Comet C/2014 Q1 (left) and Centaurus A (right). Centaurus A is a galaxy located in the constellation of Centaurus. It is around 11 million light years

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Comet C/2014 Q1 (left) and Centaurus A (right). Centaurus A is a galaxy located in the constellation of Centaurus. It is around 11 million light years from Earth. Comets are bodies of ice and dust that enter the inner solar system from the outer solar system. As they approach the Sun, the heat boils the ice, producing a coma around the nucleus, along with a tail stretching out behind it. This comet was discovered by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS) in 2014. It reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 6 July 2015. This image was obtained on 18 September 2015.

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Photo credit: © DAMIAN PEACH/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: -, /2014, 18, 2015, 21st, 5128, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, c2014, centaurus, century, coma, comet, cometary, dust, galactic, galaxy, gaseous, ice, ngc, nucleus, optical, panoramic, panstarrs, planetary, q1, rapid, response, science, september, solar, space, survey, system, tail, telescope, visible