Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

M27: Not A Comet

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 9, 1998 is “M27: Not A Comet,” an image. It is credited to Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT, ESO. The original explanation runs about 171 words.

M27: Not A Comet
Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT, ESO Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“While searching the skies above 18th century France for comets, astronomer Charles Messier diligently recorded this object as number 27 on his list of things which are definitely not comets . So what is it?”

— APOD editors, October 9, 1998

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 9, 1998
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT, ESO
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 171 words

All of October 1998 → · 1998 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

NebulaeComets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 9 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.