72 ASTRONOMY • JUNE 2018
- B LU E STR E AK
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2016 R2) displays
a complex tail as it passes through
the constellation Taurus the Bull on
January 7, 2018. The bluish hue comes
from sunlight causing ionized carbon
monoxide molecules to fluoresce.
- Damian Peach/José J. Chambó
- ONCE IN A BLUE MOON
The eclipsed Moon makes ready to
set behind a group of saguaro cacti
growing on a mountainside west of
Tucson, Arizona. This total lunar eclipse
occurred January 31, 2018. This date
also marked a blue Moon, the second
Full Moon of the month.
- John Vermette
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