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Credit & Copyright: Eric Frappa, Saint-Etienne Planetarium, France
Explanation:
Where did
Comet Hyakutake come from? The orbits of the Earth and this
brightening comet are shown in the above diagram. The blue disk is
bounded by the circular orbit of the Earth about the central Sun. The
comet's
path outlines the green shape. The shape of the comet's orbit
is close to a parabola. The comet has come in from the outer Solar System,
will pass near the Earth in late March, and pass near the Sun in late April.
Comet Hyakutake
will appear bright in late March because it is so close to the Earth, and
will again appear bright in late April because it is so close to the Sun.
In late March, the comet will be "north" of the Earth and so only visible
in the Northern hemisphere. Information about how to see Comet Hyakutake
is available from
many
University astronomy departments and planetaria.
Information:
The
Scale of the Universe Debate in April 1996
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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 - comet Hyakutake - orbit
Publications with words: comet - comet Hyakutake - orbit
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