                        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.

                                 2026 May 15
     A starfield appears featuring many bright stars, red nebula, and a
    comet. Snow covered mountains cover the foreground. The comet appears
      on the upper left with a tail the goes upward and right through a
   bright star. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                        R3 PanSTARRS: An Orion Comet
              Image Credit & Copyright: Chester Hall-Fernandez

   Explanation: Comet R3 PanSTARRS might be best remembered as an Orion
   comet. A key reason is because Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) was near its
   most spectacular -- in terms of tail visibility -- when passing in
   front of the iconic constellation. Although rare, other bright comets,
   too, have ventured across Orion, including Lovejoy in 2015, Hale-Bopp
   in 1997, and the Great Comet of 1264. Best visible in long duration
   exposures, the featured image was captured last week from the
   Craigieburn Mountain Range in New Zealand. Visible in the deep
   background image are the Orion Nebula, Barnard's Loop, and through R3's
   tail, the bright star Saiph, the sixth brightest star in the
   constellation of Orion. Comet R3 PanSTARRS continues to fade as it
   moves further south, passing into the constellation of the Unicorn
   (Monoceros) in the next few days.

    Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
                                    1995)
                     Tomorrow's picture: aurora burrito
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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