APOD: 2026 August 8 – A Messier Moment for Tempel 2
The post APOD: 2026 August 8 – A Messier Moment for Tempel 2 appeared first on NASA Science .
On August 8, 2026, the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) featured a unique image that highlighted a distinction between two celestial objects – a periodic comet and a globular star cluster. The photograph captured the faint, narrow dust trail of periodic comet 10P/Tempel 2, which was observed to be just 3.5 light-minutes away from the distant globular star cluster Messier 30 (M30). The image was taken on July 29, 2026, and was created by Dan Bartlett.
Astronomer Charles Messier, who lived in the 18th century, created a famous catalog of "nebulae and star clusters" that did not move from night to night against the background stars. These objects were not the comets he was searching for. The famous comet hunter would have identified both 10P/Tempel 2 and the distant M30 as similar, faint, and fuzzy objects in his field of view. However, the modern telescopic image clearly demonstrates their clear distinction. Tomorrow's APOD will feature a contemplation of the Sun.
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- APOD: 2026 August 8 – A Messier Moment for Tempel 2 science.nasa.gov
