MSGID: 1:153/757.0 fff55b85   
   TZUTC: -0800   
   CHARSET: LATIN-1   
                           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.   
      
                                 2021 December 30   
      
                         The Further Tail of Comet Leonard   
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Daniele Gasparri   
      
      Explanation: Comet Leonard, brightest comet of 2021, is at the lower   
      left of these two panels captured on December 29 in dark Atacama desert   
      skies. Heading for its perihelion on January 3 Comet Leonard's visible   
      tail has grown. Stacked exposures with a wide angle lens (also   
      displayed in a reversed B/W scheme for contrast), trace the complicated   
      ion tail for an amazing 60 degrees, with bright Jupiter shining near   
      the horizon at lower right. Material vaporizing from Comet Leonard's   
      nucleus, a mass of dust, rock, and ices about 1 kilometer across, has   
      produced the long tail of ionized gas fluorescing in the sunlight.   
      Likely flares on the comet's nucleus and buffeting by magnetic fields   
      and the solar wind in recent weeks have resulted in the tail's   
      irregular pinched and twisted appearance. Still days from its closest   
      approach to the Sun, Comet Leonard's activity should continue. The   
      comet is south of the Solar System's ecliptic plane as it sweeps   
      through the southern constellation Microscopium.   
      
                        Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5   
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