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.

                                2026 April 9
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                    Destruction of Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS)
        Video Credit: [2]Brian Day, [3]SOHO, [4]SDO, [5]JHelioviewer
     Text: [6]Cecilia Chirenti ([7]NASA [8]GSFC, [9]UMCP, [10]CRESST II)

   Explanation: As the [11]crew of [12]Artemis II travelled towards the
   [13]Moon this week, [14]Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) was expected to have its
   closest approach to the Sun on Monday. At this point, comet and Sun
   would be [15]closer than half the distance separating the [16]Earth and
   Moon. The comet did not [17]survive; the featured video was made with
   40 hours of data and shows the comet [18]plunging toward the Sun, like
   a moth to a flame. Observing the comet so close to our bright star
   requires a [19]coronagraph, an instrument that blocks the Sun and is
   used for studies of its [20]corona. This composite video combines,
   starting from the outside, views from: the wider angle coronagraph
   (blue) and the narrower angle coronagraph (red), [21]both on NASA's
   [22]Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and NASA's [23]Solar Dynamics
   Observatory (black). We can see the comet approaching the sun,
   [24]stretching, disappearing behind the coronagraph's occulting disk
   and reappearing as a cloud of debris that dissipates.

                    Tomorrow's picture: galactic antennae
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [36]Robert Nemiroff ([37]MTU) & [38]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([39]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [40]Specific rights apply.
            [41]NASA Web Privacy, [42]Accessibility, [43]Notices;
                A service of: [44]ASD at [45]NASA / [46]GSFC,
                         [47]NASA Science Activation
                           & [48]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://sservi.nasa.gov/brian-day/
   3. https://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/
   4. https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
   5. https://www.jhelioviewer.org/
   6. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/cecilia.chirenti
   7. https://www.nasa.gov/
   8. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/
   9. https://www.astro.umd.edu/people/cecilia-chirenti
  10. https://cresst2.umd.edu/
  11. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/our-artemis-crew/
  12. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2026_A1_(MAPS)
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreutz_sungrazer
  16. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/how-far-away-moon
  17. https://images.pexels.com/photos/1469196/pexels-photo-1469196.jpeg
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151102.html
  19. https://www.space.com/what-is-a-coronagraph.html
  20. https://nso.edu/for-public/sun-science/corona/
  21. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/lasco-coronagraph
  22. https://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/
  23. https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090322.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260408.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  31. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  34. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260409
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260410.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  37. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  38. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  39. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  40. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  44. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/
  46. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  47. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  48. http://www.mtu.edu/