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Image of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) taken by Michael Jäger on Jan 29, 3 days before closest approach.
Click on the image to see the fine structure of the blue ion tail.
Source: https://twitter.com/Komet123Jager/status/1621325366705938436
Credit: Michael Jäger
#comet #astronomy
1/n
What's an ion tail and why is it blue?
Check out this toot and the surrounding thread for the explanation.
https://fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/109768035586865794
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
#comet #astronomy
2/n
@AkaSci
This #HaleBopp image gives a good illustration of a comet dust tail and ion tail. I was able to catch this image in 1997 on 35mm with a #PiggyBack camera mounted to a basic clock driven mount with manual guiding corrections.
The blue ion tail extends directly out from the sun's direction. The dust tail reveals the travel path of the comet.
