                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

                              2023 September 11
   A scenic and hilly landscape is shown just before sunrise. On the left
   is Comet Nishimura near the horizon with a long tail fading off toward
   the top of the frame. On the right is a bright spot that is Venus. The
   sunrise sky is dark blue at the top but morphs into tan at the horizon,
    while the foreground hills are green. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

                          Beautiful Comet Nishimura
      Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava

   Explanation: This scene would be beautiful even without the comet. By
   itself, the sunrise sky is an elegant deep blue on high, with faint
   white stars peeking through, while near the horizon is a pleasing tan.
   By itself, the foreground hills of eastern Slovakia are appealingly
   green, with the Zadňa hura and Veľká hora hills in the distance, and
   with the lights of small towns along the way. Venus, by itself on the
   right, appears unusually exquisite, surrounded by a colorful
   atmospheric corona. But what attracts the eye most is the comet. On the
   left, in this composite image taken just before dawn yesterday morning,
   is Comet Nishimura. On recent mornings around the globe, its bright
   coma and long ion tail make many a morning panoramic photo unusually
   beautiful. Tomorrow, C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) will pass its nearest to the
   Earth for about the next 434 years.

                     Tomorrow's picture: galaxies galore
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

