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Credit & Copyright: Petr Horölek /
Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation:
As spring approaches for northern skygazers
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks
is growing brighter.
Currently visible
with small telescopes and binoculars
the Halley-type comet could reach naked eye visibility in the
coming weeks.
Seen despite a foggy atmosphere,
the comet's green coma and long tail hover near the horizon,
in this well-composed
deep night skyscape
from Revuca, Slovakia recorded on March 5.
In the sky above the Halley-type comet,
the Andromeda (right) and Triangulum galaxies
flank bright star Mirach,
beta star of the constellation Andromeda.
The two spiral galaxies are members of our local galaxy group and
over 2.5 million light-years distant.
Comet Pons-Brooks is a periodic
visitor to the inner Solar
System
and less than 14 light-minutes away.
Reaching its perihelion on April 21, this comet should be visible
in the sky
during
the April 8 total solar eclipse.
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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
Publications with words: comet
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
- Structure in the Tail of Comet 12P/Pons Brooks
- The Snows of Churyumov Gerasimenko
- Vega and Comet 12P Pons-Brooks