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Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri
(CARA Project,
CAST)
and
Lukas Demetz
Explanation:
The
tail of a comet
streams across this three degree wide telescopic
field of view captured under dark Namibian skies on December 21.
In outburst only a few days ago and just reaching
naked eye visibility
Comet
Leonard
(C/2021 A1) is this year's brightest comet.
Binoculars will make the diffuse comet easier to spot though, close to
the western horizon after sunset.
Details revealed in the sharp image show the comet's coma with a
greenish tinge, and
follow the interaction
of the comet's
ion tail
with magnetic fields in the solar wind.
After passing closest to Earth on December 12 and Venus on December 18,
Comet Leonard is heading toward perihelion,
its closest approach to the Sun on January 3rd.
Appearing in late December's
beautiful evening skies after sunset,
Comet Leonard
has also become known as 2021's Christmas Comet.
Launch Update:
James
Webb Space Telescope
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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
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 16 Á A Kilometer High Cliff on Comet Churyumov Gerasimenko
- APOD: 2024 November 27 Á The Meteor and the Comet
- APOD: 2024 November 11 Á The Unusual Tails of Comet Tsuchinshan Atlas
- APOD: 2024 November 6 Á Comet Tsuchinshan Atlas over the Dolomites
- APOD: 2024 October 21 Á Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS over California
- Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS Flys Away
- Most of Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS