Comet Leonard’s Wagging Tail
Posted in Astronomy at 12:00 on 15 January 2022
From Astronomy Picture of the Day for 10/1/22.
A time-lapse video of Comet C/2021 A1 (named Leonard) as it progressed on its trip through the inner solar system.
The video was taken by NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead (STEREO-A) over ten days in December and processed in such a way as to highlight differences from one frame to another.
This clearly shows the comet’s tail being wagged as it is buffeted by the solar wind.
But it does remind me of films I have seen of spermatozoa swimming on their way to fertilising eggs.
Tags: APOD, Astronomy Picture of the Day, Comet C/2021 A1, Comet Leonard, NASA, Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead, solar wind, spermatozoa, STEREO-A
