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Credit: Tony Cook
Explanation:
One year ago,
Comet 17P/Holmes amazed sky watchers across planet Earth.
A stunningly rapid
outburst
transformed it from a faint comet quietly
orbiting the Sun
with a period of about 7 years to
a naked-eye comet rivaling the brighter stars in the constellation
Perseus.
Its largely tail-less shape, as in
this wide-angle
view recorded on November 11, 2007, became well-known to
astronomers trying to
unravel the mystery of the comet's
surprising outburst .
Still,
Comet Holmes had a dim ion tail that
was seen to separate from the bright
coma.
In this image, the separated tail creates the illusion
of a reflection nebula.
It appears as a faint bluish haze right of center against a
background of stars in the loosely grouped
Alpha
Persei Moving Cluster.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also: