Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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 30 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. The Further Tail of Comet Leonard Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Daniele Gasparri Explanation: [5]Comet Leonard, brightest comet of 2021, is at the lower left of these two panels captured on December 29 in dark Atacama desert skies. Heading for its perihelion on January 3 [6]Comet Leonard's visible tail has grown. Stacked exposures with a wide angle lens (also displayed in a reversed B/W scheme for contrast), trace the complicated ion tail for an amazing 60 degrees, with bright Jupiter shining near the horizon at lower right. Material vaporizing [7]from Comet Leonard's nucleus, a mass of dust, rock, and ices about 1 kilometer across, has produced the long tail of ionized gas fluorescing in the sunlight. Likely flares on the [8]comet's nucleus and buffeting by magnetic fields and the solar wind in recent weeks have resulted in the tail's irregular [9]pinched and twisted appearance. Still days from its closest approach to the Sun, [10]Comet Leonard's activity should continue. The comet is [11]south of the Solar System's ecliptic plane as it sweeps through the southern constellation Microscopium. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space __________________________________________________________________ [12]< | [13]Archive | [14]Submissions | [15]Index | [16]Search | [17]Calendar | [18]RSS | [19]Education | [20]About APOD | [21]Discuss | [22]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell ([26]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [27]Specific rights apply. [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC & [32]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2112/tail_gasparri_web.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.danielegasparri.com/en/pagina-iniziale-english/ 5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211225.html 6. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4214632848640902&type=3 7. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/views-of-comet-leonard-from-two-sun-watching-spacecraft 8. https://ase.tufts.edu/cosmos/view_chapter.asp?id=12&page=5 9. https://spaceweatherarchive.com/2021/12/28/a-disconnection-event-in-the-tail-of-comet-leonard/ 10. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/comet-leonard-a-gift-at-christmastime/ 11. https://theskylive.com/3dsolarsystem?objs=cometleonard&date=2021-12-29&h=23&m=23& 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211229.html 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=211230 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211231.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. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/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/