2026年2月17日
Tails of Comet Wierzchoś
Image Credit & Copyright: José J. Chambó;
Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)
Explanation: Some comets are regular guests of our solar neighborhood; others come by only once, never to return. We won’t have another chance to see Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś), which is currently making its way through the inner Solar System. The hyperbolic orbit of this comet indicates that it will likely become an interstellar traveler. Comet Wierzchoś is today near its closest approach to the Earth, passing roughly the same distance from the Earth as is the Sun. The featured 30-minute exposure was taken last week in Chile and shows a 5-degree long ion tail as well as three shorter dust tails. The green hue of the coma comes from the breakdown of dicarbon molecules by sunlight, but that process does not last long enough to also tinge the tails. On the far right lies a spiral galaxy far in the distance: NGC 300.
Tomorrow’s picture: cradle alpha
Wierzchoś彗星的彗尾
影像提供与版权: José J. Chambó;
文稿: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)
解说: 有些彗星是太阳系附近的常客，有些只来造访一次，永不复返。我们恐怕再也没有机会看到目前正在穿越内太阳系的彗星C/2024 E1（Wierzchoś维尔乔斯彗星）了。这颗彗星的双曲线轨道 显示，它很可能成为一颗星际旅行者。维尔乔斯彗星目前正处于距离地球最近的位置，其掠过地球的距离与太阳到地球的距离大致相同。这张累计30分钟曝光的影像上周拍摄于智利，照片中可以看到一条长约5度的离子尾，以及三条较短的尘埃尾。彗发的绿色色调来自于在阳光照射下分解的双原子碳（C2）分子，然而这种发光机制持续时间太短，不足以使彗尾也呈现绿色。最右边远处是一个螺旋星系：NGC 300。
明日的图片: cradle alpha
