Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. The comet's ion tail is fluctuating more rapidly as it passes a region of changing solar wind . As the comet passes from north to south, it crosses the plane of the Sun 's equator, where the solar magnetic field changes direction. Ions from the solar wind , which cause Comet Hale-Bopp 's ion tail, act unpredictably here. The above picture , taken April 30th, indeed shows unusual structure in the blue ion tail.
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