Astronomy Picture of the Day · March 2, 2002

M27: Not A Comet

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 2, 2002 is “M27: Not A Comet,” an image. It is credited to Credit: FORS Team , 8.2-meter VLT , ESO. The original explanation runs about 172 words.

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, March 2, 2002

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: March 2, 2002
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 172 words

All of March 2002 → · 2002 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Nebulae Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: March 2 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, March 2, 2002 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2002-march-2-m27-not-a-comet

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.