Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 February 16
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

               Structure in the Tail of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Dan Bartlett`

   Explanation: Heading for its next perihelion passage on April 21,
   [5]Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is growing brighter. The greenish coma of this
   periodic Halley-type comet has become relatively easy to observe in
   small telescopes. But the [6]bluish ion tail now streaming from the
   active comet's coma and buffeted by the solar wind, is faint and
   difficult to follow. Still, [7]in this image stacked exposures made on
   the night of February 11 reveal the fainter tail's detailed structures.
   The frame spans over two degrees across a background of faint stars and
   background galaxies toward the northern constellation Lacerta. [8]Of
   course Comet 12P's April 21 perihelion passage will be only two weeks
   after the April 8 total solar eclipse, putting the comet in planet
   Earth's sky along with a [9]totally eclipsed Sun.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
     __________________________________________________________________

      [10]< | [11]Archive | [12]Submissions | [13]Index | [14]Search |
   [15]Calendar | [16]RSS | [17]Education | [18]About APOD | [19]Discuss |
                                    [20]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [21]Robert Nemiroff ([22]MTU) & [23]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([24]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [25]Specific rights apply.
              [26]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [27]ASD at [28]NASA / [29]GSFC,
                         [30]NASA Science Activation
                           & [31]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2402/12P_Pons_Brooks_2024_02_11_185335PST_JuneLake_DEBartlett.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/h2ologg/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12P/Pons–Brooks
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230109.html
   7. https://www.astrobin.com/3wdu89/B/
   8. https://www.universetoday.com/165447/the-comet-vs-the-eclipse-12p-pons-brooks-heads-towards-perihelion-in-april/
   9. https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240215.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  14. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  19. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240216
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240217.html
  21. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  24. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  27. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  30. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  31. http://www.mtu.edu/