Astronomy Picture of the Day

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 November 11
A starfield is shown that includes a bright comet. A bright tail points to the upper right but has an unusual dark streak in it. A thin anti-tail points toward the lower left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

The Unusual Tails of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas
Image Credit & Copyright: Bray Falls

Explanation: What created an unusual dark streak in Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas's tail? Some images of the bright comet during mid-October not only caught its impressively long tail and its thin anti-tail, but a rather unexpected feature: a dark streak in the long tail. The reason for the dark streak is currently unclear and a topic of some debate. Possible reasons include a plume of dark dust, different parts of the bright tail being unusually superposed, and a shadow of a dense part of the coma, possibly from reduced outward pressure from the solar wind on smaller dust particles. The streak is visible in the featured image taken on October 14 from Texas, USA. To help future analyses, if you have taken a good image of the comet that clearly shows this dark streak, please send it in to APOD. Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS has now faded considerably and is returning to the outer Solar System. Gallery: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in 2024
Tomorrow's picture: cosmic crescent

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