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Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation:
Galaxies abound in this sharp
telescopic image recorded on
October 12 in dark skies over June Lake, California.
The celestial scene spans nearly 2 degrees within the boundaries
of the well-trained northern constellation Canes Venatici.
Prominent at the upper left 23.5 million light-years distant
is big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 4258,
known to some as Messier 106.
Eye-catching edge-on spiral NGC 4217 is above and right of center
about 60 million light-years away.
Just passing through the pretty field of view is comet
C/2023 H2 Lemmon,
discovered last April in image data from the
Mount Lemmon Survey.
Here the comet sports more of a lime green coma though, along
with a faint, narrow ion tail stretching
toward the top of the frame.
This
visitor to the inner Solar
System
is presently less than 7 light-minutes away and still difficult to spot
with binoculars, but it's growing brighter.
Comet C/2023 H2 Lemmon
will reach
perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on October 29 and
perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on November 10
as it transitions from morning to evening northern skies.
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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 - M 106
Publications with words: comet - M 106
See also:
- APOD: 2024 June 4 Á Comet Pons Brooks Develops Opposing Tails
- 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
- A View Toward M106