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Credit & Copyright: Eric Frappa, Saint-Etienne Planetarium, France
Explanation:
Where did
Comet Hyakutake come from? The orbits of the Earth and this
brightening comet are shown in the above diagram. The blue disk is
bounded by the circular orbit of the Earth about the central Sun. The
comet's
path outlines the green shape. The shape of the comet's orbit
is close to a parabola. The comet has come in from the outer Solar System,
will pass near the Earth in late March, and pass near the Sun in late April.
Comet Hyakutake
will appear bright in late March because it is so close to the Earth, and
will again appear bright in late April because it is so close to the Sun.
In late March, the comet will be "north" of the Earth and so only visible
in the Northern hemisphere. Information about how to see Comet Hyakutake
is available from
many
University astronomy departments and planetaria.
Information:
The
Scale of the Universe Debate in April 1996
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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 - comet Hyakutake - orbit
Publications with words: comet - comet Hyakutake - orbit
See also:
- APOD: 2024 April 17 Á Total Eclipse and Comets
- APOD: 2024 April 8 Á The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Pons Brooks
- Comet Pons-Brooks at Night
- APOD: 2024 March 18 Á Comet Pons Brooks Swirling Coma
- Comet 12P/Pons Brooks in Northern Spring
- Structure in the Tail of Comet 12P/Pons Brooks
- The Snows of Churyumov Gerasimenko