NASA APOD — EVERY DAY
Picture of the Day
Look at a picture chosen by NASA, then find out what it tells us.
IMAGE MISSION · AGES 9+
Does a space picture always show what our eyes would see?
Telescopes sometimes capture light we cannot see. Scientists then use colours to make the details visible. These images are still based on real measurements.
It’s like…
A thermal camera colours heat to help us see it, even though our eyes cannot see it directly.
3 ideas to remember
- 1
NASA chooses a picture and its explanation every day.
- 2
Some colours stand for light we cannot see.
- 3
A beautiful picture can also hold lots of scientific information.
WavelengthA way of telling the different kinds of light apart.
False colourA colour added so that an invisible measurement can be understood.
I want to go further
Instruments record how bright the light is through several filters. Teams then match these measurements to visible colours and explain how they did it.
Your challenge
Look at the picture before reading its title. Guess what it shows, then check with the explanation.
5-minute mission
- Read the big question.
- Try one action or comparison.
- Tell someone one thing you discovered.
Answer two questions about the lesson to stamp your passport.
Question 1 of 2
