At the center of the image, a small glowing yellow ball is followed by what looks like a red-orange jet of flame extending symetrically behind it, toward the right and off the edge of the frame. Extending from the front of the yellow nucleus is a thin red-orange line, looking like a laser beam going off to the left and out of frame, in a direct line with the flame-like tail. Behind the comet is a star field, with the blackness of space dotted with points of light, colored light cyan and in various sizes. The exception is a few dots shining bright red – only five are easily visible.

WISE Catches Comet 65-P Gunn

What looks like a narwhal is actually comet 65P/Gunn, which orbits the Sun every 6.8 years, captured here by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). A comet is a ball of dust and ice left over from the formation of the solar system. As it approaches the Sun and heats up, its surface releases gas and dust, which are then blown back by the solar wind into a long, spectacular tail. The “sword” ahead of this comet’s nucleus is actually made of dust particles shed by 65P/Gunn on previous orbits around the Sun.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
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TakenApril 4, 2010
Image CreditNASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Size2000x2000px