                  APOD: 2017 December 23 - Phaethon s Brood

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2017 December 23
                                      [2]
                              Phaethon's Brood
  Image Credit & Copyright [3] : Mikiya Sato [4] (Nippon Meteor Society [5] )

Explanation: Based on its well-measured orbit, 3200 Phaethon [6] (sounds like
FAY-eh-thon) is recognized as the source of the meteroid stream responsible
for the annual Geminid meteor shower [7] . Even though most meteor showers'
parents are comets, 3200 Phaethon is a known and closely tracked near-Earth
asteroid [8]  with a 1.4 year orbital period. Rocky and sun-baked [9] , its
perihelion or closest [10] approach to the Sun is well within the orbit of
innermost planet Mercury. In this telescopic field of view, the asteroid's
rapid motion against faint background stars of the heroic constellation
Perseus left a short trail during the two minute total exposure time. The
parallel streaks of its meteoric children flashed much more quickly across the
scene. The family portrait was recorded near the Geminid meteor shower's very
active peak on December 13. That was just before 3200 Phaethon's historic
December 16 closest approach to planet Earth [11] .

                 Tomorrow's picture: grand spiral galaxy [12]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [24] (MTU [25] ) & Jerry Bonnell [26]
                                  (UMCP [27] )
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1712/MSato_Phaethon-and-Geminids-small.jpg
  [3] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [4] mailto: mail [at] kaicho [dot] net
  [5] http://www.nms.gr.jp/en/
  [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200_Phaethon
  [7] https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/
2010/06dec_geminids/
  [8] https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/
arecibo-radar-returns-with-asteroid-phaethon-images
  [9] https://arxiv.org/abs/1306.3741
  [10] https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.07061
  [11] http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/3200-phaethon/
  [12] ap171224.html
  [13] ap171222.html
  [14] archivepix.html
  [15] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [16] lib/aptree.html
  [17] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [18] calendar/allyears.html
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  [20] lib/edlinks.html
  [21] lib/about_apod.html
  [22] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=171223
  [23] ap171224.html
  [24] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [25] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [26] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [27] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [28] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [29] http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
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