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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.   
      
                                    2023 May 21   
        An usual looking creature is pictured which may appear alien but is   
       actually a Earth-dwelling tardigrade. The tardigrade has no apparent   
      eyes, a light brown body, a circular gear-like snout, and claws at the   
      end of its numerous feet. The tardigrade is seen perched on green moss.   
             Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                                Tardigrade in Moss   
         Image Credit & Copyright: Nicole Ottawa & Oliver Meckes / Eye of   
                          Science / Science Source Images   
      
      Explanation: Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on   
      Earth, the tardigrade might be the best candidate. That's because   
      tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or   
      water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above   
      the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well   
      above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous   
      radiations. The far-ranging survivability of these extremophiles was   
      tested in 2011 outside an orbiting space shuttle. Tardigrades are so   
      durable partly because they can repair their own DNA and reduce their   
      body water content to a few percent. Some of these miniature   
      water-bears almost became extraterrestrials in 2011 when they were   
      launched toward to the Martian moon Phobos, and again in 2021 when they   
      were launched toward Earth's own moon, but the former launch failed,   
      and the latter landing crashed. Tardigrades are more common than humans   
      across most of the Earth. Pictured here in a color-enhanced electron   
      micrograph, a millimeter-long tardigrade crawls on moss.   
      
        Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?   
                                    (post 1995)   
                         Tomorrow's picture: sea blue sky   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6   
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