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.

                              2020 December 31

                            Trail of the Returner
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Zhuoxiao Wang

   Explanation: 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 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 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 Mons Rumker region of the Moon's
   Oceanus Procellarum. Launched on November 23 UT, China's Chang'e 5
   mission is the first lunar sample return mission since the Soviet
   Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976.

                     Tomorrow's picture: southern skies
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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