Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Comet PanSTARRS and the Helix Nebula

NASA ^ | Sunday, June 05, 2016 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: It's rare that such different objects are imaged so close together. Such an occasion is occurring now, though, and was captured two days ago in combined parallel exposures from the Canary Islands of Spain. On the lower right, surrounded by a green coma and emanating an unusually split blue ion tail diagonally across the frame, is Comet C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS). This giant snowball has been falling toward our Sun and brightening since its discovery in 2013. Although Comet PannSTARRS is a picturesque target for long-duration exposures of astrophotography, it is expected to be only barely visible to the unaided eye when it reaches its peak brightness in the next month. On the upper left, surrounded by red-glowing gas, is the also-picturesque Helix Nebula. At 700 light years distant, the Helix is not only much further away than the comet, but is expected to retain its appearance for thousands of years.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit and Copyright: Fritz Helmut Hemmerich]

[SunkenCiv]

The Big One

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[Zuse]

Electric/Plasma Universe people should enjoy this one:

red-glowing gas together with the giant snowball!

[Talisker]

Now that is truly gorgeous!

[SunkenCiv]

All they’re missing there is the amber light. ;’)

Lots more on green comets;

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/greencomet/index

[Talisker]

What would an amber light indicate?

[SunkenCiv]

Red, amber, green?

[Talisker]

Red, amber, green?

Lol. Or red light turning to green light, without needing a yellow in that direction.

Stop it. You make me start thinking like that, I'm going to drink a few beers and then start posting hollow earth stories...

[Larry Lucido]

Amber Lamps?

[dr_lew]

Here's a comparison of the photo with my Starry Night imagery for 10:43PM CDT June 2, 1016. I used my home location by deleting the "horizon" so that I can look in any direction in space. The comet's location changes on this scale over the course of few hours, and this seems like a pretty good match.

[SunkenCiv]

That was just her stage name.

[SunkenCiv]

Interesting.

[SunkenCiv]

“Hollow? Earth?” ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Zuse, you may be onto something there.

[Swordmaker]

Electric Universe . . . A green comet? Yup. Shown against a background of a nebula which is also a plasma phenomena. — PING!

Comet PanSTARRS and the Helix Nebula

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[Boogieman]

I was hoping after we landed on one and found no snow, they might stop calling them “snowballs”. No luck, I guess.

[Boogieman]

That somebody called the amber lamps.

[Talisker]

That somebody called the amber lamps.

I actually thought of that. Proof I've been on FR to much.

And you have too!