Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 14, 2020

Capsule Returns from Asteroid Ryugu

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 14, 2020 is “Capsule Returns from Asteroid Ryugu,” a video. It is credited to Video Credit: JAXA , Hayabusa2. The original explanation runs about 149 words.

From the explanation

“The streak across the sky is a capsule returning from an asteroid . It returned earlier this month from the near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu carrying small rocks and dust from its surface .”

— APOD editors, December 14, 2020

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 14, 2020
Type: Video
Credit: Credit: Video Credit: JAXA , Hayabusa2
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 149 words

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Topics in this entry

Asteroids

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 14 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 14, 2020 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2020-december-14-capsule-returns-from-asteroid-ryugu

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.