Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                                2024 August 8
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         Periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle
               Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Gerald Rhemann

   Explanation: A Halley-type comet with an orbital period of about 133
   years, [5]Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle is recognized as the parent of the
   annual Perseid Meteor Shower. The comet's last visit to the inner Solar
   System [6]was in 1992. Then, it did not become easily visible to the
   naked eye, but it did become bright enough to see from most locations
   with binoculars and small telescopes. This stunning color image of
   Swift-Tuttle's greenish coma, long ion tail and dust tail was recorded
   using [7]film on November 24, 1992. That was about 16 days after the
   [8]large periodic comet's closest approach to Earth. [9]Comet
   Swift-Tuttle is expected to next make an impressive appearance in night
   skies in 2126. Meanwhile, dusty cometary debris left along the orbit of
   Swift-Tuttle will continue to be swept up creating planet Earth's
   best-known July and [10]August meteor shower.

                    Tomorrow's picture: perseids in space
     __________________________________________________________________

      [11]< | [12]Archive | [13]Submissions | [14]Index | [15]Search |
   [16]Calendar | [17]RSS | [18]Education | [19]About APOD | [20]Discuss |
                                    [21]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [26]Specific rights apply.
               [27]NASA Web Privacy, [28]Accessibility Notices
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2408/Rhemann799_109P_24_11_92.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://www.astrostudio.at/index.php
   5. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/109p-swift-tuttle/
   6. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1994JBAA..104...11M/abstract
   7. http://www.astrostudio.at/2_Bright Comets.php?img=images/2_Bright Comets/799_109P_24_11_92.jpg
   8. https://www.rocketstem.org/2020/11/28/ice-and-stone-comet-of-week-49/
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Swift–Tuttle
  10. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower/
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240807.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240808
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240809.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/