Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 28, 2011

Comet Lovejoy over Paranal

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 28, 2011 is “Comet Lovejoy over Paranal,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Guillaume Blanchard). The original explanation runs about 138 words.

From the explanation

“Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) survived its close encounter with the Sun earlier this month, taking its place among wonders of the southern skies just in time for Christmas. Seen here before sunrise from Paranal Observatory in Chile, the sungrazing comet’s tails stretch far above the eastern horizon.”

— APOD editors, December 28, 2011

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 28, 2011
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Guillaume Blanchard
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 138 words

All of December 2011 → · 2011 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 28 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 28, 2011 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2011-december-28-comet-lovejoy-over-paranal

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.