                        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.

                                 2024 May 25

                    Manicouagan Impact Crater from Space
        Image Credit: NASA, International Space Station Expedition 59

   Explanation: Orbiting 400 kilometers above Quebec, Canada, planet
   Earth, the International Space Station Expedition 59 crew captured this
   snapshot of the broad St. Lawrence River and curiously circular Lake
   Manicouagan on April 11. Right of center, the ring-shaped lake is a
   modern reservoir within the eroded remnant of an ancient 100 kilometer
   diameter impact crater. The ancient crater is very conspicuous from
   orbit, a visible reminder that Earth is vulnerable to rocks from space.
   Over 200 million years old, the Manicouagan crater was likely caused by
   the impact of a rocky body about 5 kilometers in diameter. Currently,
   there is no known asteroid with a significant probability of impacting
   Earth in the next century. Each month, NASA’s Planetary Defense
   Coordination Office releases an update featuring the most recent
   figures on near-Earth object close approaches, and other facts about
   comets and asteroids that could pose a potential impact hazard with
   Earth.

                  Tomorrow's picture: explosion on the Sun
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

