Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 30, 1997

A Cosmic Snowball

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 30, 1997 is “A Cosmic Snowball,” an image. It is credited to Credit: L. A. Frank (U. Iowa), POLAR, GSFC, NASA. The original explanation runs about 239 words.

From the explanation

“Like cosmic snowballs, fluffy comet-like objects the size of houses and composed mostly of water-ice, may be pummeling planet Earth 5 to 30 times a minute. This controversial theory was originally proposed in 1986 by Dr.”

— APOD editors, May 30, 1997

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 30, 1997
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: L. A. Frank (U. Iowa), POLAR, GSFC, NASA
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 239 words

All of May 1997 → · 1997 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 30 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 30, 1997 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1997-may-30-a-cosmic-snowball

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.