Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.January 24The star Rigel is shown in the featured image.There is a reflection nebula illuminated.by Rigel.You can see the explanation for more detailed information.The Witch Head Nebula has a Rigel.The image is copyrighted by José Mtanous.The visage shines in the dark thanks to the starlight and is known as the Witch Head Nebula. The telescopic portrait gives the impression that the witch has fixed her gaze on Rigel. The Witch Head Nebula is composed of dust grains reflecting Rigel's starlight and spans about 50 light-years. The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula is caused by the intense blue starlight of Rigel and the dust grains surrounding it. The blue daytime sky is caused by the same physical process as the scatterers in Earth's atmosphere are made of nitrogen and oxygen. About 800 light-years away, lies the Rigel, the Witch Head Nebula, and gas and dust.Tomorrow's picture is a comet time-lapse.The authors are Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell.Phillip Newman has specific rights.NASA has a web privacy policy.There is a service at NASA.& Michigan Tech. U.Page 2Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.January 25Leonard over one hour.Matipon Tangmatitham has a video credit and a text.Which direction is this comet going? A full 3D analysis shows that comet Leonard is almost directly away from the sun. The dust tail can only be seen as a yellow-white glow near the comet's head with this perspective. The bluish ion tail is made up of escaping ion that are forced away from the Sun by the solar wind. Sometimes solar magnetic reconnection will break the ion tail into knots that are pushed away from the Sun. The featured one-hour time-lapse video was captured in Thailand in late December. As it heads out of the Solar System, comet Leonard is fading.Notable images were submitted to the APOD of Leonard.The picture is of colorful star clouds.The authors are Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell.Phillip Newman has specific rights.NASA has a web privacy policy.There is a service at NASA.& Michigan Tech. U.
