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Comet McNaught (pictured) reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet in over 40 years, with an apparent magnitude of −5.5.
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Comet McNaught
Great Comet of 2007
Comet McNaught, also known as the Great Comet of 2007 and given the designation C/2006 P1, is a non-periodic comet discovered on 7 August 2006 by British-Australian astronomer Robert H. McNaught using the Uppsala Southern Schmidt Telescope. It was the brightest comet in over 40…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Apsis
Either of two extreme points in a celestial object's orbit
An apsis is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. The line of apsides is the line connecting the two extreme values.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Comet
Natural object in space that releases gas
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or coma surrounding the nucleus, and sometimes a tail of gas and dust gas…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Apparent magnitude
Brightness of a celestial object observed from the Earth
Apparent magnitude is a measure of the brightness of a star, astronomical object or other celestial objects like artificial satellites. Its value depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance, and any extinction of the object's light caused by interstellar dust or atmosphere…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)