Sites from Firecrown Media Publisher logo
Scroll to Top

Sign In

New User? Create an Account

Why Sign In? Subscribers can access their digital magazine issues, and registered users can participate in our Community forums and galleries.

Please enter your email.
Please enter your password.

Lost your password?

Manage My AccountCustomer Support