One of the many advantages of being in spaceis having a front-row seat to the most anticipated cosmic events.
NASAastronaut Don Pettit,Small Tits | Adult Movies Online flight engineer for the Expedition 72 crew, proved that when he witnessed Comet ATLAS from the International Space Station, orbiting 250 miles above Earth. The comet, officially known as C/2024 G3, started the week making its closest approach to the sun, and some astronomers are predicting it'll go down as the brightest comet of the year.
Pettit pointed a camera toward one of the space station's windows and caught the comet as it paid the astronauts a visit.
"It is totally amazing to see a comet from orbit," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Right now Comet ATLAS appears in the constellation Sagittarius, and though it may look too close for comfort in Pettit's image, it's actually some 87 million milesfrom Earth. Sunlight tends to wash out such objects as they sidle up to the star, but this one can be viewed at dawn or dusk, its own brightness rivaling that of Venus, according to a NASA post.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit shares a photo of Comet ATLAS that he took from a window of the International Space Station. Credit: Don Pettit / NASA Comets are enormous balls of ice, dust, and rockthat formed in the outer solar system, left over from the early days of planet formation about 4.6 billion years ago. Their ice starts to disintegrate as they get closer to the sun, converting instantly from a solid to a gas, skipping over the liquid phase. That process creates their signature tails, millions-of-miles-long trails of debris.
Hundreds of years ago, people considered comets bad omens. Today, scientists know these icy bodies as time capsules of the ancient solar system. Some astronomers believe comets brought water and organic compounds — aka the building blocks of life— to early Earth.
As 2024 came to a close, the tally of known cometshad risen to about 4,000. Astronomers say countless others are likely orbiting the sun beyond Neptune in a disk known as the Kuiper Belt, or on the outer edge of the solar system, in the so-called Oort Cloud, about 50 times farther from the sun.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit uses a camera on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA The Oort Cloud is thought to be a sphere of ancient, icy objects surrounding the solar system. Comets there are sometimes dislodged by the gravity of another object, redirecting them toward the sun. This distant realm is where astronomers believe Comet ATLAS, discovered last April, originated. If it survives its close encounter with the sun, the comet may return in about 160,000 years.
Catching a glimpse of the comet anywhere north of the equator is extremely challenging, but for the Southern Hemisphere, stargazers may have a chance to see it above the western horizon shortly after sunset. This could continue from mid-January through the rest of the month.
As Comet ATLAS exits the sun's intense glare over the next day or two, it could become easier to spot. Warning: Never stare in the direction of the sunwithout protective eyewear.
"There is hope that Comet ATLAS will survive its close pass near the Sun and remain bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye over the next few days," NASA said.
Topics NASA
This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
How tech companies are committing to helping the global refugee crisis
Here are all the rumors why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie split
'Erin Brockovich' chemical found in more than 200 million Americans' tap water
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
'A Series of Unfortunate Events' was right to change the books' ending
Ledger's new hardware cryptocurrency wallet has Bluetooth support
Audi partners with Disney to entertain car passengers with VR
Against Fear
'Black Panther' just took a big step toward a Best Picture Oscar nom
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: $40 off at Amazon
Huawei MateBook 13 is a tiny, powerful laptop that starts at $999
New app will warn users before an earthquake strikes
Valve banned more than 600,000 cheaters in December
Philips now allows customers to 3D print replacement parts
Idris Elba's Golden Globes selfie with Daniel Craig is 007 perfection
Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg surprised Golden Globes attendees with, uh, free flu shots
Joss Whedon and his celebrity friends want you to vote on election day
Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
Acer's monster 'Triton 900' laptop gets a monster price
Letter from India: The Permit, Part 2 by Amie BarrodaleWhat We’re Loving: Old New York, The Boss, SodaStream by The Paris ReviewLetter from India: When the Cat’s Away by Amie BarrodaleWhat We’re Loving: Cocktails, Borges, Color by The Paris Review112 Greene Street by Claire BarliantStage Struck by Scott KorbInfinite Bikini, New Fitzgerald by Sadie SteinLetter from India: The Haunting by Amie BarrodaleThe Dark Lady, Potter Gowns by Sadie SteinTPR vs. Vanity Fair: The Sense of an Ending (With Pictures!) by Cody WiewandtJoshua Cohen and Gemma Sieff Answer Your Questions by Joshua Cohen and Gemma SieffWit, Wisdom, Financial Advice by Sadie SteinThe Iliad, Improved: An Illustrated Panorama by Jason NovakWhat We’re Loving: Watkins, Rothbart, Footman by The Paris ReviewWhat We’re Loving: Old New York, The Boss, SodaStream by The Paris ReviewDahl, Maps, The Royal Tenenbaums by Sadie SteinInfinite Bikini, New Fitzgerald by Sadie SteinLoving Gorey, Trashing Ulysses by Sadie SteinRadical Chic by Lucy McKeonBuy Elvis’s Library Card by Sadie Stein Redux: Greetings from America by The Paris Review Redux: On Trial by The Paris Review Cooking with Fyodor Dostoyevsky by Valerie Stivers Organized Chaos: An Interview with Jeff VanderMeer Staff Picks: Bandits, Revenge, and Decapitated Animals by The Paris Review Katherine Mansfield Would Approve by Ashleigh Young Staff Picks: Creek Boyz, Mechanical Chickens, and Trash Heaps by The Paris Review Greek Tragedy in the Laundromat I’m Not Supposed to Talk about Dubus The Art of Spooning ‘Girl, Interrupted,’ Twenty Poetry Rx: Listen I Love You Joy Is Coming The Spectacle of Women’s Wrestling The Vocabulary of Tourism: An Interview with Laura van den Berg The Paris Review Recommends Anti A Disgruntled Federal Employee’s 1980s Desk Calendar Redux: Snared By Sin by The Paris Review Need a Father’s Day Gift? A Novel Proposal by David McGlynn Paradise for Bookworms Redux: Celebrating Pride Month by The Paris Review
1.5278s , 10132.3125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Small Tits | Adult Movies Online】,Miracle Information Network