Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Comet 46P/Wirtanen

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for November 15, 2018 is “Comet 46P/Wirtanen,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Cherney ( Terrastro , TWAN )). The original explanation runs about 160 words.

Comet 46P/Wirtanen
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Cherney ( Terrastro , TWAN ) Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Periodic Comet 46P/Wirtanen is now the brightest comet in the night sky, but too faint to be seen by eye. 4 year long looping orbit takes it closest to Earth and the Sun in mid December.”

— APOD editors, November 15, 2018

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
November 15, 2018
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Alex Cherney ( Terrastro , TWAN )
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 160 words

All of November 2018 → · 2018 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The SunComets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: November 15 in other years

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Source

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.