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. 2026 May 12 [2]The bright blue Comet R3 PanSTARRS streaks across the right side of the image with the red cloud of the Orion Nebula in the background on the left. The Conjunction of Comet R3 PanSTARRS and the Orion Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Julien De Winter, [4]Sascha Ebeler Text: [5]Keighley Rockcliffe ([6]NASA [7]GSFC, [8]UMBC CSST, [9]CRESST II) Explanation: [10]Today’s composite image features [11]something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue! [12]Comet R3 PanSTARRS, streaking across the right of the image, likely originated from [13]the Oort Cloud, meaning it is an old Solar System relic from billions of years ago. It’s bright extended [14]ion tail glows blue as the gas escaping the comet’s core is ionized by sunlight. Astronomers are fascinated by [15]comets for all sorts of reasons: comet compositions are untouched time capsules containing the building blocks of Solar System planets; comets may have [16]delivered water to the young Earth; the behavior of cometary tails shed light on solar wind and radiation interactions. The background mosaic, featuring [17]the Orion Nebula ([18]M42), was taken over two nights of observation with the comet captured on the third night. [19]The Orion Nebula is our nearest stellar nursery and, at [20]about 2 million years old, is our something (relatively) new! Now at around [21]127.5 million kilometers from Earth, we wave goodbye to the borrowed Comet R3 PanSTARRS as it leaves the Solar System. Growing Gallery: [22]Comet R3 in 2026 Tomorrow's picture: a cluster of stars __________________________________________________________________ [23]< | [24]Archive | [25]Submissions | [26]Index | [27]Search | [28]Calendar | [29]RSS | [30]Education | [31]About APOD | [32]Discuss | [33]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell ([37]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [38]Specific rights apply. [39]NASA Web Privacy, [40]Accessibility, [41]Notices; A service of: [42]ASD at [43]NASA / [44]GSFC, [45]NASA Science Activation & [46]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2605/CometR3_Orion.jpg 3. https://www.instagram.com/dwj85 4. https://www.instagram.com/sascha.ebeler 5. https://kerockcliffe.com/ 6. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/keighley.e.rockcliffe 7. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/ 8. https://csst.umbc.edu/directory/ 9. https://cresst2.umd.edu/ 10. https://www.instagram.com/p/DYL5zg5Ak78/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_old 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260412.html 13. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/oort-cloud/facts/ 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260414.html 15. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/facts/ 16. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/comet-provides-new-clues-to-origins-of-earths-oceans/ 17. https://www.mos.org/article/getting-know-orion-great-nebula 18. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-42/ 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241104.html 20. https://www.space.com/orion-nebula 21. https://theskylive.com/c2025r3-info 22. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.946613941400517&type=3 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260511.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 29. https://apod.com/feed.rss 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 32. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260512 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260513.html 34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 40. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 41. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 42. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 43. https://www.nasa.gov/ 44. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 45. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 46. http://www.mtu.edu/