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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Comet R3 (PanSTARRS) Brightens
NASA ^ | 12 Apr, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: José Rodrigues

Posted on 04/12/2026 1:09:44 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Comet R3 is brightening rapidly -- will it survive? C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) has been slowly brightening and extending an ion tail since its discovery last year. This shedding mountain of dirty ice puts on its best sky show this month, though, because it passes its closest to both the Sun (April 19) and the Earth (April 25). The featured image, showing R3 already sporting a tail extending over 10 degrees, was taken two nights ago from Sion, Switzerland with the big mountain Bietschhorn on the left. Comet R3 will be visible during mid-April before sunrise. Although the future brightness of any comet is hard to predict, the brightness of R3 makes it already a good camera comet and it may become visible to the unaided eye in the next week. Comet R3's physical future is also unknown because, like Comet A1 (MAPS) earlier this month, it may disintegrate when it passes its closest to the Sun. Or it may live to leave the Solar System.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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1 posted on 04/12/2026 1:09:44 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 04/12/2026 1:10:08 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 04/12/2026 1:10:48 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


4 posted on 04/12/2026 1:17:53 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

bttt


5 posted on 04/12/2026 1:46:43 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: MtnClimber

That’s a great photo! I hope I see a comet like that one day.


6 posted on 04/12/2026 2:59:40 PM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: MtnClimber

Looks like it will hit that mountain top and be flung back into space ...


7 posted on 04/12/2026 3:51:37 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: MtnClimber

I’ll probably miss it, with the crappy weather we’ve been getting.


8 posted on 04/12/2026 7:30:32 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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