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An equirectangular 360×180 degree view of the choir of the nave of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. Today is Saint Patrick's Day.

Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick,  commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and, by extension, celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Initially, it was a religious observance, but it evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture and heritage, particularly due to the Irish diaspora. It is now celebrated annually on March 17, in more than 200 countries. More

Ernesto Leon on Unsplash

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

If not perfect, then this spiral galaxy is at least one of the most photogenic. An island universe containing billions of stars and situated about 40 million light-years away toward the constellation of the Dolphinfish (Dorado), NGC 1566 presents a gorgeous face-on view. Classified as a grand design spiral, NGC 1566 shows two prominent and graceful spiral arms that are traced by bright blue star clusters, red emission nebulas, and dark cosmic dust lanes. Numerous Hubble Space Telescope images of NGC 1566 have been taken to study star formation, supernovas, and the spiral's unusually active center. NGC 1566's flaring center makes the spiral one of the closest and brightest Seyfert galaxies, likely housing a central supermassive black hole wreaking havoc on surrounding stars and gas. Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after 1995)

A pair of white storks mating in Nové Veselí, Czech Republic.

Lubomír Dajč, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Toan Chu on Unsplash

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

To see the feathered serpent descend the Mayan pyramid requires exquisite timing. You must visit El Castillo -- in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula -- near an equinox. Then, during the late afternoon if the sky is clear, the pyramid's own shadows create triangles that merge into the famous illusion of a slithering viper. Also known as the Temple of Kukulkan, the impressive step-pyramid stands 30 meters tall and 55 meters wide at the base. Built up as a series of square terraces by the pre-Columbian civilization between the 9th and 12th century, the structure can be used as a calendar and is noted for astronomical alignments. The featured composite image was captured in 2019 with Jupiter and Saturn straddling the diagonal central band of our Milky Way galaxy. In a few days another equinox will occur -- not only at Temple of Kukulcán, but all over planet Earth.

Photo by Robert Fedez

Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), Arrábida National Park, Portugal. The common cuttlefish is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100 to 200m during autumn and winter. They only have a lifespan of 1–2 years and have many predators including sharks, dolphins, seals, fish, and cephalopods which includes other cuttlefish. During the day, most cuttlefish can be found buried below the substrate and fairly inactive. At night however, they are actively searching for prey and can ambush them from under the substrate. Cuttlefish are carnivorous and eat a variety of organisms including crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), small fish, molluscs (clams and snails), and sometimes other cuttlefish.

Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

mike dennler on Unsplash

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Want to visit a planet that has 3.14 days in a year? Then plan a trip to K2-315b, an earth-sized planet orbiting around a cool, red, M dwarf star about once every 3.14 days. The exoplanet's discovery, based on publicly available data from the planet-hunting Kepler Space Telescope's extended K2 mission, was announced in 2020. K2-315b's measured orbital period in days is nearly equal to the extremely popular irrational number Pi. That puts the exoplanet so close to its parent star that its surface is likely very warm, baking-hot in fact. And this Pi planet is over 185 light-years away. So instead of trying to arrange for an interstellar vacation to K2-315b, there may be easier and more comfortable ways for you to celebrate Pi day on planet Earth.

Fishermen fishing in the chars (shifting sediment islands) of the river Padma in Rajshahi District, Bangladesh. The chars are being frequently visible as the river is drying up. Today is the International Day of Action for Rivers.

Asker Ibne Firoz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.