NASA - WISE Catches Comet 65-P Gunn

NASA - WISE Catches Comet 65-P Gunn

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

What looks like a narwhal is actually comet 65P/Gunn, which orbits the Sun every 6.8 years. A comet is a ball of dust and ice left over from the formation of the solar system. As it approaches the Sun and heats up, its surface releases gas and dust, which are then blown back by the solar wind into a long, spectacular tail. The "sword" ahead of the comet's nucleus is made of dust particles shed by 65P/Gunn on previous orbits around the Sun. 

Read more about this image here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/multimedia/gallery/13115-4x3.html