MSGID: 1:153/757.0 58241c89   
   TZUTC: -0800   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
                           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 February 2   
        A series of comet images is shown. On the far left the image shows   
      Comet G3 ATLAS with a bright central concentration at its head near the   
       bottom of the frame. By the far right, this central concentration is   
      nearly gone. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                           Comet G3 ATLAS Disintegrates   
                            Image Credit: Lionel Majzik   
      
      Explanation: What's happening to Comet G3 ATLAS? After passing near the   
      Sun in mid-January, the head of the comet has become dimmer and dimmer.   
      By late January, Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) had become a headless wonder   
      -- even though it continued to show impressive tails after sunset in   
      the skies of Earth's Southern Hemisphere. Pictured are images of Comet   
      G3 ATLAS on successive January nights taken from R+¡o Hurtado, Chile.   
      Clearly, the comet's head is brighter and more centrally condensed on   
      the earlier days (left) than on later days (right). A key reason is   
      likely that the comet's nucleus of ice and rock, at the head's center,   
      has fragmented. Comet G3 ATLAS passed well inside the orbit of planet   
      Mercury when at its solar closest, a distance that where heat destroys   
      many comets. Some of comet G3 ATLAS' scattering remains will continue   
      to orbit the Sun.   
      
                              Gallery: Comet G3 ATLAS   
                    Tomorrow's picture: star-sized wind machine   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
                     NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;   
                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7   
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)   
   SEEN-BY: 19/10 105/81 106/201 128/187 129/305 134/100 153/135 143   
   SEEN-BY: 153/148 151 757 6809 7083 7715 154/110 218/700 840 221/1   
   SEEN-BY: 221/6 360 226/30 227/114 229/110 114 206 307 317 400 426   
   SEEN-BY: 229/428 470 664 700 705 240/1120 266/512 291/111 301/1 113   
   SEEN-BY: 301/812 320/219 322/757 335/364 341/66 342/200 396/45 460/58   
   SEEN-BY: 460/256 1124 633/280 712/848 902/26 5020/400 1042 8912 5054/30   
   SEEN-BY: 5075/35   
   PATH: 153/757 221/6 301/1 460/58 229/426