Posted on 03/26/2024 12:47:45 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Comet Pons-Brooks has quite a tail to tell. First discovered in 1385, this erupting dirty snowball loops back into our inner Solar System every 71 years and, this time, is starting to put on a show for deep camera exposures. In the featured picture, the light blue stream is the ion tail which consists of charged molecules pushed away from the comet's nucleus by the solar wind. The ion tail, shaped by the Sun's wind and the comet's core's rotation, always points away from the Sun. Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks is now visible with binoculars in the early evening sky toward the northwest, moving perceptibly from night to night. The frequently flaring comet is expected to continue to brighten, on the average, and may even become visible with the unaided eye -- during the day -- to those in the path of totality of the coming solar eclipse on April 8.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Very cool.
Nice
If you download a star map app you will see there are many comets at all times. Some are visible without a telescope. Your camera is very sensitive and can record objects in color in seconds that were impossible with film. Add a telescope and you will see more right away then those that took hours using film.
Stellarium - Star Map
https://stellarium.org for PC and mac.
Stellarium Mobile - Star Map for cellphones
Microsoft store has many star charts. Start button> Microsoft Store
Or use their web browser version.
https://stellarium-web.org
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