APOD: 2026 October 15 – The Milky Way over Manhattan

What this means

The October 15 Astronomy Picture of the Day features a near-infrared view of the Milky Way above Manhattan, credited to Jason Kurth and Ty Buckley. The accompanying explanation describes a photographic filter that rejects most visible light, reducing interference from fluorescent and LED lighting while retaining starlight. Incandescent bulbs and some neon lights remain bright in the near-infrared. The feature illustrates how recording a different part of the electromagnetic spectrum can reveal stars obscured by urban light pollution.

Official release

Source material from NASA. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

APOD

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

The Milky Way over Manhattan

Explanation: The city lights outshine the stars in the City That Never Sleeps. Who would have thought that the Milky Way could be visible in this sky? This image was taken with a filter that blocks most visible light, capturing instead only light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum (with lower energy than visible light). The astrophotographer's clever setup blocks most of the light pollution from the city: old incandescent light bulbs and some neon lights are still bright in the near-infrared, but fluorescent and LED light bulbs are not. Of course, stars are also bright in the near-infrared! This image is a reminder that we all live under the same sky, and astronomy allows all of us to learn more about humanity's place in the Cosmos.

Tomorrow's picture: Chasing the ISS

Date

October 15, 2026

Credit & Copyright

Jason Kurth, Ty Buckley

Authors & editors:

Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Keighley Rockcliffe

A service of:

ASD at NASA / GSFC,

NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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Release text attributed to NASA. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.