by APOD Robot » Sun Jun 05, 2016 4:07 am
Comet PanSTARRS and the Helix Nebula
Explanation: It's rare that such different objects are imaged so
close together. Such an occasion is
occurring now, though, and was
captured two days ago in combined parallel exposures from the
Canary Islands of
Spain. On the lower right, surrounded by a
green coma and emanating an unusually
split blue ion tail diagonally across the frame, is
Comet C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS). This giant snowball has been
falling toward our Sun and brightening since its discovery in 2013. Although
Comet PannSTARRS is a picturesque target for long-duration exposures of astrophotography, it is expected to be only barely
visible to the un
aided eye when it reaches its peak brightness in the next month. On the upper left, surrounded by
red-glowing gas, is the also-picturesque
Helix Nebula. At 700
light years distant,
the Helix is not only much further away than the comet, but is expected to retain its appearance for thousands of years.
[/b]
[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160605.html][img]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_160605.jpg[/img] [size=150]Comet PanSTARRS and the Helix Nebula[/size][/url]
[b] Explanation: [/b] It's rare that such different objects are imaged so [url=http://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2016/06/comet-c2013-x1-panstarrs-near-helix.html]close together[/url]. Such an occasion is [url=https://www.facebook.com/fritzhelmut.hemmerich/videos/1278228772190677/]occurring now[/url], though, and was [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/fhhemmerich/27343811732/in/dateposted/]captured two days ago[/url] in combined parallel exposures from the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands]Canary Islands[/url] of [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain]Spain[/url]. On the lower right, surrounded by a [url=http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/05jan_machholz/]green coma[/url] and emanating an unusually [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150117.html]split blue ion tail[/url] diagonally across the frame, is [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2013_X1]Comet C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS)[/url]. This giant snowball has been [url=http://theskylive.com/c2013x1-info]falling toward our Sun[/url] and brightening since its discovery in 2013. Although [url=http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2013X1/2013X1.html]Comet PannSTARRS[/url] is a picturesque target for long-duration exposures of astrophotography, it is expected to be only barely [url=http://cometbase.net/en/observation/listObserv/129]visible[/url] to the un[url=http://www.celebritydachshund.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dog-looking-through-magnifying-glass-1.jpg]aided eye[/url] when it reaches its peak brightness in the next month. On the upper left, surrounded by [url=http://www.lcas-astronomy.org/articles/display.php?filename=why_are_emission_nebulae_colored_red&category=observing]red-glowing[/url] gas, is the also-picturesque [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141012.html]Helix Nebula[/url]. At 700 [url=https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical_Thinking/how_long_is_a_light_year.htm]light years[/url] distant, [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120131.html]the Helix[/url] is not only much further away than the comet, but is expected to retain its appearance for thousands of years.
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