March 21, 1996
Every candle on your cake is a tiny imitation of the stars that made you possible.
Near Comet Hyakutake's Nucleus
Birthday · March 21, 1996
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published March 21, 1996. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This March 19th false-color picture of Comet Hyakutake from one of the most sophisticated ground based telescopes captures the area surrounding the comet's nucleus. A comet's nucleus - not directly visible here - is a solid dirty iceball probably no more than 10 kilometers across. This image shows, for the first time, features of irregular brightness in the coma surrounding the nucleus. The beginning of the ion tale is visible as the bright feature emanating from the right, approaching about 1000 km from nucleus. At the distance of the comet, the whole field captured here is roughly the size of the Earth. If it's clear, Comet Hyakutake may be easily visible tonight! Information: The Scale of the Universe Debate in April 1996