Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 13, 2004

Announcing Comet Machholz

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 13, 2004 is “Announcing Comet Machholz,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Adam Block ( NOAO ), AURA , NSF. The original explanation runs about 143 words.

From the explanation

“A comet discovered only this summer is brightening quickly and already visible to the unaided eye. Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) is currently best visible in Earth’s Southern Hemisphere where some observers report it brighter than magnitude 5.”

— APOD editors, December 13, 2004

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 13, 2004
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Adam Block ( NOAO ), AURA , NSF
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 143 words

All of December 2004 → · 2004 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 13 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 13, 2004 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2004-december-13-announcing-comet-machholz

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.