Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 16, 2009

Comet Hyakutake Passes the Earth

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 16, 2009 is “Comet Hyakutake Passes the Earth,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Doug Zubenel ( TWAN )). The original explanation runs about 222 words.

From the explanation

“In 1996, an unexpectedly bright comet passed by planet Earth. Discovered less than two months before, Comet C/1996 B2 Hyakutake came within only 1/10th of the Earth-Sun distance from the Earth in late March.”

— APOD editors, December 16, 2009

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 16, 2009
Type: Image
Credit: Credit & Copyright: Doug Zubenel ( TWAN )
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 222 words

All of December 2009 → · 2009 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Sun Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 16 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 16, 2009 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2009-december-16-comet-hyakutake-passes-the-earth

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.