NASA

Astronomy pictures, space media and near-Earth asteroids

NASA provides astronomy pictures from June 16, 1995 onward, up to 100 media matches, inclusive UTC asteroid approaches, recent approximate natural events, and upcoming ISS sightings for listed cities.

Get astronomy picture of the day

Get the Astronomy Picture of the Day, its explanation, media links, and credits for a date. Dates start June 16, 1995; today’s entry may not be published yet.

Your information

DateOptional

Picture date in YYYY-MM-DD, such as 2025-09-14. Defaults to today.

1 credit per completed run

The same inputs also work from your code or an AI assistant. See For developers.

Example results

Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins

Sep 14, 2025

video

How does your favorite planet spin? Does it spin rapidly around a nearly vertical axis, or horizontally, or backwards? The featured video animates NASA images of all eight planets in our Solar System to show them spinning side-by-side for an easy comparison. In the time-lapse video , a day on Earth -- one Earth rotation -- takes just a few seconds. Jupiter rotates the fastest, while Venus spins not only the slowest (can you see it?), but backwards. The inner rocky planets across the top underwent dramatic spin-altering collisions during the early days of the Solar System. Why planets spin and tilt as they do remains a topic of research with much insight gained from modern computer modeling and the recent discovery and analysis of hundreds of exoplanets : planets orbiting other stars .

Credit: NASA , Animation: James O'Donoghue ( U. Reading )

View featured media Open APOD page

About the NASA tool

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) returns dated astronomy pictures when you provide a date, or uses today by default.

Search images finds photos, videos, or audio using required search words and optional year and media filters.

List near earth asteroids, List natural events, and Get iss sightings return approaches, events, and city sightings using dates, filters, or a city.

Built from nasa.gov, apod.nasa.gov, eonet.gsfc.nasa.gov and nominatim.openstreetmap.org. Last checked Oct 7, 2026.

Actions

Get astronomy picture of the day

1 credit

Get the Astronomy Picture of the Day, its explanation, media links, and credits for a date. Dates start June 16, 1995; today’s entry may not be published yet.

Uses NASA and apod.nasa.gov.

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
Date`date`	Date	Optional	Picture date in YYYY-MM-DD, such as 2025-09-14. Defaults to today.Example: 2025-09-14

What you get

Field	Type	Description
Date`date`	Date	Date of this APOD entry.Example: 2025-09-14
Title`title`	Text	Title of the picture.Example: Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins
Credit`credit`	Text	Image or video credit as plain text, if listed.Example: NASA , Animation: James O'Donoghue ( U. Reading )
Copyright`copyright`	Text	Copyright information as plain text, if listed.Example: Telescope Live, Heaven's Mirror Observatory ; Processing: Chris Cantrell
Page Link`page_link`	Text	APOD page for this date.Example: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250914.html
Media Link`media_link`	Text	Link to the featured image or video.Example: https://www.youtube.com/embed/my1euFQHH-o?feature=oembed
Media Type`media_type`	Text	Type of featured media.Example: Video
Explanation`explanation`	Text	Explanation in plain text.
High Resolution Image Link`high_resolution_image_link`	Text	Higher-resolution image link, if one is provided.Example: https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/cds/apod/apod/1995/june/e_l…

Example result

For Date: 2025-09-14

JSON

{
  "date": "2025-09-14",
  "title": "Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins",
  "credit": "NASA ,  Animation:  James O'Donoghue ( U. Reading )",
  "copyright": null,
  "page_link": "https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250914.html",
  "media_link": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/my1euFQHH-o?feature=oembed",
  "media_type": "video",
  "explanation": "How does your favorite planet spin? Does it spin rapidly around a nearly vertical axis, or horizontally, or backwards? The featured video animates NASA images of all eight planets in our Solar System …",
  "high_resolution_image_link": null
}

Get iss sightings

1 credit

Find upcoming International Space Station sightings for a city in NASA’s city list, with local start times, visibility and sky directions. Cities without scheduled passes return an empty list.

