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   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 December 1   
      A starfield is shown around a comet. The green coma of the comet is on   
        the lower left. A meandering blue-tinted tail goes off to the upper   
      right. A slight anti-tail is seen from the coma toward the lower left.   
             Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                     3I ATLAS: Tails of an Interstellar Comet   
             Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter   
      
      Explanation: How typical is our Solar System? Studying 3I/ATLAS, a   
      comet just passing through, is providing clues. Confirmed previous   
      interstellar visitors include an asteroid, a comet, a meteor, and a gas   
      wind dominated by hydrogen and helium. Comet 3I/ATLAS appears   
      relatively normal when compared to Solar System comets, therefore   
      providing more evidence that our Solar System is a somewhat typical   
      star system. For example, Comet 3I/ATLAS has a broadly similar chemical   
      composition and ejected dust. The featured image was captured last week   
      from Texas and shows a green coma, a wandering blue-tinted ion tail   
      likely deflected by our Sun's wind, and a slight anti-tail, all typical   
      cometary attributes. The comet, visible with a telescope, passed its   
      closest to the Sun in late October and will pass its closest to the   
      Earth in mid-December, after which it will return to interstellar space   
      and never return.   
      
                    Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator   
                         Tomorrow's picture: active galaxy   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          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.   
      
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