The Green Visitor, 2009 (digital photo)

Creator: Richard Higby This image shows Comet Lulin. Comets are visitors from the frozen edges of the Solar System. A comet’s nucleus is a chunk of ice and rock just a few kilometres across. As it passes close to the Sun, ice on the surface evaporates. This streams off into space to produce the comet’s spectacular tail of dust and gas, millions of kilometres long. Born digital photograph entitled 'The Green Visitor' by Richard Higby at North Sydney, Australia on 3rd March 2009. Taken with Wiliam Optics Megrez 90mm doublet apochromatic refractor; Takahashi EM200 equatorial mount; SBIG ST-2000 MXC CCD camera. Highly Commended in Our Solar System category of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2010. Richard Higby is based in Tasmania