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
City`city`	Text	Required	City followed by its state or country, for example Chicago, Illinois or Manchester, United Kingdom.Example: London, United Kingdom
Max Results`max_results`	Number	Optional	Maximum number of upcoming sightings to return, for example 10.Example: 1

What you get

Field	Type	Description
Sightings`sightings`	List
Date`sightings[].date`	Date	Example: 2026-09-29
Appears`sightings[].appears`	Text	Example: 10° above WSW
Page Link`sightings[].page_link`	Link	Example: https://iss-sts.hqmce.nasa.gov/iss-sts-cities-html/United_Kingdom-England-Londo…
Disappears`sightings[].disappears`	Text	Example: 10° above SSW
Local Start Time`sightings[].local_start_time`	Date	Example: 2026-09-29T19:38:00+01:00
Maximum Height Degrees`sightings[].maximum_height_degrees`	Number	Example: 11
Visible Duration (minutes)`sightings[].visible_duration_minutes`	Number	Example: 2
Matched City`matched_city`	Text	Matched city and region or country.Example: London, England, United Kingdom

Example result

For City: London, United Kingdom, Max Results: 1

JSON

{
  "sightings": [
    {
      "date": "2026-09-29",
      "appears": "10° above WSW",
      "page_link": "https://iss-sts.hqmce.nasa.gov/iss-sts-cities-html/United_Kingdom-England-London.html",
      "disappears": "10° above SSW",
      "local_start_time": "2026-09-29T19:38:00+01:00",
      "maximum_height_degrees": 11,
      "visible_duration_minutes": 2
    }
  ],
  "matched_city": "London, England, United Kingdom"
}

List natural events

1 credit

List EONET natural events with latest observations in the past number of days, most recent first. A country or region filter matches reported event locations against mapped boundaries; locations and ongoing status are approximate, and not all events have a reported size or strength.

Uses eonet.gsfc.nasa.gov and nominatim.openstreetmap.org.

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
Days Back`days_back`	Number	Optional	Include observations from this many days including today, for example 30.Example: 30
Open Only`open_only`	Yes or no	Optional	Include only ongoing events, for example true.Example: Yes
Event Type`event_type`	Text	Optional	Event category, for example wildfires.Example: Wildfires
Max Results`max_results`	Number	Optional	Maximum number of events to return, for example 50.Example: 20
Country or Region`country_or_region`	Text	Optional	Country or region name to restrict results, for example California or Australia. Leave blank for anywhere.Example: California

What you get

Field	Type	Description
Events`events`	List	Matching natural events, most recent observation first.
Ongoing`events[].ongoing`	Text	Whether EONET still considers the event open.Example: Yes
Latitude`events[].latitude`	Number	Latest reported latitude.Example: 36.601661
Longitude`events[].longitude`	Number	Latest reported longitude.Example: -118.9721
Page Link`events[].page_link`	Text	Page for this event at EONET.Example: https://eonet.gsfc.nasa.gov/api/v3/events/EONET_24810
Event Name`events[].event_name`	Text	Natural event name.Example: Prescribed Fire CRAWFORD CORRAL RX, Tulare, California
Event Type`events[].event_type`	Text	EONET event category.Example: Wildfires
Source Links`events[].source_links`	List	Links supplied by event sources.
Eonet Event ID`events[].eonet_event_id`	Text	EONET event identifier.Example: EONET_24810
Size or Strength`events[].size_or_strength`	Text	Latest reported magnitude and unit, when available.Example: 690 acres
Latest Observation Date`events[].latest_observation_date`	Date	Date of the latest reported observation.Example: 2026-09-19

Example result

For Days Back: 30, Open Only: Yes, Event Type: Wildfires, Max Results: 20, Country or Region: California

JSON

{
  "events": [
    {
      "ongoing": "yes",
      "latitude": 36.601661,
      "longitude": -118.9721,
      "page_link": "https://eonet.gsfc.nasa.gov/api/v3/events/EONET_24810",
      "event_name": "Prescribed Fire CRAWFORD CORRAL RX, Tulare, California",
      "event_type": "Wildfires",
      "source_links": [
        "https://irwin.doi.gov/observer/incidents/2026-CATUU-000092"
      ],
      "eonet_event_id": "EONET_24810",
      "size_or_strength": "690 acres",
      "latest_observation_date": "2026-09-19"
    },
    {
      "ongoing": "yes",
      "latitude": 39.394425,
      "longitude": -120.025216,
      "page_link": "https://eonet.gsfc.nasa.gov/api/v3/events/EONET_24488",
      "event_name": "Wildfire FLORISTON, Nevada, California",
      "event_type": "Wildfires",
      "source_links": [
        "https://irwin.doi.gov/observer/incidents/2026-CANEU-029037"
      ],
      "eonet_event_id": "EONET_24488",
      "size_or_strength": "610 acres",
      "latest_observation_date": "2026-09-16"
    },
    {
      "ongoing": "yes",
      "latitude": 37.5662,
      "longitude": -119.616167,
      "page_link": "https://eonet.gsfc.nasa.gov/api/v3/events/EONET_24484",
      "event_name": "Wildfire DOME, Mariposa, California",
      "event_type": "Wildfires",
      "source_links": [
        "https://irwin.doi.gov/observer/incidents/2026-CAYNP-000100"
      ],
      "eonet_event_id": "EONET_24484",
      "size_or_strength": "1177 acres",
      "latest_observation_date": "2026-09-15"
    }
  ]
}

List near earth asteroids

1 credit

List near-Earth asteroids approaching Earth between two dates within a chosen distance, with UTC approach times, size ranges, speed, and hazard status. Dates are inclusive UTC calendar days; measured size ranges use one standard deviation, and other sizes are estimated from brightness.

