|
Credit & Copyright: Marco Fulle
(INAF)
Explanation:
Once the famous
sunset comet,
PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4)
is now visible all night from much of the northern hemisphere,
bound for the outer solar system as it
climbs high above
the ecliptic plane.
Dimmer and fading, the comet's
broad dust tail
is still growing, though.
This widefield telescopic image
was taken against the starry
background of the constellation Cepheus on May 15.
It shows the
comet has developed an extensive
anti-tail,
dust trailing along the comet's orbit (to the left of the coma),
stretching more than 3 degrees across the frame.
Since the comet is just over 1.6
astronomical units from planet Earth,
that corresponds to a distance of over 12 million kilometers.
In late May Comet PanSTARRS
will pass within a few degrees of the north celestial pole.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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: dust
Publications with words: dust
See also: