|
Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel
(TWAN)
Explanation:
Five bright comets are compared in these panels, recorded by
a coronograph on board the long-lived, sun-staring
SOHO spacecraft.
Arranged chronologically all are recognizable by their
tails
streaming
away
from the Sun at the center of
each field of view, where
a direct view of the overwhelmingly bright Sun is blocked by
the coronagraph's occulting disk.
Each comet was memorable for earthbound skygazers, starting
at top left with
Comet McNaught,
the 21st century's brightest comet (so far).
C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas,
approaching its perihelion with the active Sun at bottom center,
has most recently grabbed the
attention of comet watchers around the globe.
By the end of October 2024, the blank 6th panel may be
filled with bright sungrazer comet
C/2024
S1 Atlas.
...
or not.
|
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
Publications with words: comet
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