Comet Linear (C/2002 T7)

In the past comets brought with them connotations of doom and gloom. Witnessing a comet in the night sky could very well be one of the scariest things a person might see up there in the heavens. Nowadays, given sufficient distance from the Earth, comets elicit a distinctly different reaction. People gaze at them in wonder from even bright city skies- and amateur astronomers enjoy the change in pace from their usual astronomical vistas. This comet, LINEAR (C/2002 T7), rounded the Sun in 2004 and began its journey to the outer part of the solar system. On its way, people in the northern hemisphere were able to catch a glimpse of it during the subsequent months.The images shown here are separated by 3-4 days worth of time. Notice how quickly the comet changes its appearance. Also note how the comet's anti-solar direction (along the tail) is changing as it moves in its orbit (the images have identical orientations with North at the left).

This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program during 2014 at Kitt Peak Visitor Center.