Close-up Image of Comet NEAT From Kitt Peak Observatory

http://www.noao.edu/outreach/press/pr04/pr0404.html

National Optical Astronomy Observatory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 25, 2004
RELEASE NO: NOAO 04-04

Close-up Image of Comet NEAT From Kitt Peak Observatory

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Douglas Isbell
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National Optical Astronomy Observatory
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Images

With links to a page with larger versions.

[Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT)]

This image of Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) was taken at the WIYN 0.9-meter
telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, AZ, on May 7, 2004.

Image Credit: T. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Z. Levay and
L.Frattare (Space Telescope Science Institute) and WIYN/NOAO/AURA/NSF

This image of Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) was taken at the WIYN 0.9-meter
telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, AZ, on May 7, 2004.

The image was taken with the Mosaic I camera, which has a one-square degree
field of view, or about five times the size of the Moon. Even with this
large field, only the comet's coma and the inner portion of its tail are
visible. This color image was assembled by combining images taken through
blue, green and red filters.

A small star cluster (C0736-105, or Melotte 72) is visible in the lower
right of the image, between the head of the comet and the bright red star in
the lower-right corner.

Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) was discovered on August 24, 2001, by the Near Earth
Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) system operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.

The comet will remain visible for several weeks with binoculars and small
telescopes just after sunset, high in the western sky.

Image Credit: T. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Z. Levay and
L.Frattare (Space Telescope Science Institute) and WIYN/NOAO/AURA/NSF