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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 October 21   
       A starfield is shown with a bright comet. The main tail of the comet   
       points diagonally to the upper left, while a thin anti-tail points to   
         the lower right. Mountain peaks are visible at the bottom in the   
       foreground. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                      Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS over California   
                          Credit & Copyright: Brian Fulda   
      
      Explanation: The tails of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS were a sight to   
      behold. Pictured, C/2023 A3 (TsuchinshanCÇôATLAS) was captured near peak   
      impressiveness last week over the Eastern Sierra Mountains in   
      California, USA. The comet not only showed a bright tail, but a   
      distinct anti-tail pointing in nearly the opposite direction. The   
      globular star cluster M5 can be seen on the right, far in the distance.   
      As it approached, it was unclear if this crumbling iceberg would   
      disintegrate completely as it warmed in the bright sunlight. In   
      reality, the comet survived to become brighter than any star in the   
      night (magnitude -4.9), but unfortunately was then so nearly in front   
      of the Sun that it was hard for many casual observers to locate.   
      Whether Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas becomes known as the Great Comet of   
      2024 now depends, in part, on how impressive incoming comet C/2024 S1   
      (ATLAS) becomes over the next two weeks.   
      
        Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?   
                                    (post 1995)   
                         Tomorrow's picture: star pillars   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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