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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 16   
      A dark landscape is back lit by a thunderstorm in the distance. A lone   
      tree is visible near the center. Above the tree are two sky icons: the   
         Andromeda Galaxy on the left and bright red sprites on the right.   
             Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                       Andromeda and Sprites over Australia   
                         Image Credit & Copyright: JJ Rao   
      
      Explanation: WhatCÇÖs happening over that tree? Two very different   
      things. On the left is the Andromeda galaxy, an object that is older   
      than humanity and will last billions of years into the future.   
      Andromeda (M31) is similar in size and shape to our own Milky Way   
      Galaxy. On the right is a red sprite, a type of lightning that lasts a   
      fraction of a second and occurs above violent thunderstorms. Red   
      sprites were verified as real atmospheric phenomena only about 35 years   
      ago. The tree in the center is a boab, which may live for as long as a   
      thousand years. Boab trees grow naturally in Australia and Africa and   
      are known for being able to store large amounts of water: up to 100,000   
      liters. The featured image was captured last month near Derby in   
      Western Australia.   
      
                          Tomorrow's picture: Soul Queen   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          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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