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 December 5
                                      [2]
                      Highlights of the North Winter Sky
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Universe2go.com

Explanation: What can you see [3]  in the night sky this season? The featured
graphic gives a few highlights for Earth [4] 's northern hemisphere. Viewed as
a clock face centered at the bottom, early (northern) winter sky events fan
out toward the left, while late winter events are projected toward the right.
Objects relatively close to Earth [5] are illustrated, in general, as nearer
to the cartoon figure with the telescope at the bottom center -- although
almost everything pictured can be seen without a telescope [6] . As happens
during any season, constellations [7]  appear the same year to year, and, as
usual, the Geminids meteor shower [8]  will peak in mid-December. Also as
usual, the International Space Station [9]  (ISS) can be seen, at times [10] ,
as a bright spot drifting across the sky [11]  after sunset. Less usual, the
Moon is expected to pass nearly in front [12]  of several planets in early
January. A treat this winter is Comet 46P/Wirtanen [13] , already bright [14]
, will pass only 36 lunar distances from the Earth in mid-December,
potentially making it easily visible [15]  to the unaided eye.

                        Tomorrow's picture: open space

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [27] (MTU [28] ) & Jerry Bonnell [29]
                                  (UMCP [30] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [31] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [32]
              A service of: ASD [33]  at NASA [34]  / GSFC [35]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [36]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1812/WinterSky1819_u2g_5000.jpg
  [3] https://youtu.be/x2iN_RwGjAo
  [4] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/in...
  [5] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth
  [6]
https://www.lifewithdogs.tv/wp-content/upload...
577551_327739037281992_306958052693424_814778_1284589992_n.jpg
  [7]
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChil...
  [8]
https://earthsky.org/space/everything-you-nee...
  [9] ap161105.html
  [10] https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/
  [11] ap140525.html
  [12] http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/astrocal/ast...
  [13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/46P/Wirtanen
  [14] ap181115.html
  [15] http://wirtanen.astro.umd.edu/46P/46P_status....
  [16] ap181204.html
  [17] archivepix.html
  [18] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [19] lib/aptree.html
  [20] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [21] calendar/allyears.html
  [22] /apod.rss
  [23] lib/edlinks.html
  [24] lib/about_apod.html
  [25] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [26] ap181206.html
  [27] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [28] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [29] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [30] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [31] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [32] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [33] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [34] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [36] http://www.mtu.edu/

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