Posted on 12/30/2021 1:56:20 PM PST by MtnClimber
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.
Explanation: Comet Leonard, brightest comet of 2021, is at the lower left of these two panels captured on December 29 in dark Atacama desert skies. Heading for its perihelion on January 3 Comet Leonard's visible tail has grown. Stacked exposures with a wide angle lens (also displayed in a reversed B/W scheme for contrast), trace the complicated ion tail for an amazing 60 degrees, with bright Jupiter shining near the horizon at lower right. Material vaporizing from Comet Leonard's nucleus, a mass of dust, rock, and ices about 1 kilometer across, has produced the long tail of ionized gas fluorescing in the sunlight. Likely flares on the comet's nucleus and buffeting by magnetic fields and the solar wind in recent weeks have resulted in the tail's irregular pinched and twisted appearance. Still days from its closest approach to the Sun, Comet Leonard's activity should continue. The comet is south of the Solar System's ecliptic plane as it sweeps through the southern constellation Microscopium.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
That’s pretty cool. Leonard is putting on a lot better show than Halley did the last time it passed by.
Halley was a big disappointment. As soon as the weather clears up, I’ll have to look for Leonard. We have a New Years snowstorm coming, hopefully I’ll get to see it afterwards. Has anyone here been able to see it? If so, and you used optical aid, what did you use?
I’m not sure comet Leonard can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere now.
Way better than Kohoutek in...’73?
Wow! From the Atacama Desert! That’s down in Chile, IIRC.
Duh. That’s what it sez...
Wow, I’d forgotten all about Kahoutek. Your memory is a lot better than mine!
One comet that turned out to be better than the predictions, IMHO, was Hale-Bopp. Never mind the purple blankets. :-)
That is not a comet but a starship with battle damage.
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