Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2020 December 25
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                            Northern Winter Night
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Adam Block

   Explanation: Orion always seems to come up sideways on [5]northern
   winter evenings. Those familiar stars of the constellation of the
   Hunter are caught above the trees in this colorful night skyscape. Not
   a star at all but still visible to eye, the Great [6]Nebula of Orion
   shines below the Hunter's belt stars. [7]The camera's exposure reveals
   the stellar nursery's faint pinkish glow. [8]Betelgeuse, giant star at
   Orion's shoulder, has the color of warm and cozy terrestrial lighting,
   but so does another familiar stellar giant, Aldebaran. Alpha star of
   the constellation Taurus the Bull, Aldebaran anchors the recognizable
   V-shape traced by the [9]Hyades Cluster toward the top of the starry
   frame.

            Tomorrow's picture: Fox Fur, Unicorn, Christmas Tree
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    Authors & editors: [21]Robert Nemiroff ([22]MTU) & [23]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([24]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [25]Specific rights apply.
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                A service of: [27]ASD at [28]NASA / [29]GSFC
                           & [30]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2012/WinterSceneBlock.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.adamblockphotos.com/
   5. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44273/the-star-splitter
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-42-the-orion-nebula
   7. https://www.adamblockphotos.com/orion-starry-winter-scene.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200102.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121224.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201224.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  14. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  19. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=201225
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201226.html
  21. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  24. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  27. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  30. http://www.mtu.edu/