Astronomers Capture Spectacular New Image of Comet Lovejoy's Ion Tail

Using Subaru Telescope's wide-field, prime-focus camera, astronomers have managed to capture a spectacular new image of Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1). The new image reveals the intricate flow of the comet's ion tail, showing the researchers a bit more about the details associated with this particular space phenomenon.

The new image is thanks in part to the image's combination of a wide field of view and high spatial resolution. The picture itself, which was taken when Lovejoy was 50 million miles away from Earth and 80 million miles away from the sun, shows the complex, wiggling streams in the comet's tail. This, in turn, tells the scientists a little bit more about the comet in general.

In fact, comets remain a constant source of investigation for astronomers. Comet ISON, which recently disintegrated during its close encounter with the sun, was watched for months by astronomers who wanted to learn a bit more about the behavior of these objects in space. While Comet ISON was possibly one of the most closely studied comets, though, even astronomers couldn't predict its final behavior. The scientists instead relied on several different potential scenarios, including one which would have resulted in ISON being the "comet of the century" by lighting up even the daytime skies with its spectacular tail.

Now, astronomers have turned their gaze to Comet Lovejoy. The comet itself was first discovered in September this year (2013). Like most comets, it possesses a dust jet streaming from its nucleus. In addition, the comet's visibility has slowly been increasing in the eastern sky, and the new image offers more insight into the comet.

"Subaru Telescope offers a rare combination of large telescope aperture and a wide-field camera," said one of the members of the observation team in a news release. "This enabled us to capture a detailed look at the nucleus while also photogenically framing inner portions of Comet Lovejoy's impressive ion tail."