Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2021 December 27
   [2]The featured image shows Comet Leonard and the rising plume from the
   Ariane V rocket launching the James Web Space Telescope. The image was
   taken from Thailand on December 25. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                   Comet Leonard behind JWST Launch Plume
        Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Matipon Tangmatitham ([4]NARIT)

   Explanation: Which one of these two streaks is a comet? Although they
   both have comet-like features, the lower streak is the only real comet.
   This lower streak shows the coma and tail of [5]Comet Leonard, a
   city-sized block of rocky ice that is passing through the inner
   [6]Solar System as it continues its [7]looping orbit around the Sun.
   [8]Comet Leonard has recently passed its closest to both the Earth and
   Venus and will round the Sun next week. The comet, still visible to the
   unaided eye, has developed a [9]long and changing tail in recent weeks.
   In contrast, the upper streak is the [10]launch plume of the [11]Ariane
   V rocket that lifted the [12]James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) off the
   Earth two days ago. The [13]featured single-exposure image was taken
   from [14]Thailand, and the [15]foreground spire is atop a pagoda in
   [16]Doi Inthanon National Park. [17]JWST, NASA's largest and most
   powerful space telescope so far, will orbit the Sun near the Earth-Sun
   [18]L2 point and is [19]scheduled to start science observations in the
   summer of 2022.

                       Gallery: [20]Comet Leonard 2021
         Gallery: [21]Webb Space Telescope Launch: 2021 December 25
                       Tomorrow's picture: sun of ice
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [37]Specific rights apply.
              [38]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [39]ASD at [40]NASA / [41]GSFC
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2112/CometJwst_Matipon_2048.jpg
   3. https://www.facebook.com/matiponphotography
   4. https://www.narit.or.th/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2021_A1_(Leonard)
   6. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/in-depth/
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2021_A1_(Leonard)#/media/File:Animation_of_C%EF%BC%8F2021_A1's_orbit_around_Sun_-_2021_close_approach.gif
   8. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/comet-leonard-might-become-2021s-brightest-2022/
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211225.html
  10. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasawebbtelescope/51775389630/in/album-72157720000770033/
  11. https://www.arianespace.com/vehicle/ariane-5/
  12. https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/
  13. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=309574577842088&set=a.597613170381144
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand
  15. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/45/db/9d/45db9dd91f18cf0d0ac66e294cf6ee64.jpg
  16. https://youtu.be/i0PCuIlCivg?t=127
  17. https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/index.html
  18. https://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/webb-l2.html
  19. https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html
  20. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4214632848640902&type=3
  21. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4297444840359702&type=3
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211226.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=211227
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211228.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/