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.

2021 December 25

The Tail of a Christmas Comet

Image Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri (CARA
Project, CAST) and Lukas Demetz

Explanation: The tail of a comet streams across this three

degree wide telescopic field of view captured under dark
Namibian skies on December 21. In outburst only a few days
ago and just reaching naked eye visibility Comet Leonard
(C/2021 A1) is this year's brightest comet. Binoculars will
make the diffuse comet easier to spot though, close to the
western horizon after sunset. Details revealed in the sharp
image show the comet's coma with a greenish tinge, and
follow the interaction of the comet's ion tail with magnetic
fields in the solar wind. After passing closest to Earth on
December 12 and Venus on December 18, Comet Leonard is
heading toward perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun on
January 3rd. Appearing in late December's beautiful evening
skies Comet Leonard has also become known as 2021's
Christmas Comet.

Launch Update: James Webb Space Telescope

Tomorrow's picture: dawn of a new space telescope

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