by Ann » Sun Jan 14, 2018 7:37 am
Comet McNaught was certainly a great comet! It was a southern hemisphere comet, so it didn't get the attention it deserved.
But today's heading made me hope for another three galaxies than the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds accompanying a comet!
Comet NEAT. Photo: Chris Schur.
I was inspired to search for other "galaxies + comet" images, and in my search I stumbled on something that made my Color Commentator heart nostalgic. Take a look at this portrait of Comet NEAT (Q4) from 2004. Chris Schur's image was
the APOD of May 12, 2004. Can you guess what the APOD caption said about the appearance and colors of the comet?
Visible is a long blue ion tail, a blue coma surrounding the comet's nucleus, and a shorter but brighter sunlight reflecting dust tail.
Incredible!!! The caption didn't even mention the yellowish tint of the dust tail, and it called the comet coma blue!!!
That just goes to show how popular and interesting the color blue used to be some fifteen years ago, and how boring and unremarkable it is seen to be today.
Ann
[float=left][img2]http://0e33611cb8e6da737d5c-e13b5a910e105e07f9070866adaae10b.r15.cf1.rackcdn.com/Thomas-Zwach-67P_LEO_Triplet_LRGB_Light_hell_1280_1477843095_lg.jpg[/img2][c][size=85]The Leo Triplet of galaxies and Comet 67P. Photo: Thomas Zwach.
Source: http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=130389[/size][/c][/float]Comet McNaught was certainly a great comet! It was a southern hemisphere comet, so it didn't get the attention it deserved.
But today's heading made me hope for another three galaxies than the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds accompanying a comet!
[float=right][img2]https://www.e-education.psu.edu/astro801/sites/www.e-education.psu.edu.astro801/files/image/Lesson%2011/q4_schur.jpg[/img2][c][size=85]Comet NEAT. Photo: Chris Schur.[/size][/c][/float]
I was inspired to search for other "galaxies + comet" images, and in my search I stumbled on something that made my Color Commentator heart nostalgic. Take a look at this portrait of Comet NEAT (Q4) from 2004. Chris Schur's image was [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040512.html]the APOD of May 12, 2004[/url]. Can you guess what the APOD caption said about the appearance and colors of the comet?
[quote]Visible is a long [b][size=150][color=#0080FF]blue[/color][/size][/b] ion tail, a [b][size=150][color=#00ffff]blue[/color][/size][/b] coma surrounding the comet's nucleus, and a shorter but brighter sunlight reflecting dust tail.[/quote]
Incredible!!! The caption didn't even mention the yellowish tint of the dust tail, and it called the comet coma blue!!!
That just goes to show how popular and interesting the color blue used to be some fifteen years ago, and how boring and unremarkable it is seen to be today.
Ann