Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Pons-Brooks

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 8, 2024 is “The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Pons-Brooks,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Shengyu Li & Shaining). The original explanation runs about 171 words.

A sequence of eight images of Comet Pons-Brooks, from top to bottom, showing the comet and its changing tail over 9 days. The ion tail looks very different in each of the images, sometimes being much more complex than other times. Please se
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Shengyu Li & Shaining Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“How does a comet tail change? It depends on the comet.”

— APOD editors, April 8, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
April 8, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Shengyu Li & Shaining
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 171 words

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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.