Credit & Copyright: Johnny Horne,
Fayetteville Publishing Co.
Explanation:
The above
true-color photo taken March 25th shows
Comet Hyakutake passing below the stars of the
Big Dipper.
Many astronomy enthusiasts delight in helping people in their local
community see the comet. Both Jerry Bonnell and I (RJN) from
APOD have been so inclined - both now and
when
Comet Halley came by in 1986. During these sessions, many good
questions are asked and occasionally a humorous situation will arise.
One was with a little girl. She
waited so patiently for her turn to look through the telescope, hardly able
to contain her excitement. Finally her
turn came. "Do you see the comet?" I asked. "Wow, wow, WOW!" She beamed.
"You see it?" "No." One little boy seemed particularly bent on
destruction. "This telescope looks like a big gun," he volunteered. "In
some ways, it's even more powerful than a gun," I replied, hoping to
challenge his imagination. "Really?" he countered. "Can we shoot down the
comet?" "How expensive is the telescope?" is a fairly common question. But
one time a real business-person showed up and, possibly feeling
particularly affluent, asked "How much is the comet?"
Latest Comet Hyakutake images:
JPL,
Crni Vrh Observatory,
Slovenia,
Fayetteville
Observer-Times,
NASA's Night of
the Comet
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.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day