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
End Date`end_date`	Date	Optional	Last UTC calendar day to include, for example 2026-10-06. Defaults to seven days after the start date and cannot be later.Example: 2026-10-06
Start Date`start_date`	Date	Optional	First UTC calendar day to include, for example 2026-09-29. Defaults to today.Example: 2026-09-29
Max Distance (miles)`max_distance_miles`	Number	Optional	Maximum Earth miss distance in miles, for example 5000000. Defaults to 5,000,000 miles.Example: 5000000

What you get

Field	Type	Description
Asteroids`asteroids`	List	Asteroid approaches ordered by closest approach time in UTC. Empty if none match.
Speed (km/h)`asteroids[].speed_kmh`	Number	Example: 55952.26
Speed (mph)`asteroids[].speed_mph`	Number	Example: 34767.13
Size Basis`asteroids[].size_basis`	Text	Measured diameter or estimated from brightness; unavailable if no size or brightness is known.Example: estimated from brightness
Asteroid Name`asteroids[].asteroid_name`	Text	Asteroid name or designation.Example: 2026 RE51
Jpl Page Link`asteroids[].jpl_page_link`	Text	Example: https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2026%20RE51
Size Max Feet`asteroids[].size_max_feet`	Number	Example: 263.41
Size Min Feet`asteroids[].size_min_feet`	Number	Example: 117.8
Size Max (meters)`asteroids[].size_max_meters`	Number	Example: 80.29
Size Min (meters)`asteroids[].size_min_meters`	Number	Example: 35.91
Miss Distance (km)`asteroids[].miss_distance_km`	Number	Example: 7716401.84
Miss Distance (miles)`asteroids[].miss_distance_miles`	Number	Example: 4794749.81
Potentially Hazardous`asteroids[].potentially_hazardous`	Text	Example: no
Closest Approach Time UTC`asteroids[].closest_approach_time_utc`	Text	Closest approach in UTC (ISO 8601).Example: 2026-09-29T16:21:21+00:00
Miss Distance Moon Distances`asteroids[].miss_distance_moon_distances`	Number	Example: 20.0739

Example result

For End Date: 2026-10-06, Start Date: 2026-09-29

JSON

{
  "asteroids": [
    {
      "speed_kmh": 55952.26,
      "speed_mph": 34767.13,
      "size_basis": "estimated from brightness",
      "asteroid_name": "2026 RE51",
      "jpl_page_link": "https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2026%20RE51",
      "size_max_feet": 263.41,
      "size_min_feet": 117.8,
      "size_max_meters": 80.29,
      "size_min_meters": 35.91,
      "miss_distance_km": 7716401.84,
      "miss_distance_miles": 4794749.81,
      "potentially_hazardous": "no",
      "closest_approach_time_utc": "2026-09-29T16:21:21+00:00",
      "miss_distance_moon_distances": 20.0739
    },
    {
      "speed_kmh": 37043.73,
      "speed_mph": 23017.91,
      "size_basis": "estimated from brightness",
      "asteroid_name": "2026 SB12",
      "jpl_page_link": "https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2026%20SB12",
      "size_max_feet": 167.04,
      "size_min_feet": 74.7,
      "size_max_meters": 50.91,
      "size_min_meters": 22.77,
      "miss_distance_km": 3887673.64,
      "miss_distance_miles": 2415688.41,
      "potentially_hazardous": "no",
      "closest_approach_time_utc": "2026-09-30T09:17:28+00:00",
      "miss_distance_moon_distances": 10.1136
    },
    {
      "speed_kmh": 21657.12,
      "speed_mph": 13457.11,
      "size_basis": "estimated from brightness",
      "asteroid_name": "2026 RS",
      "jpl_page_link": "https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2026%20RS",
      "size_max_feet": 137.6,
      "size_min_feet": 61.54,
      "size_max_meters": 41.94,
      "size_min_meters": 18.76,
      "miss_distance_km": 4279439.48,
      "miss_distance_miles": 2659120.41,
      "potentially_hazardous": "no",
      "closest_approach_time_utc": "2026-09-30T10:16:52+00:00",
      "miss_distance_moon_distances": 11.1328
    }
  ]
}

Search images

1 credit

Search NASA public photos, videos, or audio by words and creation year. Returns up to 100 matches in relevance order; thumbnails and credits may be missing.

