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 31
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                            Trail of the Returner
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Zhuoxiao Wang

   Explanation: [5]Familiar stars of a northern winter's night shine in
   this night skyview, taken near Zhangye, Gansu, China and the border
   with Inner Mongolia. During the early hours of December 17 Orion is
   near center in the single exposure that [6]captures a fireball
   streaking across the sky, almost as bright as yellowish Mars shining on
   the right. Splitting Gemini's twin bright stars Castor and Pollux near
   the top of the frame, the fireball's trail and timing are consistent
   with the second skipping atmospheric entry of the Chang'e 5 mission's
   returner capsule. The returner capsule was [7]successfully recovered
   after landing in Inner Mongolia, planet Earth with about 2 kilograms of
   lunar material on board. The lunar sample is thought to contain
   relatively young material collected near the [8]Mons Rumker region of
   the Moon's Oceanus Procellarum. [9]Launched on November 23 UT, China's
   Chang'e 5 mission is the first [10]lunar sample return mission since
   the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976.

                     Tomorrow's picture: southern skies
     __________________________________________________________________

      [11]< | [12]Archive | [13]Submissions | [14]Index | [15]Search |
   [16]Calendar | [17]RSS | [18]Education | [19]About APOD | [20]Discuss |
                                    [21]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [26]Specific rights apply.
              [27]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [28]ASD at [29]NASA / [30]GSFC
                           & [31]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2012/fireball_trail2.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://astro.tsinghua.edu.cn/index.php/people-students/45-wang-zhuoxiao
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191226.html
   6. https://twitter.com/mickeywzx
   7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oErWOjnhvOw&feature=emb_logo
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201205.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201127.html
  10. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/change-5s-lunar-sample-arrives-on-earth/
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201230.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=201231
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210101.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  31. http://www.mtu.edu/