Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Wed Nov 27 2024 00:08:10

                        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.

                              2024 November 27
    A star-filled sky has two streaks in the foreground. A green and red
    streak toward the lower left was created by an ablating meteor, while
   the blue and white streak on the upper right is the coma and tail of a
      comet. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                          The Meteor and the Comet
         Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Hao; Processing: Song Wentao

   Explanation: How different are these two streaks? The streak on the
   upper right is Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas showing an impressive dust tail.
   The comet is a large and dirty iceberg that entered the inner Solar
   System and is shedding gas and dust as it is warmed by the Sun's light.
   The streak on the lower left is a meteor showing an impressive
   evaporation trail. The meteor is a small and cold rock that entered the
   Earth's atmosphere and is shedding gas and dust as it is warmed by
   molecular collisions. The meteor was likely once part of a comet or
   asteroid -- perhaps later composing part of its tail. The meteor was
   gone in a flash and was only caught by coincidence during a series of
   exposures documenting the comet's long tail. The featured image was
   captured just over a month ago from Sichuan Province in China.

                  Gallery: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in 2024
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7
 * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

.