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Credit & Copyright: Olivier Hainaut
(ESO) et al.,
MPG/ESO 2.2-m Telescope,
WFI,
La Silla Observatory,
ESO
Explanation:
Whatever became of
Comet Hale-Bopp?
The brightest
comet in recent years has continued into the outer
Solar System and is now further from the
Sun than
Saturn.
To the surprise of many,
Comet Hale-Bopp is still active,
continuing to spew gas, ice and
dust particles out into space.
Pictured above earlier this month,
Comet Hale-Bopp
can be seen in the
Southern Hemisphere
with a moderate sized-telescope.
The continued activity of
Comet Hale-Bopp
may be due to the large size of its
nucleus - estimated to be about 50 kilometers across.
The unusual dotted appearance of most stars in the
above image
is due to the 14 discrete exposures that were centered on the
comet and not the stars.
Tomorrow's picture: Cheesy Mars
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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 - Comet Hale-Bopp
Publications with words: comet - Comet Hale-Bopp
See also:
- APOD: 2024 April 17 Á Total Eclipse and Comets
- APOD: 2024 April 8 Á The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Pons Brooks
- Comet Pons-Brooks at Night
- APOD: 2024 March 18 Á Comet Pons Brooks Swirling Coma
- Comet 12P/Pons Brooks in Northern Spring
- Structure in the Tail of Comet 12P/Pons Brooks
- The Snows of Churyumov Gerasimenko