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Credit & Copyright: Francisco A. Rodriguez Ramirez
(AstroEduca)
Explanation:
Comet Ikeya-Zhang has become bright enough to stand out in the night sky.
Discovered February 1,
the comet has now just rounded the Sun and
has likely attained its peak brightness.
The comet appears near the
Sun
and over the next week moves from the evening sky
(just after sunset) to the morning sky (just before sunrise).
Many observers report a current brightness approaching third magnitude.
The comet is actually a
giant snowball created during the
early days of our
Solar System and
pushed out by the gravitational tugs by massive planets.
Comet Ikeya-Zhang has been back to the inner
Solar System at least once before in 1661.
Above, the comet was photographed above
Tenerife, one the
Canary Islands,
Spain.
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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 Ikeya-Zhang
Publications with words: comet Ikeya-Zhang
See also: