Page 1 of 1
APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:06 am
by APOD Robot
Three Galaxies and a Comet
Explanation: Diffuse starlight and dark nebulae
along the southern
Milky Way arc over the horizon and sprawl diagonally through this gorgeous nightscape. The
breath-taking mosaic spans a wide 100 degrees, with the rugged
terrain of the
Patagonia,
Argentina region in the foreground. Along with the
insider's view of
our own galaxy, the image features our outside perspective on two irregular satellite galaxies - the
Large and
Small Magellanic Clouds. The scene also captures the
broad tail and
bright coma of
Comet McNaught, the
Great Comet of 2007.
[/b]
Re: APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:58 am
by Boomer12k
Awesome!!
:---[===] *
Re: APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 7:37 am
by Ann
Comet McNaught was certainly a great comet! It was a southern hemisphere comet, so it didn't get the attention it deserved.
But today's heading made me hope for another three galaxies than the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds accompanying a comet!
Comet NEAT. Photo: Chris Schur.
I was inspired to search for other "galaxies + comet" images, and in my search I stumbled on something that made my Color Commentator heart nostalgic. Take a look at this portrait of Comet NEAT (Q4) from 2004. Chris Schur's image was
the APOD of May 12, 2004. Can you guess what the APOD caption said about the appearance and colors of the comet?
Visible is a long blue ion tail, a blue coma surrounding the comet's nucleus, and a shorter but brighter sunlight reflecting dust tail.
Incredible!!! The caption didn't even mention the yellowish tint of the dust tail, and it called the comet coma blue!!!
That just goes to show how popular and interesting the color blue used to be some fifteen years ago, and how boring and unremarkable it is seen to be today.
Ann
Re: APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:31 am
by Ann
M31 and satellites with Comet Ikeya-Zhang.
Speaking of three galaxies and a comet, here is another example. The three galaxies are Andromeda (M31), NGC 205 (below the disk of Andromeda) and M32 (the brightest of the lights in the upper left rim of the disk of Andromeda).
I like the portrait of Andromeda here. The inner bulge is very bright, but the rest of the galaxy is quite dim. That is what great M31 really looks like!
And the comet must have been quite bright!
Juan Carlos Casado's beautiful picture was the APOD of January 31, 2004.
Ann
Re: APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 1:51 pm
by bls0326
thanks Ann. Nice additions to an awesome APOD.
Brian
Re: APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 2:52 pm
by BDanielMayfield
bls0326 wrote:thanks Ann. Nice additions to an awesome APOD.
Brian
Myself and I'm sure many others agree.
Ann wrote:... just goes to show how popular and interesting the color blue used to be some fifteen years ago, and how boring and unremarkable it is seen to be today.
Ann
Myself and many others don't agree. Don't be sad Ann. We like blue too.
Bruce
Re: APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:31 am
by neufer
Ann wrote:
That just goes to show how popular and interesting the color blue used to be some fifteen years ago, and how boring and unremarkable it is seen to be today.
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Matthew: "
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
- Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood,
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
"
Re: APOD: Three Galaxies and a Comet (2018 Jan 14)
Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:22 pm
by Rodrigo
Four galaxies and a comet... Centaurus A is visible on the top left !!!!