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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.
The Long Tails Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Explanation: A bright comet is moving into the evening skies. C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has brightened and even though it is now easily visible to the unaided eye, it is so near to the Sun that it is still difficult to see. Pictured , Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was captured just before sunrise from an Andes Mountain in Peru . Braving cold weather, this unusually high perch gave the astrophotographer such a low eastern horizon that the comet was obvious in the pre-dawn sky. Visible in the featured image is not only an impressively long dust tail extending over many degrees , but an impressively long and blue ion tail , too. This month, as the comet moves out from the Sun and passes the Earth , evening observers should be able to see the huge dirty ice ball toward the west just after sunset .
Growing Gallery: Comet Tsuchinsan-ATLAS in 2024
| Date | October 7, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Jose Santivañez Mueras |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |