Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
The Dust and Ion Tails of Comet Hale-Bopp
Explanation:
In 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]'s "intrinsic" brightness exceeded any comet since 1811 [ http://cometography…]. Since it peaked on the other side of the Earth's orbit, however, the comet "appeared" only brighter than any comet in two decades [ http://cometography…]. Visible above are the two tails [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] shed by Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www.jpl.nasa…]. The blue ion tail [ http://www-spof.gsf…] is composed of ionized [ http://csep10.phys.…] gas molecules, of which carbon monoxide [ http://www.cpsc.gov…] particularly glows blue when reacquiring electrons [ http://www-spof.gsf…]. This tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is created by the particles from the fast solar wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] interacting with gas from the comet's head. The blue ion tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] points directly away from the Sun [ http://www.seds.org…]. The light colored dust tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is created by bits of grit that have come off the comet's nucleus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and are being pushed away by the pressure of light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] from the Sun. This tail points "nearly" away from the Sun. The above photograph [ http://www.celestia…] was taken in March 1997.
Credit and Copyright:
John Gleason [ mailto:dvj at earthlink dot net ] (Celestial Images)
facet_when:
1997
facet_when:
March 1997
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
FAST
facet_what:
comet
facet_what:
Comet Hale-Bopp
facet_what:
Hale-Bopp Comet
facet_when_year:
1997
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap050522

The Dust and Ion Tails of Comet Hale-Bopp
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