A REALLY NEAT CLOSE-UP OF COMET NEAT FROM KITT PEAK OBSERVATORY (STScI-NN040617)

FOR RELEASE: June 17, 2004

NEWS NUGGET NO.: STScI-NN040617

A REALLY NEAT CLOSE-UP OF COMET NEAT FROM KITT PEAK OBSERVATORY

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

The image was captured 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. 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.

This color image was assembled by combining images taken by Travis
Rector (Univ. Alaska, Anchorage), Zolt Levay and Lisa Frattare
(STScI/OPO) through blue, green and red filters.

Find out more at
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/new...ets/1087477200
http://www.noao.edu/outreach/press/pr04/pr0404.html

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is operated by the
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), for
NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation
between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

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