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.
February 13, 1997
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.
February 13, 1997
Explanation: Comets
become fountains of gas and dust as they get near the Sun.
Solar heat vaporizes the outer layers of these spectacular orbiting icebergs,
exposing caverns of pressurized gas that erupt into jets.
The above digitally enhanced image of Comet Hale-Bopp
was taken on January 29th and highlights several of
these dust jets.
Here, background stars appear as faint raised streaks.
Comet Hale-Bopp is currently brighter
than most stars, and is visible in the morning sky.
Comet Hale-Bopp
will continue to brighten and develop an extended tail
until April.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry
Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.:
Jay Norris.
Specific rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA
at
NASA/
GSFC
&:
Michigan Tech. U.