A photographer in the U.K. has captured a remarkable image of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) as it speeds toward Earth.
Jamie Cooper took the picture of the comet in Lincolnshire, England, British news agency SWNS reported. It was first spotted on Dec. 28, 2019, according to EarthSky.org, by astronomers using the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) in Hawaii.
Cooper, who photographs the natural world, said that he was lucky enough to get a picture of the comet using his telescope.
The comet, named C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), is pictured (BLUE DOT) glimmering in space by Jamie Cooper in Lincolnshire. The celestial body will be visible to the naked eye within weeks as it travels brightly in the atmosphere. (Credit: SWNS)
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“I managed to photograph the comet approaching on Sunday evening through a small telescope,” Cooper told the news outlet.
“The comet has a similar orbit to the Great Comet of 1844, leading to speculation on whether C/2019 Y4 is a fragment of the same parent body,” he added.
Astronomer Jamie Cooper. (Credit: SWNS)
The comet, which poses no threat to Earth, is expected to be seen with the naked eye in the next few weeks. It is currently crossing Mars‘ orbit, toward the inner Solar System, EarthSky added.
Despite its coincidental name and discovery date, the comet has nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic that results in the COVID-19 disease sweeping the globe.
