Posted on 11/11/2024 12:27:09 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: What created an unusual dark streak in Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas's tail? Some images of the bright comet during mid-October not only caught its impressively long tail and its thin anti-tail, but a rather unexpected feature: a dark streak in the long tail. The reason for the dark streak is currently unclear and a topic of some debate. Possible reasons include a plume of dark dust, different parts of the bright tail being unusually superposed, and a shadow of a dense part of the coma on smaller dust particles. The streak is visible in the featured image taken on October 14 from Texas, USA. To help future analyses, if you have taken a good image of the comet that clearly shows this dark streak, please send it in to APOD. Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS has now faded considerably and is returning to the outer Solar System.
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.
🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔
PhD wannabes line up over here...
I had a great view of the comet when we were driving on US-97 through Oregon at dusk in October. Could not see the tail, though, even with binoculars.
Cool.
No explanation for the thin “jet” aiming the opposite direction from the tail?
Winged Space Termite.
Probably artificially intelligent planet killer.
The anti tail is because dust debris and gas gets blown away from the comet body by the solar wind. As the comet comes around the sun the heavier debris blown away follows the orbit of the comet body (rock, dust and ice). As this tail follows around the sun the remains of the old tail are behind and the new tail is blowing ahead of the comet body. In this picture the comet is travelling in the direction of the brightest tail because it is moving away from the sun and the solar wind is blowing the tail out in front of the icy dust ball comet.
When asked about it, Tsuchinshan-Atlas shrugged.
(Okay, stop groaning).
It’s the first picture of a bisected comet tail I can remember seeing. Amazing.
The comet's going Galt.
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