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a streak of light crosses a starry sky above a dark earth below it
Astronauts photograph Lyrid meteor shower from ISS | Space photo of the day for April 21, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd Published

NASA's Jessica Meir spotted the Lyrids from aboard the space station.

Human Spaceflight
A photograph of the moon, showing a portion of its far side.
A peek at the far side of the moon | Space photo of the day for April 20, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd Published

The Artemis 2 astronauts captured a unique image of the moon's "dark side" during their historic April 2026 flyby.

The moon
A Hubble Space Telescope image of the barred spiral galaxy IC 486.
Hubble Space Telescope spots a mesmerizing spiral galaxy | Space photo of the day for April 17, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd Published

Hubble images never fail to amaze.

Galaxies
Researchers use DESI’s huge 3D map to study dark energy. Earth is at the center of this map, and every point is a galaxy.
3D dark energy map is mind-blowing | Space photo of the day for April 16, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd Published

Every single tiny point on the map is a galaxy.

2 Comments
Science
NASA astronauts Chris Williams holds his hand out, appearing to "hold" the Cygnus capsule from the ISS.
NASA astronauts joke around with an optical illusion on the ISS | Space photo of the day for April 15, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd Published

Two NASA astronauts had some fun during the ISS' capture of a robotic cargo spacecraft on April 13, pretending to hold onto it from into the station.

Human Spaceflight
Artemis 2 NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman cheers while carrying Rise, the mission mascot.
This Artemis 2 astronaut really loves Rise | Space photo of the day for April 14, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd Published

"Rise Wiseman" might be the most beloved mission mascot in history.

Artemis
NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, left, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist.
Artemis 2 astronauts celebrate successful return to Earth | Space photo of the day for April 13, 2026

By Chelsea Gohd Published

Artemis 2's Victor Glover and Christina Koch are all smiles after splashdown.

Artemis
A photo of the crescent moon taken from a spacecraft, with the crescent Earth visible above the lunar horizon, hanging in the blackness of space.
Artemis 2 spies a crescent Earth above the moon's horizon | Space photo of the day for April 10, 2026

By Anthony Wood Published

Earth shines above the lunar horizon in a new Artemis 2 photo.

Human Spaceflight
An astronaut can be seen smiling in the window of a dark spacecraft capsule as light reflects off its outer hull.
Artemis 2 astronaut poses for epic selfie | Space photo of the day for April 9, 2026

By Anthony Wood Published

Astronaut Christina Koch poses with zero-gravity indicator "Rise" in the viewport of the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft.

2 Comments
Human Spaceflight
The glowing band of the Milky Way can be seen streaking across an image captured from near lunar space, from the bottom left to top right of the photo. Pink nebulas and dark dusty clouds can be seen threading the galactic plane, and a satellite galaxy is visible as a smudge of white light to the bottom right of the screen.
Artemis 2 astronauts spy the Milky Way | Space photo of the day for April 8, 2026

By Anthony Wood Published

The image captures the glowing ribbon of the galactic plane, where the vast majority of the Milky Way's stars are concentrated.

Astrophotography
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