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Credit & Copyright: Bob Yen (Comet-Track)
Explanation:
Comet LINEAR's tail appears to be extending.
Many sky watchers are closely following Comet
C/1999 S4 LINEAR
and wondering if it will develop an
impressive tail or become
visible to the naked eye later this month.
So far, the unpredictable comet is moving oddly indicating that
exploding caverns
of heated gas are causing the
comet
to shift slightly in its
orbit around the
Sun.
This volatility contributes to
Comet LINEAR newly visible two-degree tail, discernable in the
above photographic
negative taken Friday from
California.
Current
brightness estimates indicate that
Comet LINEAR will just barely become visible
without binoculars in northern skies in the days surrounding July 23
during the early evening hours.
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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 linear - tail - LINEAR
Publications with words: comet - comet linear - tail - LINEAR
See also:
- APOD: 2025 February 5 Á Comet G3 ATLAS Setting over a Chilean Hill
- APOD: 2025 February 2 Á Comet G3 ATLAS Disintegrates
- APOD: 2025 January 28 Á Comet G3 ATLAS over Uruguay
- 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