Credit & Copyright: Lorand Fenyes
Explanation:
The Big Dipper
is an easy to recognize, well-known asterism in
northern skies, though many see the
Plough
or Wagon.
Famous bright nebulae of the north can also be found along
its familiar lines, highlighted in this carefully
composed scene with telescopic insets framed in the wider-field
skyview.
All from
Messier's
catalog,
M101 and
M51 are cosmic pinwheel and
whirlpool on the left, spiral galaxies far beyond the Milky Way.
To the right, M108,
a distant edge-on spiral galaxy is seen
close to our galaxy's own
owl-faced planetary nebula M97.
Taken
on January 16, the wider-field view seems to include
an extra star along the Dipper's handle, though.
That's Comet Catalina
(C/2013
US10) now sweeping through
northern nights.
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
|
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet - M 101 - M 51 - M 97
Publications with words: comet - M 101 - M 51 - M 97
See also:
- APOD: 2024 June 4 Á Comet Pons Brooks Develops Opposing Tails
- APOD: 2024 April 17 Á Total Eclipse and Comets
- APOD: 2024 April 8 Á The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Pons Brooks
- Unwinding M51
- Comet Pons-Brooks at Night
- APOD: 2024 March 18 Á Comet Pons Brooks Swirling Coma
- Comet 12P/Pons Brooks in Northern Spring