January 12, 2026
Another trip around the Sun. A whole sky of possibilities.
Birthday · January 12, 2026
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
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Selected image source ↗ APOD published January 12, 2026. Credit: Xu Chen. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Read the original APOD for the astronomer’s explanation and full image credits. Its text is preserved in the archive as published.
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What's happening to this meteor? It is shedding its outer layers as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere and heats up. The sudden high temperatures not only cause the bright glow along the dramatic streak but also melt and vaporize the meteor's component rock and ice, creating dust. Wind in the atmosphere typically blows this dust away over the next few seconds, leaving no visible trace after only a few minutes. Much of this dust will eventually settle down to the Earth. The featured image was captured in mid-December, coincident with the Geminids meteor shower. On the upper left is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, while in the foreground is fog-engulfed Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains of eastern China.
Image credit: Xu Chen
Explore January 12 in other years · 31 APOD entries, 1996–2026
Updated · APOD entries through