Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                               2025 December 3
        [2]The illustration shows a structured orange band stretching
    horizontally across the imager. Connected in the middle is the Milky
    Way Galaxy curving up to the top of the frame. A second image of the
    orange band runs like a sine wave across the lower half of the frame,
     while a second image of the Milky Way galaxy appears just above it.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                  Visualization: Near a Black Hole and Disk
      Illustration Credit: [3]NASA's [4]GSFC, [5]J. Schnittman & [6]B.
       Powell; Text: [7]Francis Reddy ([8]U. Maryland, [9]NASA's GSFC)

   Explanation: What would it look like to plunge into a monster black
   hole? This image from a [10]supercomputer visualization shows the
   entire sky as seen from a [11]simulated camera plunging toward a
   4-million-solar-mass black hole, similar to the [12]one at the center
   of our galaxy. The camera lies about 16 million kilometers from the
   black hole’s [13]event horizon and is moving inward at 62% the
   [14]speed of light. Thanks to [15]gravity’s funhouse effects, the
   [16]starry band of the [17]Milky Way appears both as a compact loop at
   the top of this view and as a secondary image [18]stretching across the
   bottom. Move the cursor over the image for additional explanations.
   [19]Visualizations like this allow astronomers to explore [20]black
   holes in ways not otherwise possible.

                  Tomorrow's picture: galaxy in the furnace
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [32]Robert Nemiroff ([33]MTU) & [34]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([35]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [36]Specific rights apply.
            [37]NASA Web Privacy, [38]Accessibility, [39]Notices;
                A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC,
                         [43]NASA Science Activation
                           & [44]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2512/BlackHoleViz_Schnittman_8192.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/
   5. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/jeremy.d.schnittman
   6. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/brian.p.powell
   7. https://sedvme.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/francis.j.reddy
   8. https://www.astro.umd.edu/
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/
  10. https://youtu.be/chhcwk4-esM
  11. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14585/
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220513.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event_horizon
  14. https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical_Thinking/how_fast_is_the_speed.htm
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101207.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250702.html
  17. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/
  18. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://preview.redd.it/this-is-his-favourite-way-to-stretch-v0-o805r7e3b70e1.jpeg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4fdeff86fded77eaee44002094bdd6eea51a19ea
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht.html
  20. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/black-holes/
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251202.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  27. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  30. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=251203
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251204.html
  32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  34. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  35. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  40. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  43. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  44. http://www.mtu.edu/