流星与彗星

流星与彗星

The Meteor and the Comet
Image Credit & Copyright: Wang Hao; Processing: Song Wentao

Explanation: How different are these two streaks? The streak on the upper right is Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas showing an impressive dust tail. The comet is a large and dirty iceberg that entered the inner Solar System and is shedding gas and dust as it is warmed by the Sun’s light. The streak on the lower left is a meteor showing an impressive evaporation trail. The meteor is a small and cold rock that entered the Earth’s atmosphere and is shedding gas and dust as it is warmed by molecular collisions. The meteor was likely once part of a comet or asteroid — perhaps later composing part of its tail. The meteor was gone in a flash and was only caught by coincidence during a series of exposures documenting the comet’s long tail. The featured image was captured just over a month ago from Sichuan Province in China.

Gallery: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in 2024
Tomorrow’s picture: open space

流星与彗星
影像提供与版权: Wang Hao; 影像处理: Song Wentao

说明: 这二道光迹有何不同？右上方的光痕，来自紫金山-阿特拉斯彗星的壮观尘尾。这颗本体为庞大脏冰山的彗星，在进入太阳系内围后，因阳光的加热而不断释放出气体和尘埃。左下方的光痕是流星，呈现它汽化时令人赞叹的流星痕。而本体为细小冰冷石块的流星，在进入地球大气时，因与空气分子碰撞而受到加热，从而释放出气体和尘埃。这颗流星原本很可能是彗星或小行星的一部分，甚至原来就是组成彗尾的尘埃微粒。这颗转瞬即逝的流星之所以能入镜，则是因为当时在进行紫金山-阿特拉斯彗星颀长彗尾的时序摄影，而它恰好出现在其中。这张主题影像大约是在一个月前，摄于中国的四川省。

画廊: 2024年的紫金山-阿特拉斯彗星
明日的图片: open space

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