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Credit & Copyright: Kuiper Airborne Observatory,
NASA
Explanation:
Comet Halley was photographed superposed in front of the disk of our
Milky Way Galaxy in 1986 by the
Kuiper
Airborne Observatory. Comet Halley is the bright white streak near this photograph's center.
Comet Halley is the most
famous comet in history, and returns to the inner
Solar System every 76 years.
Stars visible in our
Milky Way Galaxy typically lie
millions of times farther in the distance and
orbit the
Galactic center every 250 million years.
Billions of
comets are thought to orbit our
Sun
but most do not get close enough for us to see.
Similarly, billions of stars orbit our Milky Way's center but do not get close enough for us to see.
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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 Halley - Milky Way
Publications with words: comet Halley - Milky Way
See also:
- APOD: 2024 August 7 Á Milky Way Behind Three Merlons
- APOD: 2024 August 5 Á Milky Way Over Tunisia
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- APOD: 2024 July 29 Á Milky Way over Uluru
- APOD: 2024 July 22 Á Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas
- APOD: 2024 May 29 Á Stairway to the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway