Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill

Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill: APOD: 2013 December 9 - Comet Lovejoy over a Windmill


Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2013 December 9


See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
Comet Lovejoy Over a Windmill

Image Credit & Copyright: Jens Hackmann
Explanation: Lovejoy continues to be an impressive camera comet. Pictured above, Comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) was imaged above the windmill in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire in southern France with a six-second exposure. In the foreground is a field of lavender. Comet Lovejoy should remain available for photo opportunities for northern observers during much of December and during much of the night, although it will be fading as the month progresses and highest in the sky before sunrise. In person, the comet will be best viewed with binoculars. A giant dirty snowball, Comet Lovejoy last visited the inner Solar System about 7,000 years ago, around the time that humans developed the wheel.

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