APOD: Rosetta and Comet Outbound (2015 Nov 28)

[APOD Robot]

Rosetta and Comet Outbound

Explanation: Not a bright comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko now sweeps slowly through planet Earth's predawn skies near the line-up of planets along the ecliptic. Still, this composite of telescopic images follows the comet's progress as it moves away from the Sun beyond the orbit of Mars, from late September (left) through late November (far right). Its faint but extensive coma and tails are viewed against the colorful background of stars near the eastern edge of the constellation Leo. A year ago, before its perihelion passage, the comet was less active, though. Then the Rosetta mission's lander Philae made its historic landing, touching down on the surface of the comet's nucleus.

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[Boomer12k]

Bye-bye comet and Rosetta.....

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[Ann]

I think it's interesting that Comet 67P seemed to reach its maximum brightness in the second image in today's APOD. I assume the second image is from (early) October. Clearly the comet's coma appears to be greenest in that image. In the third image the coma is quite yellowish, as if its light had been reddened by dust. It is as if there had been an outgassing event that brightened the coma and enhanced its green color in early October. Then there was an increase in the dust production. And after that, the comet returned to its previous level of activity.

Ann

[inertnet]

Someone has been messing with the background stars. In the second and last picture, the background star field at the bottom are copies. But not in the center around the comet, so it can't be the same region of space. I think I see more parts that are copies of each other.

[heehaw]

I think it is really ONE shot, of Shoemaker-Levy.

[neufer]

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

[grammar granny]

Please. It's its, unless you mean it is, in which case it's it's. Check any dictionary. The possessive does not have an apostrophe. You write his rather than hi's, don't you?

[geckzilla]

Please. It's its, unless you mean it is, in which case it's it's. Check any dictionary. The possessive does not have an apostrophe. You write his rather than hi's, don't you?

I dont usually mess up apostrophe's, but when I do its to mess with persons' like you.

[BillBixby]

"by grammar granny » Sat Nov 28, 2015 5:16 am
Please. It's its, unless you mean it is, in which case it's it's. Check any dictionary. The possessive does not have an apostrophe. You write his rather than hi's, don't you?"

GG, I would get on the grammar bandwagon with you if this were not the APOD. Thank you for showing the correction of usage and keep up the good work. But put a smile on it with the APOD. Many of the persons posting here are ESL. The content of what is being posted is more important, to me, than the inaccurate spelling of the possessive. The "poster" may appreciate the correction but I would not like anyone to stop posting for fear of a misapplication of usage. I feel the ideas being expressed are paramount here.

I would have private emailed this to you were my addled old mind able to figure a way to do so.

U.S.ofA. American English is my only language. Feel free to correct me to your heart's desire for improper usage and abuse of the language.

Bill

[neufer]

Sleek and delicate, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko crosses a field of galaxies in the constellation Virgo on Jan. 18, 2016. Now about five months past perihelion, its closest approach to the sun, the comet is cooling as it swings back out toward Jupiter. The large galaxy is NGC 4365. Credit: Damian Peach

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