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                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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 26
   A dark sloping hill is seen at the bottom with a bright comet with many
   tails visible above it, taking up most of the frame. The tails closest
     to the slope are the most dim. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                      The Many Tails of Comet G3 ATLAS
   Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Ma+íek (FZU, Czech Academy of Sciences)
                                & Jakub Ku+Ö+ík

   Explanation: Why does this comet have so many tails? C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
   has developed several long and intricate tails visible from Earth's
   southern hemisphere over the past two weeks. Many observers reported
   seeing the impressive comet without any optical aid above the western
   horizon just after sunset. At least six different tails appear in the
   featured image captured five days ago from the dark skies above Paranal
   Observatory in Chile. One possible cause for the multiple tails is dust
   and gas being expelled from the comet's rotating nucleus. The outward
   push of the Sun's complex solar wind may also play a role. The huge
   iceberg-like nucleus of Comet ATLAS appears to have broken up near its
   closest approach to the Sun two weeks ago. Unfortunately, Comet ATLAS
   and its tails are expected to fade significantly over the coming weeks.

     Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                     Tomorrow's picture: half dome stars
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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