                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                              2018 September 13
                                      [2]
                         Comet, Clusters and Nebulae
             Image Credit & Copyright [3] : Mohammad Nouroozi [4]

Explanation: Bright enough for binocular viewing Comet 21P / Giacobini-Zinner
[5]  stands out, even in this deep telephoto mosaic [6]  of the star cluster
and nebula rich constellation Auriga [7] the Charioteer. On the night of
September 9 its greenish coma and diffuse tail contrast with the colorful
stars and reddish emission nebulae in the almost 10 degree field of view along
the Milky Way. The comet was near its perihelion and closest approach to
Earth, about 200 light-seconds away. Riding across the distant background just
above the comet's tail are well-known Auriga star clusters M38 (left of
center) and M36 (toward the right) about 4,000 light-years away. At the top
left, emission region IC 405 is only 1,500 light-years distant, more
dramatically known as the Flaming Star Nebula [8] . To its right lies IC 410,
12,000 light-years away and famous for its star-forming cosmic tadpoles [9] .
A child of our Solar System [10]  Giacobini-Zinner is a periodic comet
orbiting the Sun once every 6.5 years, and the parent body of October's
Draconids meteor shower [11] .

                      Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space

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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1809/Comet-21p-Giacobini-ZinnerX93.jpg
  [3] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [4] https://www.facebook.com/rayan.nouroozi
  [5] https://in-the-sky.org/data/object.php?id=0021p
  [6] https://www.astrobin.com/366000/B/?nc=user
  [7] ap140213.html
  [8] ap161201.html
  [9] ap151113.html
  [10] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/small-bodies/comets/overview/
  [11] ap111019.html
  [12] ap180912.html
  [13] archivepix.html
  [14] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [15] lib/aptree.html
  [16] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [17] calendar/allyears.html
  [18] /apod.rss
  [19] lib/edlinks.html
  [20] lib/about_apod.html
  [21] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180913
  [22] ap180914.html
  [23] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [24] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [25] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [26] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [27] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [28] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [29] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [30] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [31] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [32] http://www.mtu.edu/
