Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 1, 2016

Comet Catalina Tails

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 1, 2016 is “Comet Catalina Tails,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: José J. Chambó). The original explanation runs about 138 words.

From the explanation

“A new year’s treat for binoculars, as 2016 begins Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) now sweeps through planet Earth’s predawn skies near bright Arcturus, alpha star of Bootes. But this telescopic mosaic from December 21 follows the pretty tails of the comet across a field of view as wide as 10 full moons.”

— APOD editors, January 1, 2016

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 1, 2016
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: José J. Chambó
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 138 words

All of January 2016 → · 2016 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 1 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 1, 2016 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2016-january-1-comet-catalina-tails

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.