NRL’s SoloHi catches stunning views of 'Christmas comet' Leonard fly by (IMAGE)

Naval Research Laboratory

NRL’s SoloHi catches stunning views of 'Christmas comet' Leonard fly by

Caption

Comet Leonard as captured by NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A (STEREO) spacecraft, HI-2 telescope, which has watched the comet since early November. This animated “difference image” was created by subtracting the current frame from the previous frame to highlight differences between them. Difference images are useful for seeing subtle changes in Leonard’s ion tail (the trail of ionized gases streaming from the comet’s body, or nucleus), which becomes longer and brighter toward the end of the clip. (Photo by NASA/NRL/Karl Battams)

Credit

NASA/NRL/Karl Battams

Usage Restrictions

No restrictions.

License

Public Domain

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