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.

                               2026 January 12
     [2]A view of mountains over clouds shows a starfield with a purple
    glow. Prominent on the right is the trail of a bright meteor. To the
   left of the meteor and connecting to the meteor is something unusual: a
      light brown triangular puff. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                                 Meteor Dust
                    Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Xu Chen

   Explanation: What's happening to this meteor? It is shedding its outer
   layers as it passes through the [4]Earth's atmosphere and heats up. The
   sudden high temperatures not only cause the bright glow along the
   [5]dramatic streak but also melt and vaporize the [6]meteor's component
   rock and ice, creating dust. Wind in the atmosphere typically [7]blows
   this dust away over the next few seconds, leaving [8]no visible trace
   after only a few minutes. Much of this dust will [9]eventually settle
   down to the [10]Earth. The featured image was captured in mid-December,
   coincident with the [11]Geminids meteor shower. On the upper left is
   [12]Sirius, the [13]brightest star in the night sky, while in the
   foreground is fog-engulfed [14]Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains of
   eastern [15]China.

                  Tomorrow's picture: launched from the Sun
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [27]Robert Nemiroff ([28]MTU) & [29]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([30]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [31]Specific rights apply.
            [32]NASA Web Privacy, [33]Accessibility, [34]Notices;
                A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC,
                         [38]NASA Science Activation
                           & [39]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2601/MeteorDust_XuChen_2316.jpg
   3. mailto: fpitcxc at gmail dot com
   4. https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-atmosphere/earths-atmosphere-a-multi-layered-cake/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250723.html
   6. https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/meteorite-falls/what-are-meteorites/
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180817.html
   8. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://i.redd.it/j9bzok9bqvm71.jpg
   9. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/antarctic-study-shows-how-much-space-dust-hits-earth-every-year/
  10. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-earth/
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminids
  12. https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/the-dog-star-sirius-and-its-tiny-companion/
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250611.html
  14. https://youtu.be/0YwaAgB_-nw
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260111.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  20. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  22. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  25. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260112
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260113.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  28. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  30. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  38. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  39. http://www.mtu.edu/