Images of Comets

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Here are some cool comet pics. You can make any of these images into your computer desktop wallpaper. Just click on an image to enlarge it, and then choose “Set as Desktop Background”.

Halley's Comet

This image of Halley’s Comet was captured on May 13, 1910 from the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Comet Halley was discovered by the English astronomer Edmond Halley in 1705. Halley’s Comet’s last appearance in the inner Solar System was in 1986.

Another view of Comet Halley

Here’s an amazing image of the Halley’s Comet particularly its tail was taken from Caltech’s Palomar Observatory on December 13, 1985. Halley’s Comet is a type of a short-period comet which can be seen every 75 to 76 years.

Nucleus Region of Comet Hale-Bopp BC

Here’s another image of Comet Hale Bopp taken by astronomer Jim Young. This image was taken on March 7, 1997 using a 0.6-meter (24-inch) telescope.

Comet Stepping Stones

This is an image of Comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann 3 captured by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope on April 1, 2006. The comet revolves around our sun every 5.4 years.

Comet Hale-Bopp

Here’s a very nice photo of Comet Hale-Bopp captured by Jim Young of JPL’s Table Mountain Observatory on March 12, 1997. Jim Young was able to obtain this photo from approximately 30 miles east of Los Angeles in Wrightwood, California.

We have written many articles about comets for Universe Today. Here’s an article about Comet West, and here’s a discussion about comets.

If you’d like more information on comets, check out Hubblesite’s News Releases about Comets, and here’s a link to NASA’s Solar System Exploration Guide to Comets.

We’ve also recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast just about Comets. Listen here, Episode 19: Comets, Our Icy Friends from the Outer Solar System.

Tagged as: Astronomy, comet, Comets, outer space, space