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Credit & Copyright: T. Polakis
Explanation:
Two years ago, the
Great Comet of 1996,
Comet Hyakutake,
inched across our northern sky during its
long orbit around the
Sun. Visible above as the
bright spot with the
faint tail
near the picture's center,
Comet Hyakutake
shares the stage with part of the central band of the
Milky Way Galaxy,
prominent in the picture's upper right. Also visible are
Antares,
the bright orange star in the upper right, Arcturus, the bright star on the lower left, and the
Pipe Nebula,
which is perhaps harder to find.
Comet Hyakutake's
unusually close approach to the
Earth allowed astronomers
to learn many things, including that
comets can emit much X-ray light.
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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 Hyakutake - Milky Way
Publications with words: comet Hyakutake - Milky Way
See also:
- APOD: 2025 February 9 Á Milky Way over the Australian Pinnacles
- APOD: 2024 November 24 Á Journey to the Center of the Galaxy
- APOD: 2024 November 5 Á Milky Way over Easter Island
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- APOD: 2024 July 29 Á Milky Way over Uluru
- APOD: 2024 May 29 Á Stairway to the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway