Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 12, 2006

Comet Meets Ring Nebula: Part II

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 12, 2006 is “Comet Meets Ring Nebula: Part II,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Sheldon Faworski and Sean Walker ( MASIL Astro-Imaging Team)). The original explanation runs about 134 words.

From the explanation

“Moving rapidly through planet Earth’s night sky, Fragment C of crumbling comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 passed almost directly in front of M57 – the Ring Nebula, and faint spiral galaxy IC 1296 on May 8. 1 degrees from M57, with the tail apparently engulfing nebula and galaxy.”

— APOD editors, May 12, 2006

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 12, 2006
Type: Image
Credit: Credit & Copyright: Sheldon Faworski and Sean Walker ( MASIL Astro-Imaging Team)
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 134 words

All of May 2006 → · 2006 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Nebulae Galaxies Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 12 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

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 12, 2006 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2006-may-12-comet-meets-ring-nebula-part-ii

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.