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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF)
APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 24 Dec, 2022 | Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett

Posted on 12/24/2022 1:06:14 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility this year in early March. Since then the new long-period comet has brightened substantially and is now sweeping across the northern constellation Corona Borealis in predawn skies. It's still too dim to see without a telescope though. But this fine telescopic image from December 19 does show the comet's brighter greenish coma, short broad dust tail, and long faint ion tail stretching across a 2.5 degree wide field-of-view. On a voyage through the inner Solar System comet 2022 E3 will be at perihelion, its closest to the Sun, in the new year on January 12 and at perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on February 1. The brightness of comets is notoriously unpredictable, but by then C/2022 E3 (ZTF) could become only just visible to the eye in dark night skies.

(Excerpt) Read more at apod.nasa.gov ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

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.

1 posted on 12/24/2022 1:06:14 PM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 12/24/2022 1:06:34 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; America_Right; AZ .44 MAG; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

๐Ÿช ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŒŒ ๐Ÿ”


3 posted on 12/24/2022 1:07:08 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Will it hit the earth and destroy the deep state?


4 posted on 12/24/2022 1:19:30 PM PST by Fai Mao (Stop feeding the beast, and steal its food!)
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To: MtnClimber

Nice sea foam green color like the water in Florida, pretty.


5 posted on 12/24/2022 1:21:20 PM PST by packagingguy
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To: packagingguy

Reminds me a little of comet Holmes some years ago.


6 posted on 12/24/2022 1:41:09 PM PST by telescope115 (Proud member of the ANTIFAuci movement. )
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To: Fai Mao
Will it hit the earth and destroy the deep state?

No chance while they have Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Steve Buscemi ready to roll.

7 posted on 12/24/2022 1:57:40 PM PST by MikelTackNailer (Fortunately despite aging I've been spared the ravages of maturity.)
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To: Fai Mao

As long as it doesn’t get nicknamed “Wormwood”, with its trajectory indicating an ocean impact, I’ll be happy.


8 posted on 12/24/2022 2:02:46 PM PST by AFB-XYZ (Stand up, or bend over)
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To: MtnClimber
"I've a whale of a tail to tell you boys..."

9 posted on 12/24/2022 2:41:55 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: MtnClimber

Thatโ€™s kind of what it looked like on those railroad tracks right before the train hit me.

I saw more stars, though.


10 posted on 12/24/2022 3:38:11 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancerโ€ )
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To: MtnClimber

That is no comet. That is a Romulan warbird firing.


11 posted on 12/24/2022 5:20:01 PM PST by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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