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 12
                                      [2]
                              M43: Orion Falls
      Image Credit & Copyright: Zhuoqun Wu [3] , Chilescope Telescope 2

Explanation: Is there a waterfall in Orion? No, but some of the dust in M43
appears similar to a waterfall [4]  on Earth. M43 [5] , part of the Orion
Molecular Cloud [6] Complex [7] , is the often imaged but rarely mentioned
neighbor of the more famous M42. M42 [8] , which includes many bright stars
from the Trapezium cluster [9] , lies above the featured scene. M43 [10] is
itself a star forming region and although laced with filaments of dark dust,
is composed mostly of glowing hydrogen [11] . The entire Orion field [12] ,
located about 1600 light years [13]  away, is inundated with many intricate
and picturesque [14] filaments [15]  of dust. Opaque to visible light, dark
dust [16]  is created [17]  in the outer atmosphere of massive cool stars and
expelled by a strong outer wind [18]  of proton [19] s and electron [20] s.

      Free Download: 2019 APOD Calendar (v4 with light background) [21]
                         Tomorrow's picture: Bennu 3D

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [33] (MTU [34] ) & Jerry Bonnell [35]
                                  (UMCP [36] )
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1812/OrionFalls_Wu_1828.jpg
  [3] mailto: skywalkerww37  163 .dot. com
  [4] https://youtu.be/wB6gHz8XHDI
  [5] http://www.sidleach.com/m43_1.jpg
  [6] ap101023.html
  [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Molecular...
  [8] ap140408.html
  [9] ap180805.html
  [10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_43
  [11] https://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml
  [12] https://youtu.be/5k7iRQ1RUr8
  [13] https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/
  [14] ap180423.html
  [15] ap170308.html
  [16] ap030706.html
  [17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_dust#Dus...
  [18] http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/s/stellar...
  [19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton
  [20] https://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whel...
  [21] https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1812/ApodCal...
  [22] ap181211.html
  [23] archivepix.html
  [24] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [25] lib/aptree.html
  [26] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [27] calendar/allyears.html
  [28] /apod.rss
  [29] lib/edlinks.html
  [30] lib/about_apod.html
  [31] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [32] ap181213.html
  [33] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [34] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [35] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [36] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [37] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [38] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [39] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [40] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [41] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [42] http://www.mtu.edu/

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