November 17, 2007
Some stars end in silence, some in fire, and some leave behind the raw materials for birthdays.
Forest and Sky
Birthday · November 17, 2007
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published November 17, 2007. Credit: Vincent Jacques. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
With pine trees in dim silhouette, this skyscape from Breil-sur-Roya in southern France was captured on November 11. In the early evening scene, a satellite seems to streak through the branches, while bright, round, fuzzy Comet Holmes appears to lie just beyond them, near the stars of the constellation Perseus. Mirfak, alpha star of Perseus, is the brightest star above the comet and to the right. Next Monday (November 19), Holmes will be close enough to Mirfak to view the star through the remarkable comet's expanding coma. Recent measurements place the dusty coma's diameter at about 1.4 million kilometers, even larger than the Sun. Ed.'s Note: Predawn skies this weekend will feature the Leonids Meteor Shower.
Image credit: Vincent Jacques