Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2020 July 27

                Comet and Lightning Beyond Bighorn Mountains
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Kevin Palmer

   Explanation: Normally, Steamboat Point looks cool -- but not this cool.
   Every day, the iconic peak of the Bighorn Mountains is an interesting
   sight, in particular from US Highway 14 in Wyoming. On some rare days,
   the rocky vertical ridges look even more incredible when seen in front
   of a distant lightning storm. Earlier this month, though, something
   even more unusual happened -- the naked-eye Comet NEOWISE rose above it
   in the middle of the night. Just as a distant lightning storm was
   occurring in the background. Recognizing a rare opportunity, a
   determined astrophotographer spent a sleepless night capturing over
   1400 images of this unusual triple conjunction. The featured image is
   among the best of them, with the foreground lit by the Moon off to the
   right. Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is now headed back to the outer Solar
   System, destined to return only in about 6700 years.

   Comet NEOWISE Images: July 26 || 25 || 24 || 23 || 22 || 21 || 20 || 19
     || 18 || 17 || 16 || 15 || 14 || 13 || 12 || 11 || 10 & earlier ||
                 Tomorrow's picture: fighting space dragons
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.


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