NASA Highlight: “Green comet” and Mars are in the astrophoto of the day

The photo released today by NASA shows comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) shining in the sky with its coma and tails, accompanied by Mars and the dark nebula Barnard 22

The featured photo on the website Astronomy Picture of the day this Monday (13) shows the Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) shining in the sky, accompanied by the reddish tones of Mars and a mountain in the Italian Alps.

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In this image, the comet puts on a show with its light-toned tail, accompanied by its bluish ion tail. The greenish coma, responsible for the nickname “green comet”, also attracts attention.

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Mars appears bright in the left corner of the photo and, in the lower right corner of the planet, is the dark nebula Barnard 22. As the name suggests, dark nebulae are interstellar clouds with such a high concentration of dust that they “hide “visible light.

OR red planet it will remain visible in the sky for the next few months, but this is not the case for the comet: it has already begun its journey back to the outer Solar System, and is no longer so bright.

What are comets?

Comets are objects made of frozen gas, rock, and dust. They orbit the Sun and, as they approach our star, they heat up, releasing gas and dust in tails that can stretch for millions of kilometres.

They are classified according to the length of their orbits around the Sun. Thus, short-period comets take about 200 years or less to complete one orbit, while long-period comets take more than 200 years. There are also those of only one aspect, who follow orbits that take them out of the Solar system.

Today there are more than 3,000 known comets, some of which have also received space missions: in 2014, for example, the rosette probe, of the European Space Agency, entered the orbit of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; subsequently, the Philae lander landed on the object’s surface.

Source: APOD

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Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.