Discovered this month [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] with an orbiting solar observatory, bright Comet SOHO [ http://encke.jpl.na…] has now emerged from the Sun's glare. This telephoto picture of the new naked-eye comet [ http://www.ozemail.…] was taken by astrophotographer Michael Horn [ http://www.ozemail.…] after sunset in the western twilight above Lake Samsonvale, Brisbane, Australia on May 18. The comet is seen [ http://www.astro.ui…] in the constellation Orion [ http://www.astro.wi…constellations/Orion .html ]. Its long lovely tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] stretches nearly 5 degrees to the bright star Bellatrix [ http://www.astro.wi…], near the top of the image. For Southern Hemisphere comet watchers, views of Comet SOHO (1998J1) will improve as this month draws to a close and the comet climbs to the south and east on its journey outward bound. In February 1999, NASA plans to launch the Stardust mission [ http://stardust.jpl…] to fly close to a comet [ http://stardust.jpl…] and return samples of dust from a comet's tail [ http://stardust.jpl…].
Explanation
Discovered this month [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] with an orbiting solar observatory, bright Comet SOHO [ http://encke.jpl.na…] has now emerged from the Sun's glare. This telephoto picture of the new naked-eye comet [ http://www.ozemail.…] was taken by astrophotographer Michael Horn [ http://www.ozemail.…] after sunset in the western twilight above Lake Samsonvale, Brisbane, Australia on May 18. The comet is seen [ http://www.astro.ui…] in the constellation Orion [ http://www.astro.wi…constellations/Orion .html ]. Its long lovely tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] stretches nearly 5 degrees to the bright star Bellatrix [ http://www.astro.wi…], near the top of the image. For Southern Hemisphere comet watchers, views of Comet SOHO (1998J1) will improve as this month draws to a close and the comet climbs to the south and east on its journey outward bound. In February 1999, NASA plans to launch the Stardust mission [ http://stardust.jpl…] to fly close to a comet [ http://stardust.jpl…] and return samples of dust from a comet's tail [ http://stardust.jpl…].
