Comet Leonard Before Star Cluster M3

Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by an astronomer.

December 12th, 2021.
The featured image shows Leonard passing by a star cluster.
You can see the explanation for more detailed information.

Leonard was near the star cluster.
The image is copyrighted by Dan Bartlett.

Leonard is now visible to the untrained eye. The comet is closest to the Earth today and can be seen this week after sunset. The comet will be seen from the south by late December. The image of the comet was taken a week ago from California. The comet's green gas coma and dust tail can be seen in the deep exposure. The comet was captured in front of a star cluster. M3 is about 35,000 light-years away. In a week, Leonard will pass very close to Venus, but will be at its closest to the Sun in early January.

Tomorrow's picture is a mountain.

Robert Nemiroff is an author and Jerry Bonnell is an editor.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a privacy policy on the internet.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by an astronomer.

December 13th, 2021.
The picture shows a volcano in the foreground.
The 2012 Geminids produced both the Auroras and the meteors.
You can see the explanation for more detailed information.

There are meteorites and Auroras over the country.
James Boardman-Woodend's image is copyrighted.

What is going on behind that mountain? Quite a lot. Kirkjufell is a mountain that is quite old and located in western Iceland near the town of Grundarfjrur. In front of the steeply-sloped structure lies a fjord that had just begun to freeze when the above image was taken. The beautiful colors of the background Aurorae became apparent on the 25-second exposure, even though it was quite faint to the eye. The image captures streaks from the Geminids meteor shower, which may not have been seen by the average person, and the Aurora was much brighter. The band of the Milky Way is far away, while the stars from our local part of the Milky Way are in the background. Sky enthusiasts may get to see their own memorable visual experiences tonight when the Geminids meteor shower peaks again.

Tomorrow's picture is a hidden jet.

Robert Nemiroff is an author and Jerry Bonnell is an editor.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a privacy policy on the internet.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.