Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Comet Castle

NASA ^ | March 22, 2013 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: The broad dust tail of Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) has become a familiar sight for many northern hemisphere comet watchers, as the comet fades but rises higher above the western horizon after sunset. This view of the popular comet may seem a little fantastic, though. Sweeping away from the Sun and trailing behind the comet's orbit, the curving dust tail also seems to stream away from a shining mountaintop castle. Comet Castle might be an appropriate name in this scene, but its traditional name is Castle Hohenzollern. Taken on March 15 with an extreme telephoto lens, the Comet Castle image was captured in exceptionally clear skies about 80 kilometers away from Stuttgart, Germany.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: Stefan Seip (TWAN)]

[SunkenCiv]

For such a stern, gloomy, warlike people, it's hard to argue that they didn't lead the world in whimsy when they built some of their castles.

Gallery: Comet PanSTARRS

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[BenLurkin]

Der Wonne seligen Saal
bewachen mir Tür und Tor:
Mannes Ehre, ewige Macht,
ragen zu endlosem Ruhm!

[BenLurkin]

Vollendet das ewige Werk!
Auf Berges Gipfel die Götterburg;
prächtig prahlt der prangende Bau!
Wie im Traum ich ihn trug,
wie mein Wille ihn wies, stark und schön
steht er zur Schau; hehrer, herrlicher Bau!

[logitech]

Awesome! I’m a lurker on APOD, but I ever miss them.

[logitech]

ever = you know

[dr_lew]

The comet was almost due west, and in fact passed the due west point within a few minutes of photo, so we need only look for a vantage point to the east. Note that most of the Google images are from a western view, showing the castle in the late afternoon sun.

As luck would have it, Google 3d buildings includes the castle, and everything lines up nicely from the POV of a ridge in the foreground of the Google Earth screen shot below, which includes a line of sight with bearing indicated. So, if this isn't the spot, it ought to be!

I added the zoom-in along the same line of sight which corresponds very well with the APOD. If you are inclined to nitpick, just try it!

[RegulatorCountry]

Mad King Ludwig II was responsible for practically all of those whImsical castles, so there’s a whimsical reason for the flights of fancy. Bavarians weren’t the stern, warlike Germans of popular perception. Those would be Prussians.

[dr_lew]

Whoa! Wait a sec! It says 80 km. This puts the photographer in the city of Senden, near Ulm ( well known as Einstein's birthplace to Xword afficiandos. ) Google, in its infinite wisdom, chooses not to show the Senden label at this scale. Whaddaya gonna do?

[left that other site]

The comet could be seen over Disney World? Who Knew?

(joke...just in case anyone thinks I didn’t read the article...hahaha)