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 March 24 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Outbound Comet ZTF Image Credit & [3]Copyright: Rolando Ligustri Explanation: [4]Former darling of the northern sky Comet C/2022E3 (ZTF) has [5]faded. During its closest approach to our fair planet in [6]early February Comet ZTF was a mere 2.3 light-minutes distant. Then known as the green comet, this visitor from the [7]remote Oort Cloud is now nearly 13.3 light-minutes away. In this deep image, composed of exposures [8]captured on March 21, the comet still sports a broad, whitish dust tail and greenish tinted coma though. Not far [9]on the sky from Orion's bright star Rigel, Comet ZTF shares the field of view with faint, dusty nebulae and distant background galaxies. The telephoto frame is crowded with Milky Way stars toward the constellation Eridanus. The influence of Jupiter's gravity on the comet's orbit as ZTF headed for the inner solar system, may have set the comet on an outbound journey, [10]never to return. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend __________________________________________________________________ [11]< | [12]Archive | [13]Submissions | [14]Index | [15]Search | [16]Calendar | [17]RSS | [18]Education | [19]About APOD | [20]Discuss | [21]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell ([25]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [26]Specific rights apply. [27]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [28]ASD at [29]NASA / [30]GSFC, [31]NASA Science Activation & [32]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2303/C2022E3_230321.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.172146088847310 5. http://aerith.net/comet/catalog/2022E3/2022E3.html 6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230210.html 7. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/oort-cloud/in-depth/ 8. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6646932448668479&set=ecnf.100000553682989 9. https://theskylive.com/c2022e3-info 10. https://www.adlerplanetarium.org/blog/does-comet-c-2022-e3-ztf-have-a-hyperbolic-orbit-or-a-50000-year-orbit/ 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230323.html 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 20. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230324 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230325.html 22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 28. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 29. https://www.nasa.gov/ 30. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 31. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 32. http://www.mtu.edu/