Astronomy Picture of the Day · September 5, 2016

Spiral Meteor through the Heart Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 5, 2016 is “Spiral Meteor through the Heart Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Roger N. Clark). The original explanation runs about 158 words.

From the explanation

“What is this meteor doing? Dynamically, the unusually short and asymmetric train may indicate that the sand-sized grain at the center of the glow is momentarily spinning as it ablates , causing its path to be slightly spiral .”

— APOD editors, September 5, 2016

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: September 5, 2016
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Roger N. Clark
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 158 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae Meteors

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: September 5 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, September 5, 2016 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2016-september-5-spiral-meteor-through-the-heart-nebula

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.