Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2022 December 16
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                                 The Geminid
             Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Jeff Dai ([5]TWAN)

   Explanation: Returning from [6]beyond the Moon, on [7]December 11 the
   Orion spacecraft entered Earth's atmosphere at almost 11 kilometers per
   second. That's half the speed of the grain of dust that created this
   long fireball meteor when it entered the atmosphere on December 13,
   near the peak of the annual [8]Geminid meteor shower. As our fair
   planet makes its yearly pass through the dust trail of mysterious
   [9]asteroid 3200 Phaethon, the parallel tracks of all Geminid meteors
   appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Gemini. But the
   [10]twin stars of Gemini hide just behind the trees on the left in this
   night skyscape from the beautiful Blue Moon Valley, Yunnan, China.
   Reflected in the still waters of the mountain lake, stars of the
   constellation Orion are rising near center. Captured before moonrise,
   [11]dazzling Mars is still the brightest celestial beacon in the scene.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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    Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([26]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [27]Specific rights apply.
              [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2212/GeminidoverBluemoonvalley-2000.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://www.twanight.org/Dai
   5. http://www.twanight.org/
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221201.html
   7. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/splashdown-nasa-s-orion-returns-to-earth-after-historic-moon-mission
   8. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-geminid-meteor-shower/
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/lunar/phaethon.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170516.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221215.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221215.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=221216
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221217.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/