Comet R3 PanSTARRS and Orion Nebula: Indian Ocean Island View
"Orion never had a sword like this. As Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) heads out of the inner Solar System, it is putting on quite a show for long exposure cameras. Currently seen toward the constellation of Orion the Hunter, the distant Orion Nebula is visible on the upper right. Comet R3 PanSTARRS is now showing two distinct tails: a short dust tail pointing toward the top of the image and a long and wavy ion tail trailing off toward the upper left. The ion tail points away from the Sun and glows blue from excited carbon monoxide. Large particles in the dust tail somewhat resist the radiation pressure that push them away from the Sun and so retain a bit of the comet's orbit. The dust tail shines by reflected sunlight. This image was taken a few days ago from France's Reunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean."
C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet. It passed perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on April 19, 2026, when it was 0.499 astronomical units (AU) (75 million kilometers) from the Sun. The comet was discovered by PanSTARRS in images obtained on September 8, 2025.
Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France within the African region. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately 679 kilometers (367 nautical miles) east of the island of Madagascar and 175 kilometers (94 nmi) southwest of the island of Mauritius.
Image Description: A starfield appears featuring a comet with a long tail that extends from the lower right to the upper left. To the left of the comet is a bright star, and above the comet and to the right is a red and white nebula.
Luc's website: https://www.lucperrot.fr/bio
Release Date: May 10, 2026
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