Astronomy Picture of the Day · August 20, 2015

M27: Not a Comet

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 20, 2015 is “M27: Not a Comet,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Francesco di Biase). The original explanation runs about 196 words.

From the explanation

“While hunting for comets in the skies above 18th century France, astronomer Charles Messier diligently kept a list of the things he encountered that were definitely not comets. This is number 27 on his now famous not-a-comet list .”

— APOD editors, August 20, 2015

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: August 20, 2015
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Francesco di Biase
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 196 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: August 20 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, August 20, 2015 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2015-august-20-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.