                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                               2026 August 24
   A starfield appears with a bright comet near the center. The comet has
      a bright green head and a short white tail. Around the frame is a
     complex array of faint gray nebulas. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

                           Comet 220P in Outburst
               Image Credit & Copyright: Spilios Asimakopoulos

   Explanation: Comet 220P is unexpectedly bright. Normally, periodic
   Comet 220P/McNaught is so dim that to see it requires a telescope. Two
   surprising outbursts this year, however, have made it about 20,000
   times brighter than usual, so that it is now visible with binoculars
   and long-duration camera exposures. As expected, Comet 220P continues
   to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter with a period of over 5
   years. The featured long duration exposure, taken 10 days ago from
   South Africa, shows the comet's bright green head and short dust tail.
   Reasons for Comet 220P's impressive outbursts are unknown but could be
   caused by the release of built-up subsurface gas or comet quakes. Comet
   220P will pass about one Earth-Sun distance from the Earth in October,
   after which it is expected to fade quickly as it begins its return to
   the far part of its orbit.

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                        Tomorrow's picture: Moon dark
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