Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 31, 2001

LINEAR's Tail and Two Nuclei

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 31, 2001 is “LINEAR's Tail and Two Nuclei,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Gordon Garradd , Loomberah NSW Australia). The original explanation runs about 140 words.

From the explanation

“Arcing toward southern skies in late March, this faint comet LINEAR – the one officially designated C/2001 A2 (LINEAR) – brightened unexpectedly. The outburst, apparently due to the fragmentation of its nucleus, delighted observers as the comet eventually increased to naked-eye brightness.”

— APOD editors, May 31, 2001

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 31, 2001
Type: Image
Credit: Credit & Copyright: Gordon Garradd , Loomberah NSW Australia
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 140 words

All of May 2001 → · 2001 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 31 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 31, 2001 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2001-may-31-linears-tail-and-two-nuclei

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.