                        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.

                               2023 January 28

                          Comet ZTF over Mount Etna
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile

   Explanation: Comet-like plumes are blowing over the volcanic peaks of
   Mount Etna in this wintry mountain-and-skyscape from planet Earth. The
   stacked and blended combination of individual exposures recorded during
   the cold night of January 23, also capture naked-eye Comet ZTF just
   above Etna's snowy slopes. Of course increasing sunlight and the solar
   wind are responsible for the comet's greenish coma and broad dusty
   tail. This weekend Comet ZTF is dashing across northern skies between
   north star Polaris and the Big Dipper. From a dark site you can only
   just spot it as a fuzzy patch though. That's still an impressive
   achievement if you consider you are gazing at a visitor from the
   distant Oort cloud with your own eyes. But binoculars or a small
   telescope will make for an even more enjoyable view of this Comet ZTF
   in the coming days.

               Comet ZTF Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
                 Tomorrow's picture: dark marking on the sky
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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