Comet Hale-Bopp. Optical image of comet Hale-Bopp near the horizon. Hale-Bopp was one of the brightest comets of the 20th century. Its gas or "ion" tail (blue) consists of ionised glowing gas blown away from the comet head by the solar wind. The dust tail (white) consists of grains of dust pushed away from the comet head by the radiation of sunlight. Comets have a nucleus of ice and dust. As they approach the Sun their surface evaporates,releasing a tail millions of kilometres long. Photographed on 27th March 1997 in the Anza-Borrego desert,California,USA | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Schad, Jerry |
Taille de l’image : | 3821 px × 2480 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
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