APOD
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.
An Artificial Comet
Explanation: Yes, but can your comet tail do this? No, and what you are seeing is not the tail of a comet . The picture features a cleverly overlayed time-lapse sequence of a group of satellites orbiting Earth together in June. Specifically, these are Starlink communications satellites in low Earth orbit reflecting back sunlight before sunrise to Inner Mongolia , China . Although the satellites appear to the human eye as points, the 20-second-long camera exposures caused them to appear as short streaks . Currently there are over 9000 Starlinks in orbit , with more being launched nearly every week. Other satellite constellations are also being planned.
Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator
| Date | December 30, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Chao |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |




