Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 3, 2021

Comet Leonard and the Whale Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 3, 2021 is “Comet Leonard and the Whale Galaxy,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Gregg Ruppel). The original explanation runs about 135 words.

From the explanation

“Sweeping through northern predawn skies, on November 24 Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) was caught between two galaxies in this composite telescopic image . Sporting a greenish coma the comet’s dusty tail seems to harpoon the heart of NGC 4631 (top) also known as the Whale Galaxy.”

— APOD editors, December 3, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 3, 2021
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Gregg Ruppel
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 135 words

All of December 2021 → · 2021 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Galaxies Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 3 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 3, 2021 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2021-december-3-comet-leonard-and-the-whale-galaxy

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.