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Credit & Copyright: Javier Caldera &
Miguel Gracia
Explanation:
Comet ZTF has a distinctive shape.
The now bright comet visiting the inner
Solar System has been showing not only a common
dust tail,
ion tail, and
green gas coma, but also an uncommonly distinctive
antitail.
The antitail does not actually lead the comet -- it is just that the head of the
comet is
seen superposed on part of the fanned-out and trailing dust tail.
The giant dirty snowball
that is Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has now passed its closest to the
Sun and tomorrow will pass its closest to the Earth.
The main panel of the
featured triple image
shows how Comet ZTF looked last week to the unaided eye under a dark and clear sky
over
Cöceres,
Spain.
The top inset image shows how the comet looked through
binoculars,
while the lower inset shows how the comet looked through
a small telescope.
The comet is
now visible all night long from northern latitudes but will
surely fade from easy observation during the next few weeks.
Comet ZTF Gallery:
Notable
Submissions to APOD
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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
Publications with words: comet
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