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.


Two Comets and a Star Cluster
Explanation: Two unusual spots are on the move near the famous Pleiades star cluster. Shifting only a small amount per night, these spots are actually comets in our nearby Solar System that by chance wandered into the field of the light-year s distant stars. On the far left is comet C/2017 O1 ASAS-SN, a multi-kilometer block of evaporating ice sporting a bright coma of surrounding gas dominated by green-glowing carbon. Comet ASAS-SN1 shows a slight tail to its lower right. Near the frame center is comet C/2015 ER61 PanSTARRS , also a giant block of evaporating ice , but sporting a rather long tail to its right. On the upper right is the Pleiades , an open cluster dominated by bright blue stars illuminating nearby reflecting dust . This exposure, taken about two weeks ago, is so deep that the filamentary interstellar dust can be traced across the entire field . The Pleiades is visible to the un aided eye , but it should require binoculars to see the comets .
| Date | October 2, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Damian Peach |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |


