September 11, 2023
The Earth has carried you around the Sun again, steady as ever, while the stars kept their patient watch.
Beautiful Comet Nishimura
Birthday · September 11, 2023
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APOD published September 11, 2023. Credit: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This scene would be beautiful even without the comet. By itself, the sunrise sky is an elegant deep blue on high, with faint white stars peeking through, while near the horizon is a pleasing tan. By itself, the foreground hills of eastern Slovakia are appealingly green, with the Zadňa hura and Veľká hora hills in the distance, and with the lights of small towns along the way. Venus, by itself on the right, appears unusually exquisite, surrounded by a colorful atmospheric corona. But what attracts the eye most is the comet. On the left, in this composite image taken just before dawn yesterday morning, is Comet Nishimura. On recent mornings around the globe, its bright coma and long ion tail make many a morning panoramic photo unusually beautiful. Tomorrow, C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) will pass its nearest to the Earth for about the next 434 years.
Image credit: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava