伦纳德彗星的远尾
(原标题: The Further Tail of Comet Leonard)
2021-12-30
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伦纳德彗星是2021年最亮的彗星，位于12月29日在阿塔卡马沙漠黑暗天空中拍摄的这两张面板的左下方。1月3日，伦纳德彗星即将到达近日点，它的可见尾巴已经变大了。用广角镜头堆叠曝光（也显示为反B/W对比方案），以惊人的60度追踪复杂的离子尾，右下角明亮的木星在地平线附近闪耀。伦纳德彗星的彗核是一团直径约1公里的尘埃、岩石和冰，彗核中蒸发的物质产生了长长的电离气体尾巴，在阳光下发出荧光。最近几周，彗核上可能出现的耀斑，以及磁场和太阳风的震动，导致彗尾呈现出不规则的挤压和扭曲的外观。伦纳德彗星距离离太阳最近的距离还有几天，它的活动应该还会继续。这颗彗星位于太阳系黄道面以南，正掠过南星座。
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Comet Leonard, brightest comet of 2021, is at the lower left of these two panels captured on December 29 in dark Atacama desert skies. Heading for its perihelion on January 3 Comet Leonard's visible tail has grown. Stacked exposures with a wide angle lens (also displayed in a reversed B/W scheme for contrast), trace the complicated ion tail for an amazing 60 degrees, with bright Jupiter shining near the horizon at lower right. Material vaporizing from Comet Leonard's nucleus, a mass of dust, rock, and ices about 1 kilometer across, has produced the long tail of ionized gas fluorescing in the sunlight. Likely flares on the comet's nucleus and buffeting by magnetic fields and the solar wind in recent weeks have resulted in the tail's irregular pinched and twisted appearance. Still days from its closest approach to the Sun, Comet Leonard's activity should continue. The comet is south of the Solar System's ecliptic plane as it sweeps through the southern constellation Microscopium.
© Daniele Gasparri