Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Total Eclipse and Comets

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 17, 2024 is “Total Eclipse and Comets,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Lin Zixuan ( Tsinghua U. )). The original explanation runs about 169 words.

The totally eclipsed Sun from 2024 April 8 is shown in the center. Two comets and two planets are also visible, and labeled as 12P, Mercury, SOHO-5008, and Venus. The two comets are shown in expanded form at the top in two inset images. Ple
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Lin Zixuan ( Tsinghua U. ) Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Not one, but two comets appeared near the Sun during last week’s total solar eclipse . The expected comet was Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks , but it was disappointingly dimmer than many had hoped.”

— APOD editors, April 17, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
April 17, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Lin Zixuan ( Tsinghua U. )
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 169 words

All of April 2024 → · 2024 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The SunVenusEclipsesComets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: April 17 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.