Image of the Day Archives
For older Image of the Day pictures, please visit the Image of the Day archives. Pictured: NGC 2467.
'Frankenstein' Rocket Blasts Off
Wednesday, November 1, 2017: The commercial spaceflight company Orbital ATK launched its new Minotaur C rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Halloween yesterday (Oct. 31). Minotaur C is a hybrid version of the company's old Taurus XL rocket, Pegasus rocket and Minotaur family of rockets. — Hanneke Weitering
Stars Glow Over ESO's Paranal Observatory
Thursday, November 2, 2017: The bright star Antares twinkles over a 1.8-meter auxiliary telescope at the Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Beneath Antares, the galactic bulge of the Milky Way galaxy glows with a warm, red-orange hue and is surrounded by brilliant, blue stars that are sprinkled across the night sky. This telescope facility is operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and is home to the Very Large Telescope array. — Hanneke Weitering
Lightning Seen from Space
Friday, November 3, 2017: Astronauts at the International Space Station see lightning strikes from a unique vantage point as they orbit 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the Earth. European Space Agency astronaut and Expedition 53 flight engineer Paolo Nespoli captured this photo of a bright, blue flash of lightning and storm clouds beneath one of the space station's solar panels. — Hanneke Weitering
100 Days in Space!
Monday, November 6, 2017: Three Expedition 53 astronauts celebrated their 100th day in space on Sunday (Nov. 5). Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy (left), NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik (center) and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli (right) launched to the International Space Station together in the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft on July 28. They are expected to return to Earth in December. — Hanneke Weitering
Preparing for Launch
Tuesday, November 7, 2017: Wrapped up in a protective golden cover, the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 is prepared for launch at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The a next-generation environmental satellite is jointly owned by NASA and NOAA and will launch into orbit on Nov. 14. — Hanneke Weitering
Nile River Seen From Space
Wednesday, November 8, 2017: European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli shot this view of the Nile River from the International Space Station. "The Nile from Cairo to Khartoum in Sudan: that is one long river! And it doesn't even end there," Nespoli tweeted on Nov. 7. — Hanneke Weitering
Sunrise in Space
Thursday, November 9, 2017: The rising sun shines through a hazy, blue sliver of Earth's atmosphere in this photo taken from the International Space Station. Astronauts in space see 16 sunrises like this one every day as they orbit the earth at at 17,500 mph (28,164 km/h). — Hanneke Weitering
Antares Rising
Friday, November 10, 2017: Orbital ATK's Antares rocket is raised vertically onto the launch pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, two days ahead of its planned launch. Antares will launch the Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station on Saturday (Nov. 11) at 7:37 a.m. EST (1237 GMT). Despite all the clouds in this photo of the launch site, the weather forecast calls for clear skies on the morning of the launch. — Hanneke Weitering
Antares Rocket Blasts Off!
Monday, November 13, 2017: Orbital ATK's Antares rocket soars into the early morning sky after a successful liftoff from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. The rocket delivered the Cygnus cargo spacecraft into orbit, where it is now making its way to the International Space Station. Cygnus is scheduled to arrive there at about 5:40 a.m. ET (1040 GMT) on Tuesday (Nov. 14). — Hanneke Weitering
A Giant 'Bubble' in Space
Tuesday, November 14, 2017: This massive bubble of ionized gas is about three times the size of the Milky Way and holds the record for being the largest cosmological object of its kind. More than 10 galaxies reside in this enormous bubble, which lies about 6.5 billion light-years from Earth. Astronomers discovered it using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope array in Chile. — Hanneke Weitering
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