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Credit & Copyright: JoAnn McDonald
Explanation:
The comet PanSTARRS, also known as
the blue comet (C/2016 R2),
really is near the lower left edge of this stunning, wide field view
recorded on January 13.
Spanning nearly 20 degrees on the sky,
the
cosmic landscape is explored by well-exposed and processed frames
from a sensitive digital camera.
It consists of colorful clouds and dusty dark nebulae otherwise
too faint for your eye to see, though.
At top right, the
California Nebula (aka NGC 1499) does have a
familiar shape.
Its coastline is over 60 light-years long and lies
some 1,500 light-years away.
The nebula's pronounced reddish glow is from hydrogen atoms ionized
by luminous blue star Xi Persei just below it.
Near bottom center, the famous
Pleiades star cluster is some 400
light-years distant and around 15 light-years
across.
Its spectacular blue color is due to the reflection of starlight
by interstellar dust.
In between are hot stars of the Perseus OB2
association and dusty,
dark nebulae along the edge of the nearby,
massive Taurus and Perseus molecular clouds.
Emission from unusually abundant ionized carbon monoxide (CO+)
molecules fluorescing in sunlight
is largely responsible for the telltale blue tint of the
remarkable
comet's tail.
The comet was about 17 light minutes
from Earth.
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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 - pleiades - emission nebula
Publications with words: comet - pleiades - emission nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2025 February 2 Á Comet G3 ATLAS Disintegrates
- APOD: 2025 January 28 Á Comet G3 ATLAS over Uruguay
- APOD: 2025 January 27 Á Pleiades over Half Dome
- APOD: 2025 January 26 Á The Many Tails of Comet G3 ATLAS
- Comet G3 ATLAS: a Tail and a Telescope
- APOD: 2025 January 21 Á Comet ATLAS over Brasilia
- APOD: 2025 January 20 Á Comet ATLAS Rounds the Sun