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APOD: 2026 April 20 Á Comet R3 PanSTARRS over a Himalayan Valley
| << Yesterday | 20.04.2026 | Tomorrow >> |
Credit & Copyright: Basudeb Chakrabarti &
Samit Saha
Explanation:
The best way to see comet R3 PanSTARRSÁs long tail is with a camera.
This week, the
recently brightened comet
appears in northern skies to the east just before dawn,
but is only barely visible to the unaided eye.
The many-degree
ion tail captured on long duration camera exposures
is not unusual for a comet -
it is primarily due to the
Earth's nearly sideways
view of the tail as it points away from the Sun.
In the
featured image taken last week, Comet
C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) showed off its flowing tail
through a valley between two peaks in the
Himalayan mountains of
India. á
The comet passed its closest to
the Sun yesterday.
As it nears its closest approach to Earth next week, a
bushy
dust tail may become visible.
The comet is slowly moving out of northern skies
and by the end of the month
will be visible after sunset
in southern skies as it fades and
leaves
our
Solar System.á
Growing Gallery:
Comet R3 PanSTARRS in 2026
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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
Publications with words: comet
See also: