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 19
                                      [2]
                          A Rainbow Geminid Meteor
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Dean Rowe [3]

Explanation: Meteors can be colorful. While the human eye [4]  usually cannot
discern many colors, cameras often can. Pictured is a Geminid [5]  captured by
camera during last week's meteor shower [6]  that was not only impressively
bright, but colorful. The radiant grit [7]  cast off by asteroid 3200 Phaethon
[8]  blazed a path across Earth's atmosphere [9]  longer than 60 times the
angular diameter of the Moon. Colors in meteors [10]  usually originate from
ionized elements released as the meteor [11]  disintegrates, with blue-green
typically originating from magnesium [12] , calcium [13] radiating violet, and
nickel [14]  glowing green. Red, however, typically originates from energized
nitrogen [15]  and oxygen [16]  in the Earth's atmosphere. This bright meteor
[17] ic fireball [18] was gone in a flash -- less than a second -- but it left
a wind-blown ionization trail [19]  that remained visible [20]  for several
minutes, the start of which can be seen [21]  here.

                     Gallery:  Geminid Meteors 2018 [22]
                Tomorrow's picture: seven sisters and a comet

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [34] (MTU [35] ) & Jerry Bonnell [36]
                                  (UMCP [37] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [38] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [39]
              A service of: ASD [40]  at NASA [41]  / GSFC [42]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [43]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1812/GeminidColors_Rowe_2048.jpg
  [3] https://photos.deanrowe.net/
  [4]
https://medium.com/photography-secrets/
whats-the-difference-between-a-camera-and-a-human-eye-a006a795b09f
  [5] ap131223.html
  [6]
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/
everything-you-need-to-know-geminid-meteor-shower
  [7]
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/common...
Meteoroid_meteor_meteorite.gif
  [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200_Phaethon
  [9] https://scied.ucar.edu/shortcontent/earths-at...
  [10] https://www.amsmeteors.org/fireballs/faqf/#5
  [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteo...
  [12] https://youtu.be/wqErrNvns4o
  [13] https://periodic.lanl.gov/20.shtml
  [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel
  [15] https://youtu.be/0kMqRhJ_A0c
  [16] https://youtu.be/qERdL8uHSgI
  [17]
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets...
meteors-and-meteorites/in-depth/
  [18] https://www.amsmeteors.org/fireballs/faqf/
  [19] https://youtu.be/KJpQTL6V_WI
  [20] ap180817.html
  [21]
https://previews.123rf.com/images/oksun70/oks...
14849477-charming-cat-kitten-looking-up.jpg
  [22]
https://www.facebook.com/pg/APOD.Sky/photos/
?tab=album&album_id=1700269136743965
  [23] ap181218.html
  [24] archivepix.html
  [25] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [26] lib/aptree.html
  [27] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [28] calendar/allyears.html
  [29] /apod.rss
  [30] lib/edlinks.html
  [31] lib/about_apod.html
  [32] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [33] ap181220.html
  [34] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [35] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [36] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [37] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [38] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [39] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [40] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [41] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [42] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [43] http://www.mtu.edu/

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