Starship Asterisk*

The API was created for APOD by others at NASA not directly affiliated with APOD. I am not currently in touch with them -- almost everything I know is on the NASA API page. So I don't know if there are plans to update the API key. If it is important, I can ask. - RJN

A never-ending stream of recent APODs being displayed and read aloud, one after the other, is now possible with a minimal investment -- right in your school or science center. All you need is a Internet-connected display device such as a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. And power. You might ...

Since several people are following this thread, and since others may benefit from it in the future, I appreciate any useful discussion or correspondence that can be contributed to this thread. Even if you describe mistakes, you may be saving others in the future from following those same mistakes. T...

This thread is to discuss the open API that NASA created for APOD a few years ago. To find this go to https://api.nasa.gov/ , scroll down and look for the APOD entry. It has come to my attention that this API has some flaws. It is my hope that this Asterisk thread will illuminate these flaws and sta...

Rcdavison100 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 19, 2019 1:08 pm Momentous occasion, for sure!
There is a typo where you refer to suit identification for astronaut Meir as “Weir” .

Yes thank you, this has been fixed. Also it was Koch's 4th spacewalk, not Meir's. Both of these have now been corrected on the main NASA APOD. I apologize for the errors.

- RJN

The NASA APOD text has been edited to remove the qualifier "ESO" before ALMA due to an emailed request that such a qualifier was unfair to NRAO and NOAJ. I apologize for the oversight. - RJN

Bayer wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2019 4:51 am It's Rho Ophiuchi

OK. I sometimes get these wrong. Thanks! I made the correction on the main NASA APOD. I also corrected one other typo. (Can anyone find it?)
- RJN

Scabulus wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2019 4:15 am Uh, isn't the Cassini spacecraft kaput?

Yes. The word "currently" has now been changed to "then" in the text on the main NASA APOD. I apologize for the oversight.
- RJN

Sean Walker wrote: ↑Wed Sep 04, 2019 11:15 am NGC 1931 is not visible in this image, this is all IC417. NGC 1931 (the Fly) is far off the left of the frame.

Yes thank you. I made an incorrect association between infrared and optical imagery. The text on the main NASA page has now been updated.
- Robert Nemiroff

The event name was typed incorrectly. The name S190814sv has now been corrected to S190814bv on the main NASA APOD. I apologize for the oversight.
- RJN

The description says that the Moon and Jupiter rose together in the southwest after sunset. I don't think that it is possible for the Moon or any of the planets to rise the southwest. Oops! I was going to comment the same... they ROSE in the east, long before Sunset...they were..."nearer the s...

Gotta love the cute kitten (under "Perfect') and dog poop (under "Despair') links... but I wonder what they have to do with anything. On the main NASA APOD, the Despair link has now been repaired. I am not sure how it came to point to that dog. Also I clarified that the pictured lake is i...

How could you misspell "galaxy" (galaxx) in the title?? There are frequently misspellings and errors in APOD; don't you have spellcheck? Hi, I actually logged in to mention that there is small, easy to understand typo in the title. Thank you so much for working at APOD. I appreciate you a...

Buzzer2 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2019 9:12 am The Full moon on 18th May cannot be the second in the month, there are 29 days between full moons! It is a Blue Moon because it is the third of four in the season (an older definition of Blue Moon).

Thanks! I just fixed the text on the main NASA APOD. - RJN

If the sunspots last month were zero, then why show a photo from August 2018, instead of last month's? Good catch, and good question. My guesses, one spotless Sun photo is as good as another, and/or they didn't think anyone would notice. Good question. Typically, APOD will run images that are submi...

The photographer said in an early email This photo was taken at around 11:00 on February 6th in Iceland, facing the direction of the Big Dipper (Great Bear) There were aurorae that night, at least as visible in northern Norway, as indicated by SpaceWeather.com: http://spaceweathergallery.com/aurora_...

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:24 pm

APOD Robot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:06 am What if you saw your shadow on Mars and it wasn't human? Then you might be the Opportunity rover currently formerly exploring Mars.

Thanks. Fixed it. Also fixed a typo in the last sentence on the NASA APOD site.

- RJN

I am unsure what is illuminating the top part of the tree that is in front of the Earthshining Moon. This part appears distinctly white. I know it must be some sort of forward scattering, but I am unsure what type. Any thoughts from our learned asteriskians?

- RJN

The 4th sentence begins with those exact words, and they link to a 30-second YouTube video for a company that installs windows. Does my PC have some rogue adware that added this, or does everybody see it? Thanks! That was supposed to be a link to Brian May / Queen's new song / YouTube video on Ulti...

Was there really Pallas? I confirmed it had been there around May 2015. Yes, this is a Sunday repeat. The original APOD was from 25 May 2015. The caption could use a little tweaking. Yes, sometimes APOD repeats "best of" APODs, and this was one. The caption has now been tweaked. Thanks! -...

Beautiful! But the musician in me is aching to hear the resolution of that final cadence. ARGH!!! Try as I might, I could not get YouTube to include that one last note. I could have sacrificed the first note, but likely many more people will hear the beginning of the video than the end. Perhaps som...

Iksarfighter wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:22 am Cant access full image, link broken.

Thanks! Fixed it.

- RJN

A period (".") was missed at the end of Hydrogen -- just before "Star formation". This typo has now been corrected on the main NASA APOD. We apologize for the omission.

The "Credit" line on the main NASA APOD has now been shortened to just "JAXA". This was done at the request of JAXA's Public Information Officer. We apologize for the oversight. - RJN

It turns out that there is another UV lunar observatory! This one is part of China's Chang'e 3 lander. Information about it is here: http://english.nao.cas.cn/Research2015/rp2015/201701/t20170120_173602.html Therefore, the main APOD text has been updated to account for this. We apologize for the ove...