Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                               2025 January 28
   [2]A foreground grass field is shown below a distant field of stars. On
    the grass field are some trees. Dwarfing the trees, in the sky, is a
    comet with a long tail. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                         Comet G3 ATLAS over Uruguay
                Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Mauricio Salazar

   Explanation: Comets can be huge. When far from the Sun, a comet's size
   usually refers to its [4]hard nucleus of ice and rock, which typically
   spans a few kilometers -- smaller than even a [5]small moon. When
   [6]nearing the Sun, however, this [7]nucleus can [8]eject dust and gas
   and leave a thin tail that can spread to an [9]enormous length -- even
   greater than the distance between the [10]Earth and the [11]Sun.
   Pictured, C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) sports a [12]tail of sunlight-reflecting
   dust and glowing gas that spans several times the apparent size of a
   full [13]moon, appearing [14]even larger on [15]long duration camera
   images than to the unaided eye. The [16]featured image shows impressive
   Comet ATLAS over trees and a grass field in [17]Sierras de Mahoma,
   [18]San Jose, [19]Uruguay about a week ago. After being [20]prominent
   in the sunset skies of Earth's southern hemisphere, [21]Comet G3 ATLAS
   is [22]now fading as it moves away from the Sun, making its impressive
   tails increasingly hard to see.

                        Gallery: [23]Comet ATLAS (G3)
                      Tomorrow's picture: star circles
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply.
            [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices;
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2501/AtlasFields_Salazar_3214.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/astropolo_/
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160202.html
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240907.html
   6. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Sungrazer_comets
   7. https://www.cometcampaign.org/files/images/comets_spacecraft.jpg
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151118.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241006.html
  10. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/sun/
  12. https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/*/Cometary+Dust+Tail
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120205.html
  14. https://www.reddit.com/r/photoshopbattles/comments/4hase2/psbattle_shocked_cat/
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240131.html
  16. https://www.instagram.com/p/DFMBN5sgk3K/
  17. https://youtu.be/3j-2hr1WC_k
  18. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Q3gIT1i1n3E
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250124.html
  21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2024_G3_(ATLAS)
  22. https://theskylive.com/c2024g3-info
  23. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.600449002683681&type=3
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250127.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250128
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250129.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/