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
Query`query`	Text	Required	Words to search for, for example Saturn rings.Example: Saturn rings
End Year`end_year`	Number	Optional	Latest creation year, for example 1970.Example: 1970
Media Type`media_type`	Text	Optional	Type of media to find, for example image.Example: Video
Start Year`start_year`	Number	Optional	Earliest creation year, for example 1969.Example: 1969
Max Results`max_results`	Number	Optional	Maximum matches to return, for example 20.Example: 3

What you get

Field	Type	Description
Results`results`	List
Title`results[].title`	Text	Example: Saturn Rings
Keywords`results[].keywords`	List
Page Link`results[].page_link`	Text	Example: https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA02241
Description`results[].description`	Text	Example: Saturn Rings
Nasa Center`results[].nasa_center`	Text	Example: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date Created`results[].date_created`	Date	Example: 2000-02-07
Nasa Media ID`results[].nasa_media_id`	Text	Example: PIA02241
Full Size Link`results[].full_size_link`	Text	Example: https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA02241/PIA02241~orig.jpg
Thumbnail Link`results[].thumbnail_link`	Text	Example: https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA02241/PIA02241~thumb.jpg
Photographer or Credit`results[].photographer_or_credit`	Text	Example: NASA/JPL

Example result

For Query: Saturn rings

JSON

{
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "Saturn Rings",
      "keywords": [
        "S Rings",
        "Voyager"
      ],
      "page_link": "https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA02241",
      "description": "Saturn Rings",
      "nasa_center": "Jet Propulsion Laboratory",
      "date_created": "2000-02-07",
      "nasa_media_id": "PIA02241",
      "full_size_link": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA02241/PIA02241~orig.jpg",
      "thumbnail_link": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA02241/PIA02241~thumb.jpg",
      "photographer_or_credit": "NASA/JPL"
    },
    {
      "title": "Saturn A-ring",
      "keywords": [
        "S Rings",
        "Voyager"
      ],
      "page_link": "https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA01952",
      "description": "Saturn A-ring",
      "nasa_center": "Jet Propulsion Laboratory",
      "date_created": "1999-04-11",
      "nasa_media_id": "PIA01952",
      "full_size_link": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA01952/PIA01952~orig.jpg",
      "thumbnail_link": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA01952/PIA01952~thumb.jpg",
      "photographer_or_credit": "NASA/JPL"
    },
    {
      "title": "Saturn A-Ring",
      "keywords": [
        "S Rings",
        "Voyager"
      ],
      "page_link": "https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA01988",
      "description": "Saturn A-Ring",
      "nasa_center": "Jet Propulsion Laboratory",
      "date_created": "1999-07-23",
      "nasa_media_id": "PIA01988",
      "full_size_link": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA01988/PIA01988~orig.jpg",
      "thumbnail_link": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/PIA01988/PIA01988~thumb.jpg",
      "photographer_or_credit": "NASA/JPL"
    }
  ]
}

For developers

Call it from your code with one request. Change the values in input to run it on new data. To get an API key, open Developers at the bottom of Studio, turn on Developer mode and go to API keys.

cURL

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 180 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@nasa",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_astronomy_picture_of_the_day",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "date": "2025-09-14"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'

What you can do with it

Find NASA media about a topic and creation year
Review asteroid approach distances, speeds, sizes, and hazard status
Track recent natural events by type or region
Plan when to watch the ISS from a city
Retrieve astronomy pictures and explanations for selected dates

Questions about NASA

Can I run it with my own inputs?

Yes. Change the inputs in Studio and press Run, or send new inputs from your code, or ask a connected AI assistant.

Can I call this NASA tool as an API?

Yes. Send a POST request to /v1/query with your Fous API key and the inputs, and get JSON back.

How much does it cost?

Each completed run costs 1 credit. Failed runs without a completed receipt are free; completed work can remain charged if delivery is interrupted. With pay as you go, a credit costs 1¢. Monthly plans cost less per credit.

Do I need a NASA account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from nasa.gov when you run it. Some results are reused for up to 24 hours, and results that use your account or key are never reused. It was last verified on Oct 7, 2026.