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Credit & Copyright: T. Polakis
Explanation:
Two years ago, the
Great Comet of 1996,
Comet Hyakutake,
inched across our northern sky during its
long orbit around the
Sun. Visible above as the
bright spot with the
faint tail
near the picture's center,
Comet Hyakutake
shares the stage with part of the central band of the
Milky Way Galaxy,
prominent in the picture's upper right. Also visible are
Antares,
the bright orange star in the upper right, Arcturus, the bright star on the lower left, and the
Pipe Nebula,
which is perhaps harder to find.
Comet Hyakutake's
unusually close approach to the
Earth allowed astronomers
to learn many things, including that
comets can emit much X-ray light.
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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 Hyakutake - Milky Way
Publications with words: comet Hyakutake - Milky Way
See also:
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
- Milky Way Rising
- APOD: 2023 July 18 Á Milky Way above La Palma Observatory
- APOD: 2023 July 16 Á Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps
- APOD: 2023 July 2 Á Milky Way and Aurora over Antarctica
- APOD: 2023 June 20 Á The Nandu in the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 May 29 Á Milky Way over a Turquoise Wonderland