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Credit & Copyright: Brian Lula
Explanation:
Outbound and climbing above the
plane of our solar system,
comet
McNaught-Hartley (C/1999 T1) is
presently soaring through northern skies.
This
telescopic picture,
a composite of many 30 second exposures
made through three color filters,
recorded the delicate colors in its
diminutive coma
and faint tail on February 26th.
Combining the exposures to produce the final image registered on
the comet causes stars to appear as "dotted trails", evidence
of
the comet's motion relative to the distant stellar background.
Discovered by
southern hemisphere observers, this comet's closest
approach to the Sun occurred in December last year
as it passed just outside planet Earth's orbit.
For now the brightest
comet in the sky,
this primordial chunk of solar system
is crossing from the constellation
Hercules to
Draco
and will continue to fade.
Never visible
to the unaided eye, McNaught-Hartley
is still at about 10th magnitude and can be viewed by
comet seekers using small telescopes.
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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 - C/1999 T1 - comet mcnaught-hartley
Publications with words: comet - C/1999 T1 - comet mcnaught-hartley
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