Sweeping Through Southern Skies
Explanation:
For now,
Comet Lemmon (C/2012 F6a), and Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4)
are sweeping through southern skies.
Lemmon's
lime green coma and thin
tail are near the left edge of this telephoto scene, a single frame from a
timelapse video (vimeo here)
recorded on February 12, tracking its
motion against the background stars.
Comet Lemmon's path brought it close to the line-of-sight to
prominent southern sky treasures
the
Small Magellanic Cloud and globular cluster
47 Tucanae (right).
Sporting a broader, whitish tail, Comet
PanSTARRS appears
in later video frames moving through the
faint constellation Microscopium.
Visible in binoculars and small telescopes,
both comets are getting brighter and headed toward northern
skies in coming months.
Videos & Discussion:
Russian
Meteor Explosion
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
