NASA’s Parker solar probe takes a breathtaking view of Comet Neowise

Early risers on Earth have been taking pictures of Neowise, a rare comet that can be seen with the naked eye. From nasa Parker solar probe I did not have to set an alarm. The spacecraft was in the perfect place to capture a portrait of Neowise on July 5.

Parker’s main mission is to study the sun, but traveling through space has its advantages. “Parker Solar Probe’s position in space gave the spacecraft an unmatched view of the comet’s twin tails when it was particularly active just after its closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion,” NASA said in a statement Friday. .

NASA released two versions of the image, one with processed data to highlight the details of the comet’s tails, and the other raw with a glare from the sun just outside the frame on the left.

Parker’s WISPR (Wide Field Imager for Solar Probe Parker) instrument gives scientists a delightfully detailed view of the comet’s twin tails. The largest tail is made of dust. The smallest and weakest tail on top is another story.

“The upper tail is the ion tail, which is made up of gases that have been ionized by the loss of electrons in strong sunlight,” NASA said. “These ionized gases are shaken by the solar wind, the constant flow of magnetized material from the sun, creating the ion tail that extends directly away from the sun.”

A close inspection of the ion tail shows that it can actually split into two ion tails, although researchers are still studying it to see if the comet has a trio of tails.

For more information on how you can detect the comet (full name “C / 2020 F3 NEOWISE), see our Neowise viewing guide.