Comet Ikeya-Zhang Over Tenerife

Explanation: Comet Ikeya-Zhang has become bright enough to stand out in the night sky. Discovered February 1 , the comet has now just rounded the Sun and has likely attained its peak brightness . The comet appears near the Sun and over the next week moves from the evening sky (just after sunset) to the morning sky (just before sunrise). Many observers report a current brightness approaching third magnitude. The comet is actually a giant snowball created during the early days of our Solar System and pushed out by the gravitational tugs by massive planets. Comet Ikeya-Zhang has been back to the inner Solar System at least once before in 1661. Above, the comet was photographed above Tenerife , one the Canary Islands , Spain .