Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Tue Jun 04 2024 00:34:12

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2024 June 4
   A dark star filled sky is shown with the wisps extending the length of
     the image. The wisps are the two tails of Comet 12P. A particularly
     bright star is visible near the bottom of the frame. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                  Comet Pons-Brooks Develops Opposing Tails
          Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri & Lukas Demetz

   Explanation: Why does Comet Pons-Brooks now have tails pointing in
   opposite directions? The most spectacular tail is the blue-glowing ion
   tail that is visible flowing down the image. The ion tail is pushed
   directly out from the Sun by the solar wind. On the upper right is the
   glowing central coma of Comet 12P/PonsCÇôBrooks. Fanning out from the
   coma, mostly to the left, is the comet's dust tail. Pushed out and
   slowed down by the pressure of sunlight, the dust tail tends to trail
   the comet along its orbit and, from some viewing angles, can appear
   opposite to the ion tail. The distant, bright star Alpha Leporis is
   seen at the bottom of the featured image captured last week from
   Namibia. Two days ago, the comet passed its closest to the Earth and is
   now best visible from southern skies as it dims and glides back to the
   outer Solar System.

                     Tomorrow's picture: mystery martian
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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