Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Fragments of Comet LINEAR

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 11, 2000 is “Fragments of Comet LINEAR,” an image. It is credited to Credit: H. Weaver ( JHU ) et al., European Southern Observatory. The original explanation runs about 198 words.

Fragments of Comet LINEAR
Credit: H. Weaver ( JHU ) et al., European Southern Observatory Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What do you call a bunch of comet fragments anyway … a flock, a covey, a swarm? The question is definitely relevant to comet LINEAR (C/1999 S4 LINEAR) whose nucleus apparently fragmented late last month during its first trip through the inner solar system.”

— APOD editors, August 11, 2000

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 11, 2000
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: H. Weaver ( JHU ) et al., European Southern Observatory
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 198 words

All of August 2000 → · 2000 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

CometsMeteors

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: August 11 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

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.