Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 Fragments

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 3, 2023 is “Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 Fragments,” an image. It is credited to Credit: NASA , ESA , H. Weaver ( JHU / APL ), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay ( STScI ). The original explanation runs about 146 words.

A fuzzy comet is shown in gray on the upper left against a dark space background. The comet's tail extends diagnonally to the lower right. The main part of the comet is seen broken up into many trailing pieces. Please see the explanation fo
Credit: NASA , ESA , H. Weaver ( JHU / APL ), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay ( STScI ) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Periodic comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 has broken up at least twice. A cosmic souffle of ice and dust left over from the early solar system, this comet was first seen to split into several large pieces during the close-in part of its orbit in 1995.”

— APOD editors, September 3, 2023

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
September 3, 2023
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: NASA , ESA , H. Weaver ( JHU / APL ), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay ( STScI )
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 146 words

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Topics in this entry

Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: September 3 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.