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Comet SOHO and Nebulae in Or
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Comet SOHO and Nebulae in Orion |
| Explanation |
Astrophotographer Michael Horn [ http://www.ozemail.com.au/~mhorn/photos.html ] captured this gorgeous view [ http://www.ozemail.com.au/~mhorn/soho.html ] of comet SOHO [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980520.html ] in the dark night sky above Wandibindle, Queensland, Australia on May 23rd. On this date, comet SOHO [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html ] was moving [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980514.html ] against the background of the nebula-rich constellation of Orion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980305.html ]. South is up in the picture which shows SOHO's bright head or coma [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980410.html ] and long tail extending past the glowing gas clouds and dark dust lanes of the Flame [ http://www.astrocruise.com/flame.htm ] and Horsehead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971025.html ] nebulae. Alnitak [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/hr/1948.html ], the bright star above and to the right of the cometary coma, is also known as Zeta Orionis, the eastern-most of the three stars in Orion's belt [ http://www.adler.uchicago.edu/ISE/ORION4.HTM ]. Southern Hemisphere observers report that comet SOHO [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/RecentObs.html#98J1 ] has recently undergone a dramatic increase in brightness. |
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