Astronomy Picture of the Day 3-07-02

NASA ^ | 3-07-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

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.

2002 March 7

Comet Ikeya-Zhang Brightens
Credit & Copyright: Gerald Rhemann

Explanation: In the last week, Comet Ikeya-Zhang has become bright enough to be just visible to the unaided eye. Based on its present activity, observers are optimistic that Ikeya-Zhang will become substantially brighter. This composite color image from March 3rd, captured with a wide-field telescope, shows this active comet's bright, condensed coma and a delightful array of subtle structures in its developing tail. The bluish tail stretches for 5 degrees or so against a background of stars in the constellation Pisces. In the coming days look for the comet hanging low in the western evening sky (below a bright yellowish Mars), eventually becoming difficult to see in the March twilight. But after April begins, Ikeya-Zhang will become a predawn object climbing higher into the morning sky as the month progresses. Cataloged as comet C/2002 C1, improved orbit determinations now make it seem very likely that Comet Ikeya-Zhang has been around here before. Refined calculations indicate this comet's last trip through the inner Solar System was 341 years ago, in 1661, when it was recorded as a bright comet.

[petuniasevan]

Beautiful, isn't it?

Would anyone like me to go a "best of" series with the archive photos?

[petuniasevan]

go=DO......DOH!

[B-bone]

Cool

I didn't know about this site until you started posting.

I'm currently using M27 (3/2/02) on a black background for my desktop wallpaper. Looks great.