APOD: 2026 February 17 Б Tails of Comet Wierzchoе
Explanation:
Some
comets are
regular guests of our solar neighborhood;
others come by only once, never to return.
We wonБt have another chance to see
Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoе),
which is currently making its way through the inner
Solar System.
The hyperbolic orbit of this comet
indicates
that
it will likely become an interstellar traveler.
Comet Wierzchoе is
today near its closest approach
to the Earth, passing roughly the
same distance from the
Earth as is the
Sun.
The featured 30-minute exposure was taken last week in
Chile
and shows a 5-degree long
ion tail as well as three shorter
dust tails.
The green hue of the
coma comes from the breakdown of
dicarbon molecules by sunlight,
but that process does
not last long enough to also
tinge the tails.
On the far right lies a
spiral galaxy far in the distance:
NGC 300.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
