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. 2024 August 8 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Gerald Rhemann Explanation: A Halley-type comet with an orbital period of about 133 years, [5]Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle is recognized as the parent of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. The comet's last visit to the inner Solar System [6]was in 1992. Then, it did not become easily visible to the naked eye, but it did become bright enough to see from most locations with binoculars and small telescopes. This stunning color image of Swift-Tuttle's greenish coma, long ion tail and dust tail was recorded using [7]film on November 24, 1992. That was about 16 days after the [8]large periodic comet's closest approach to Earth. [9]Comet Swift-Tuttle is expected to next make an impressive appearance in night skies in 2126. Meanwhile, dusty cometary debris left along the orbit of Swift-Tuttle will continue to be swept up creating planet Earth's best-known July and [10]August meteor shower. Tomorrow's picture: perseids in space __________________________________________________________________ [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: Amber Straughn [26]Specific rights apply. [27]NASA Web Privacy, [28]Accessibility Notices A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC, [32]NASA Science Activation & [33]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2408/Rhemann799_109P_24_11_92.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. http://www.astrostudio.at/index.php 5. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/109p-swift-tuttle/ 6. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1994JBAA..104...11M/abstract 7. http://www.astrostudio.at/2_Bright Comets.php?img=images/2_Bright Comets/799_109P_24_11_92.jpg 8. https://www.rocketstem.org/2020/11/28/ice-and-stone-comet-of-week-49/ 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Swift–Tuttle 10. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower/ 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240807.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=240808 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240809.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://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 30. https://www.nasa.gov/ 31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 33. http://www.mtu.edu/