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Ptah

(33,492 posts)
Tue Feb 21, 2023, 03:03 PM Feb 2023

Astronomy Picture of the Day - 2023 February 21 - Comet ZTF over Yosemite Falls



Explanation: They are both falling. The water in Yosemite Falls, California, USA, is falling toward the Earth. Comet ZTF is falling toward the Sun. This double cosmic cascade was captured late last month as fading Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) had just passed its closest to planet Earth. The orange star just over the falls is Kochab. With the exception of a brief encounter with a black bear, the featured image was a well-planned composite of a moonlit-foreground and long-duration background exposures - all designed to reconstruct a deep version of an actual single sight. Although Comet ZTF is now fading as it glides back to the outer Solar System, its path is determined by gravity and so it can be considered to still be falling toward the Sun -- but backwards.



https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230221.html
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Astronomy Picture of the Day - 2023 February 21 - Comet ZTF over Yosemite Falls (Original Post) Ptah Feb 2023 OP
Beautiful.. TY! Cha Feb 2023 #1
Wow, that is an amazing capture wendyb-NC Feb 2023 #2
Amazing! Duppers Feb 2023 #3
Great picture, I set it as the desktop backgouund on my pc. Eko Feb 2023 #4

wendyb-NC

(3,804 posts)
2. Wow, that is an amazing capture
Tue Feb 21, 2023, 03:38 PM
Feb 2023

That is a beautiful picture and awesome place in time. Thank you, for posting.

Duppers

(28,246 posts)
3. Amazing!
Tue Feb 21, 2023, 04:24 PM
Feb 2023

Thanks for posting this!

Excellent pic; what timing! - it's a keeper.

Regarding the black bear, there are plenty of those in Yosemite Park; one kept us awake one night going thru the trash bins right outside our cabin there. 😁

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