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. 2023 January 31 [2]Comet ZTF is shown high above and far beyond a row of silhouetted trees. The top inset image shows how the comet looked through binoculars, while the lower inset image shows how the comet looked, last week, thought a small telescope. The lower inset image clearly shows the comets coma, dust tail, ion tail, and a noticeable antitail. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. A Triple View of Comet ZTF Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Javier Caldera & [4]Miguel Gracia Explanation: Comet ZTF has a distinctive shape. The now bright comet visiting the inner [5]Solar System has been showing not only a common [6]dust tail, [7]ion tail, and [8]green gas coma, but also an uncommonly distinctive [9]antitail. The antitail does not actually lead the comet -- it is just that the head of the comet is [10]seen superposed on part of the fanned-out and trailing dust tail. The [11]giant dirty snowball that is [12]Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has now passed its closest to the [13]Sun and tomorrow will pass its closest to the Earth. The main panel of the [14]featured triple image shows how Comet ZTF looked last week to the unaided eye under a dark and clear sky over [15]Cáceres, [16]Spain. The top inset image shows how the comet looked through [17]binoculars, while the lower inset shows how the comet looked through [18]a small telescope. The comet is [19]now visible all night long from northern latitudes but will [20]surely fade from easy observation during the next few weeks. Comet ZTF Gallery: [21]Notable Submissions to APOD Tomorrow's picture: planets real and imagined __________________________________________________________________ [22]< | [23]Archive | [24]Submissions | [25]Index | [26]Search | [27]Calendar | [28]RSS | [29]Education | [30]About APOD | [31]Discuss | [32]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell ([36]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [37]Specific rights apply. [38]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [39]ASD at [40]NASA / [41]GSFC, [42]NASA Science Activation & [43]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2301/TripleCometZTF_Caldera_3574.jpg 3. https://www.instagram.com/astrocld/ 4. https://www.instagram.com/mxguelastro/ 5. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/in-depth/ 6. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comets/en/anatomy-of-a-comet.en.jpg 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210308.html 8. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/science/why-comets-are-green.html 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antitail 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antitail#/media/File:Anti-tail.jpg 11. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comets/en/ 12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2022_E3_(ZTF) 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230114.html 14. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn1tZRBoXSF/ 15. https://youtu.be/pAWvXFfI2yo 16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain 17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binoculars 18. https://www.atnf.csiro.au/outreach/education/senior/astrophysics/galileo.html 19. https://in-the-sky.org/ephemeris.php?objtxt=CK22E030 20. https://www.womansworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/sad-cat-eyes-1.jpg 21. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.172146088847310&type=3 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230130.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 31. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230131 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230201.html 33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 39. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 40. https://www.nasa.gov/ 41. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 42. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 43. http://www.mtu.edu/