APOD: 2026 February 17 – Tails of Comet Wierzchoś
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Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2026 February 17
Tails of Comet Wierzchoś
Image Credit & Copyright:
José J. Chambó;
Text:
Cecilia Chirenti
(NASA
GSFC,
UMCP,
CRESST II)
Explanation:
Some
comets are
regular guests of our solar neighborhood;
others come by only once, never to return.
We won’t have another chance to see
Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś),
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 Wierzchoś 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.
Tomorrow’s picture: cradle alpha
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn
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