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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.   
      
                                 2024 December 29   
      A frozen lake is shown that appears quite blue. Many oval light-colored   
      bubbles are frozen into the ice, many times in columns. Please see the   
                    explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                       Methane Bubbles Frozen in Lake Baikal   
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Kristina Makeeva   
      
      Explanation: What are these bubbles frozen into Lake Baikal? Methane.   
      Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Russia, is the world's   
      largest (by volume), oldest, and deepest lake, containing over 20% of   
      the world's fresh water. The lake is also a vast storehouse of methane,   
      a greenhouse gas that, if released, could potentially increase the   
      amount of infrared light absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, and so   
      increase the average temperature of the entire planet. Fortunately, the   
      amount of methane currently bubbling out is not climatologically   
      important. It is not clear what would happen, though, were temperatures   
      to significantly increase in the region, or if the water level in Lake   
      Baikal were to drop. Pictured, bubbles of rising methane froze during   
      winter into the exceptionally clear ice covering the lake.   
      
                   Jigsaw Challenge: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day   
                       Tomorrow's picture: our sun's future   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
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