Cazando a un cometa
Planetas, el centro galáctico, estrellas, gas brillante, montañas perfiladas contra el fondo e incluso un cometa: esta Imagen de la Semana, tomada cerca del edificio de entrada principal del Observatorio Paranal de ESO, está llena de todos los esplendores que ofrecen los claros cielos de Chile.
En el horizonte, un objeto verde brilla como una mancha redonda y difusa; en realidad es un visitante interplanetario llamado Cometa 252P/LINEAR. Este cometa fue fotografiado mientras se elevaba más allá de la Tierra en abril de 2016, a casi 5,3 millones de kilómetros de distancia de nuestro planeta (¡bastante cerca para los estándares cósmicos!). Aunque era demasiado débil para verlo a simple vista, pudo captarse de forma espectacular en observaciones telescópicas e imágenes como esta.
Más a la derecha hay otro colorido objeto: una pequeña salpicadura rosada, visible justo por encima del horizonte en la zona adyacente al cometa. Se trata de la Nebulosa de la Laguna, situada a unos 5000 años luz de la Tierra. Si se observa con un pequeño telescopio o con binoculares puede parecer un objeto gris, ya que el ojo humano tiene poca sensibilidad al color con niveles bajos de luz, pero en las fotos de larga exposición puede distinguirse el fantástico brillo de sus vibrantes colores. La constelación más destacada de esta región del cielo es Scorpius (El Escorpión), pero sus estrellas se ven eclipsadas por Saturno, el "blanquecino" gigante planetario, y por los tonos rojizos de Marte. El resto del cielo está iluminado con una paleta de colores suaves debido a la luminiscencia nocturna.
La misteriosa cima retroiluminada a la izquierda de la imagen pertenece a Cerro Armazones, el pico sobre el cual se está construyendo el ELT (Extremely Large Telescope, Telescopio Extremadamente Grande). Cuando el ELT vea su primera luz, será el ojo más grande del mundo para mirar el cielo y se espera que haga avances importantes en el estudio de los exoplanetas, los agujeros negros supermasivos, el universo temprano y la naturaleza de la energía y la materia oscuras.
Crédito:ESO/P. Horálek
Sobre la imagen
| Identificador: | potw2129a |
| Idioma: | es |
| Tipo: | Fotográfico |
| Fecha de publicación: | 19 de Julio de 2021 a las 06:00 |
| Tamaño: | 10079 x 6720 px |
Sobre el objeto
| Nombre: | 252P/LINEAR, Comet LINEAR |
| Tipo: | Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet |
Formatos de imagen
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