Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 16, 2018

Comet Wirtanen Passes by the Earth

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 16, 2018 is “Comet Wirtanen Passes by the Earth,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Ruslan Merzlyakov ( RMS Photography )). The original explanation runs about 121 words.

From the explanation

“Today Comet Wirtanen passes by the Earth. 4 years, ranging as far out as Jupiter and as close in as the Earth .”

— APOD editors, December 16, 2018

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 16, 2018
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Ruslan Merzlyakov ( RMS Photography )
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 121 words

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Topics in this entry

The Sun Jupiter 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, 2018 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2018-december-16-comet-wirtanen-passes-by-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.