APOD: 2024 April 29 Б Comet, Planet, Moon
Explanation:
Three bright objects satisfied seasoned stargazers of the western sky just after
sunset earlier this month.
The most familiar was
the Moon,
seen on the upper left in a crescent
phase.
The rest of the Moon was
faintly visible by sunlight first reflected by
the Earth.
The bright planet
Jupiter,
the largest planet in
the Solar System,
is seen to the upper left.
Most unusual was
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, below the Moon and showing a
stubby dust tail on the right but an
impressive ion
tail extending upwards.
The featured image, a composite of several images taken consecutively at the same
location and with the same camera, was taken near the village of
Llers, in
Spain's
Girona province.
Comet Pons-Brooks passed its closest to
the Sun
last week and is now dimming as it
moves
into southern skies
and returns to the outer Solar System.
Almost Hyperspace:
Random APOD Generator
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.
