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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 January 6   
      
                        The Snows of Churyumov-Gerasimenko   
                     Images Credit: ESA, Rosetta, MPS, OSIRIS;   
                        UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA;   
                           Animation: Jacint Roger Perez   
      
      Explanation: You couldn't really be caught in this blizzard while   
      standing by a cliff on periodic comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.   
      Orbiting the comet in June of 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft's narrow   
      angle camera did record streaks of dust and ice particles similar to   
      snow as they drifted across the field of view close to the camera and   
      above the comet's surface. Still, some of the bright specks in the   
      scene are likely due to a rain of energetic charged particles or cosmic   
      rays hitting the camera, and the dense background of stars in the   
      direction of the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major). In the   
      video, the background stars are easy to spot trailing from top to   
      bottom. The stunning movie was constructed from 33 consecutive images   
      taken over 25 minutes while Rosetta cruised some 13 kilometers from the   
      comet's nucleus. In September 2016, the nucleus became the final   
      resting place for the Rosetta spacecraft after its mission was ended   
      with a successful controlled impact on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.   
      
                         Tomorrow's picture: cats in space   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          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.   
      
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