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Credit & Copyright: Dennis Mammana
(Skyscapes)
Explanation:
Can you spot the comet?
Flowing across the frozen
Alaskan
landscape is an easily visible, colorful aurora.
Just to the lower left, however, well in the background,
is something harder to spot:
Comet Ikeya-Zhang, the brightest comet of recent years.
Although the aurora faded in minutes, the
comet is just now
beginning to fade.
It remains just barely
visible without aid,
however, before sunrise in the East.
The comet is actually a giant
dirt-covered snowball
that spends most of its time in the outer
Solar System --
to where it is now returns.
The above photograph was taken on March 20 when
Comet Ikeya-Zhang was near its brightest.
Careful inspection of the photo will uncover
several other sky delights, including the giant galaxy
M31.
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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 Ikeya-Zhang - aurora
Publications with words: comet Ikeya-Zhang - aurora
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 8 Á Aurora around Saturns North Pole
- APOD: 2024 October 16 Á Colorful Aurora over New Zealand
- APOD: 2024 October 13 Á Aurora Timelapse Over Italian Alps
- Northern Lights, West Virginia
- Aurora Australis and the International Space Station
- APOD: 2024 June 26 Á Timelapse: Aurora, SAR, and the Milky Way
- APOD: 2024 June 12 Á Aurora over Karkonosze Mountains