Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                2018 October 8
                                      [2]
                  Comet 12P Between Rosette and Cone Nebulas
             Image Credit & Copyright: Fritz Helmut Hemmerich [3]

Explanation: Small bits of this greenish-gray comet are expected to streak
across Earth's atmosphere tonight. Specifically, debris from the eroding
nucleus [4]  of Comet 21P / Giacobini-Zinner [5] , pictured, causes the annual
Draconids meteor shower, which peaks this evening. Draconid meteors [6]  are
easy to enjoy this year because meteor rates will likely peak soon after
sunset with the Moon's glare [7]  nearly absent. Patience may be needed,
though, as last month's passing of 21P [8]  near the Earth's orbit is not
expected to increase [9]  the Draconids' normal meteor rate this year of
(only) a few meteors per hour. Then again, meteor rates are notoriously hard
to predict, and the Draconids [10]  were quite impressive in 1933 [11] , 1946,
and 2011 [12] . Featured, Comet 21P gracefully posed [13]  between the Rosette
[14]  (upper left) and Cone [15]  (lower right) nebulas two weeks ago before
heading back [16]  out to near the orbit of Jupiter [17] , to return again in
about six and a half years [18] .

                        Tomorrow's picture: big swirl

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [30] (MTU [31] ) & Jerry Bonnell [32]
                                  (UMCP [33] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [34] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [35]
              A service of: ASD [36]  at NASA [37]  / GSFC [38]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [39]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1810/Comet21P_Hemmerich_1440.jpg
  [3] https://www.flickr.com/people/fhhemmerich/
  [4] ap150203.html
  [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21P/Giacobini%E...
  [6]
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/
everything-you-need-to-know-draconid-meteor-shower
  [7] ap161216.html
  [8] ap180918.html
  [9]
https://www.amsmeteors.org/2018/10/
meteor-activity-outlook-for-october-6-12-2018/
  [10] ap111019.html
  [11] https://www.imo.net/docs/ellison_1933_draconi...
  [12]
https://web.archive.org/web/20111213230937/ht...
draconids2011results
  [13] ap180823.html
  [14] ap170214.html
  [15] ap130806.html
  [16] https://www.calsky.com/?Comets=&sec=3&step=1&...
  [17] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/...
  [18] https://www.petful.com/wp-content/uploads/201...
  [19] ap181007.html
  [20] archivepix.html
  [21] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [22] lib/aptree.html
  [23] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [24] calendar/allyears.html
  [25] /apod.rss
  [26] lib/edlinks.html
  [27] lib/about_apod.html
  [28] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [29] ap181009.html
  [30] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [31] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [32] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [33] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [34] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [36] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [37] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [38] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [39] http://www.mtu.edu/

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