APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
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.
A Fisheye View of Comet Hale-Bopp
Explanation: Thousands of stars, several constellations, a planet and a comet all graced the western horizon over Ujue, Spain just after sunset on April 4th, 1997. Because the picture was taken with a fisheye lens, much of the whole night sky is visible. Comet Hale-Bopp , with both tails blazing, appears right of center. The brightest star is Sirius near the edge, well to the left of the constellation Orion . The red star above the belt of Orion is Betelgeuse , while the red star near the center is Aldebaran , just to the left of the bright Pleaides star cluster. Many other interesting astronomical objects are visible, including zodiacal light , which is the diffuse triangular glow in the center. Even the planet Mercury appears just over the horizon.
| Date | August 25, 1997 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit & Copyright: J. C. Casado |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |