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Credit & Copyright: Johannes Schedler
(Panther Observatory)
Explanation:
Faint
comet
Tempel 1 sports a fuzzy blue-tinted tail,
just right of center in this
lovely field of stars.
Recorded on May 3rd slowly sweeping through the
constellation Virgo,
periodic comet Tempel 1
orbits the Sun once every 5.5 years.
Also caught in the skyview are two galaxies
at the upper left -
NGC 4762 and NGC 4754 -
both members of the large
Virgo
Cluster of galaxies.
Classified as a
lenticular
galaxy, NGC 4762
presents an edge-on disk as a narrow gash of light
while NGC 4754 is a football-shaped
elliptical galaxy.
Similar in apparent size,
the galaxies and comet make for an intriguing
visual comparison,
but Tempel 1 is only about 3 light-minutes from planet Earth.
The two Virgo cluster galaxies are 50 million
light-years away.
NASA's
Deep Impact
spacecraft is scheduled to encounter
Tempel 1 on July 4th, launching a probe to impact
the comet's nucleus.
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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 - lenticular galaxy - Elliptical Galaxy
Publications with words: comet - lenticular galaxy - Elliptical Galaxy
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