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Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Magnificent Tail of Comet McNaught
NASA ^ | 6 Oct, 2024 | Image Credit & Copyright: Robert H. McNaught

Posted on 10/06/2024 11:51:28 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, grew a spectacularly long and filamentary tail. The magnificent tail spread across the sky and was visible for several days to Southern Hemisphere observers just after sunset. The amazing ion tail showed its greatest extent on long-duration, wide-angle camera exposures. During some times, just the tail itself was visible just above the horizon for many northern observers as well. Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught), estimated to have attained a peak brightness of magnitude -5 (minus five), was caught by the comet's discoverer in the featured image just after sunset in January 2007 from Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. Comet McNaught, the brightest comet in decades, then faded as it moved further into southern skies and away from the Sun and Earth. Over the next month, Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS, a candidate for the Great Comet of 2024, should display its most spectacular tails visible from the Earth.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; c2006p1; cometmcnaught; nasa; tsuchinshanatlas
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 10/06/2024 11:51:28 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 10/06/2024 11:51:44 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; Agatsu77; America_Right; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 10/06/2024 11:52:18 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: MtnClimber

nice


4 posted on 10/06/2024 11:57:39 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

The photo is from the astronomer who discovered the comet.


5 posted on 10/06/2024 12:02:33 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


6 posted on 10/06/2024 12:04:51 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: MtnClimber

Magnificent, yes. All uppercase, IMHO.


7 posted on 10/06/2024 12:13:04 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (Two options: 1) Stand up, or 2) Bend over)
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To: MtnClimber

That tail looks more like porcupine quills.


8 posted on 10/06/2024 12:27:47 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: Larry Lucido

You have to work a cheeseburger into the description somehow. Maybe it was a porcupine trying to steal a cheeseburger in a pine tree...


9 posted on 10/06/2024 12:40:42 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow!!!!


10 posted on 10/06/2024 12:44:06 PM PDT by Freee-dame ( )
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To: MtnClimber

Impressive!
Unfortunately, this picture is from Australia.
We in the US and in all Northern Hemisphere did not get too much of it.


11 posted on 10/06/2024 1:31:11 PM PDT by AZJeep
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To: MtnClimber

Comet seems to possess some poly-organic-chem material.


12 posted on 10/06/2024 1:41:07 PM PDT by linMcHlp
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To: MtnClimber

Surf’s Up! WOW! :)


13 posted on 10/06/2024 3:48:21 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: MtnClimber
A feather pen?


14 posted on 10/06/2024 4:27:28 PM PDT by Deaf and Discerning
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To: MtnClimber

That comet is drifting.


15 posted on 10/06/2024 5:43:28 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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