UAE astronomers to help confirm discovery of comet in first Arab observation
An Abu Dhabi-based observatory captured images of Comet SWAN25F on April 5. With astronomers still confirming its discovery, the observations made by the Al-Khatim Astronomical Observatory will contribute to accurately determining its orbit.
Observations were conducted to accurately determine the comet's location, which changes over time. The comet was discovered just a few days ago, and has not yet been given a permanent name or number.
The Abu Dhabi astronomers' observations were sent to the International Astronomical Union and have now been included in the observation database. To date, these are the only Arab observations in the database.
The comet's current brightness is 12th magnitude, meaning it can only be seen through a telescope.
The comet, as seen above, appears as a large dot, with stars around it seen as lines due to the comet's rapid movement. This image is 8 minutes long, consisting of eight images, each one minute long, according to the International Astronomical Centre.
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