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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 December 15
    A picturesque winter landscape is seen before a dark but busy sky. A
     stream and a house are visible in the foreground, while snow-capped
    mountains are seen on the far horizon. In the sky are many stars and
      many streaks caused by meteors. Also some red gaseous nebulas are
      visible in the sky. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                  Gemini Meteors over Snow Capped Mountains
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Tom+í+í Slovinsk+'

   Explanation: Where are all of these meteors coming from? In terms of
   direction on the sky, the pointed answer is the constellation of
   Gemini. That is why the major meteor shower in December is known as the
   Geminids -- because shower meteors all appear to come from a radiant
   toward Gemini. Three dimensionally, however, sand-sized debris expelled
   from the unusual asteroid 3200 Phaethon follows a well-defined orbit
   about our Sun, and the part of the orbit that approaches Earth is
   superposed in front of the constellation of Gemini. Therefore, when
   Earth crosses this orbit, the radiant point of falling debris appears
   in Gemini. Featured here is a composite of many images taken over the
   past few days through dark skies from Slovakia and capturing the
   snow-covered peaks of the Belianske Tatra mountains Numerous bright
   meteor streaks from the Geminids meteor shower are visible. Orion is
   visible above the horizon, while the bright star nearest the radiant is
   Castor.

                APOD Review: RJN's Night Sky Network Lecture
                      Tomorrow's picture: tree sprites
     __________________________________________________________________

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

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