|
Credit & Copyright: Gregg Ruppel
Explanation:
Sweeping through
northern predawn skies, on November 24
Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1)
was caught between
two galaxies in this
composite telescopic
image.
Sporting a greenish coma the comet's dusty tail seems to harpoon the
heart
of NGC 4631 (top) also known as the Whale Galaxy.
Of course
NGC 4631 and NGC 4656
(bottom, aka the Hockey Stick)
are background galaxies some 25 million light-years away.
On that date the comet was about 6 light-minutes from our fair planet.
Its closest approach to Earth (and even closer approach
to Venus)
still to come,
Comet
Leonard will
grow brighter in December.
Already
a good object
for binoculars and small telescopes,
this comet will likely not return to the inner Solar System.
Its perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun, will be on January 3, 2022.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 - galaxies
Publications with words: comet - galaxies
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 31 Á The Twisted Disk of NGC 4753
- APOD: 2024 December 18 Á NGC 660: Polar Ring Galaxy
- 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