Stars, Meteors, and a Comet in Taurus
Explanation:
This was an unusual night to look in the direction of the Bull.
The
constellation Taurus is always well known
for hosting two bright star clusters --
the Pleaides, visible on the right,
and the comparatively diffuse
Hyades, visible on the left.
This night last month, however, was atypically the peak of the
Geminid meteor shower, and so several meteors were caught
shooting through the constellation with
parallel
trails.
More unusually still,
Comet Wirtanen was drifting through the constellation,
here appearing near the image bottom surrounded by a greenish coma.
The comet
was near its brightest as it
sped past the Earth.
The orange star on the upper left is
Aldebaran, considered to be the eye of the Bull.
Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus and the 15th
brightest star in the sky.
The featured image is a combination of nearly 800 exposures taken from the
Spanish village
AlbanyЮ.
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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.
