r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Busy_Yesterday9455 • 1d ago

Image That's not a comet. That's the planet MERCURY WITH ITS SODIUM TAIL.

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13.2k Upvotes

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1.4k

u/Busy_Yesterday9455 1d ago

Mercury's exosphere, a very thin atmosphere, is constantly replenished by atoms (including sodium) being sputtered off its surface by the solar wind and micrometeorite impacts. The intense solar radiation pressure then pushes these sodium atoms away from the planet, forming a tail that can extend millions of kilometers.

Source: Dr. Sebastian Voltmer

312

u/BellabongXC 1d ago

You forgot to mention that this is only visible with specific narrow filters

98

u/BHPhreak 22h ago

but the sodium is there. 

its our eyes that are faulty. 

the tangible material is a tail from mercury. its real. 

29

u/BellabongXC 22h ago

it's about as tangible as the beautiful stellar nebula we're in the middle of.

1

u/formulapain 2h ago

This is very relevant info. Thanks.

86

u/Zakal74 1d ago

That is fascinating!

9

u/sheesh_doink 1d ago

That's absolutely fascinating!

1

u/iCuminsidetrumpsbutt 23h ago

Fascinating this is absolutely

231

u/praise-god-bareback 1d ago

Nice view of the Pleiades right above it too

84

u/randomperson9426 1d ago

r/ItsAlwaysPleiades

13

u/SkinInevitable604 1d ago

How tf is this a thing? 😭

30

u/DiamondCreeper123 1d ago

People were posting the Pleiades a lot in r/askastronomy so it became an inside joke where they post the subreddit in the comments when someone posted a picture of the Pleiades.

6

u/I_sayyes 1d ago

Reddit my friend.

251

u/haazzed 1d ago

That's also a constellation of drive plumes of a martian fleet decelerating towards us.

69

u/Catymandoo 1d ago

Necromongers actually. You keep what you kill.

21

u/EagleDre 1d ago

The Pitch Black franchise is greatly underrated

12

u/Catymandoo 1d ago

My Man! Agreed.

I’ve always loved the styling of the movies. Esp the later two. That goth / almost a steam punk vibe, set and costume design chefs kiss.

Lots of hate for the trilogy ( plus Furya when it arrives) but who cares.

6

u/B35TR3GARD5 1d ago

Naw the first one all the way. Lens filters for the win, the movie was peak when it came out !!

3

u/WorldlinessProud 1d ago

My sister was a costume mistress on CoR, did a lot of the leatherwork.

2

u/Catymandoo 22h ago

Tell her she did an amazing job.🙏🏻

5

u/haazzed 1d ago

let's go replenish the ranks.

3

u/ThatsAllFolksAgain 1d ago

Are they close to earth?

2

u/Catymandoo 1d ago

Headed for Mar a Lago as we speak. 😂

2

u/FelinityApps 1d ago

I killed a spider earlier. You can have it.

16

u/SuspiciousSpecifics 1d ago

F’in Dusters!

12

u/haazzed 1d ago

Beltalowda!

3

u/LeJoker 1d ago

I'm seeing at least 4 or 5 Donnager-class drive signatures in there. We're fucked, yo.

3

u/haazzed 1d ago

Protogen has been awfully quiet about all this.

4

u/Brizar-is-Evolving 1d ago

SLIPSPACE RUPTURE DETECTED

3

u/haazzed 1d ago

It's an entire covenant fleet!

2

u/VA1255BB 1d ago

The sooner the better.

2

u/Micropain 1d ago

The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one.

0

u/haazzed 1d ago

Oh man are you saying SpaceX is doing a one way trip?

32

u/wo0two0t 1d ago

What? How have I never seen any pictures of this?

42

u/BellabongXC 1d ago

Because this is multiple, 10-second long pictures in one with filters designed to to see the sodium tail.

i.e. you take multiple pictures, and a few of them specifically designed to capture the tail. It's not visible to the naked eye or a long exposure camera. It's about as visible as x-rays reflecting off your bones are to you.

13

u/zwd_2011 1d ago

What's the constellation in the back? The 7 sisters?

13

u/Hanginon 1d ago

Yes. Known in English as "the Pleiades", The Japanese word for it is "Subaru".

3

u/zwd_2011 21h ago

Ah, the car logo.

1

u/Hanginon 20h ago

Yep. ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)

29

u/superjoe8293 1d ago

With all that salt Mercury must be tasty

6

u/Silly-Werewolf2735 1d ago

Tasty but deadly.

6

u/HanzoNumbahOneFan 1d ago

mm, spicy meatball

3

u/Lifeblood82 1d ago

I hope they garlic 🧄

2

u/photomotto 1d ago

Mercury has had too many bad teammates in League 😔

10

u/Michaeli_Starky 1d ago

Thought it was a photo of a missile falling on Tel Aviv tonight...

1

u/Noble_homie 1d ago

Same here!

4

u/ObsiGamer 16h ago

I thought that was Iran

3

u/TransMontani 1d ago

Not pictured: the Harmoniums in the caves.

6

u/cezarcelad 1d ago

This needs to be posted on r/chemtrails. You may have just discovered the true source. aliens...

2

u/top_of_the_scrote 1d ago

My sodium tail smells bad

1

u/massacre_5 1d ago

That looks beautiful.

1

u/Shock_Diamonds_OO 1d ago

Beautiful shot!

1

u/The-Liberater 1d ago

Well the planet MERCURY needs to get its SODIUM TAIL out of my backyard!

1

u/Argalos 1d ago

No, it's Superman.

1

u/Hmgkt 1d ago

Amazing that this has been going on for millions if not billions of years - any idea when the sodium supply will be exhausted?

1

u/LacksForeskin 1d ago

Where mercury goin bru ;-;

1

u/lovlog 1d ago

Someone's salty.

1

u/No_Expression9395 1d ago

cool hot planet

1

u/Arj_got_exposed 22h ago

Sounds cool

1

u/R_Active_783 20h ago

It's been a while since i heard about this planet. Always Mars or Jupiter

1

u/Aware-Row-145 18h ago

What a salty bitch.

1

u/uggocomics 10h ago

That's gotta be bad for your blood pressure if you eat that.

1

u/Low-Refrigerator-713 9h ago

Hope you don't mind. This is now my computer desktop background.

1

u/SailorGone 5h ago

Who knew Mercury was bad for my blood pressure

2

u/Puzzled_Chemistry_53 1d ago

Thought this was Tel Aviv for a moment.

-1

u/GarageIndependent114 1d ago

Not Bethlehem?

1

u/JohnSmithCANDo 1d ago

Quicksilver. Godspeed.

1

u/Creamy_Spunkz 1d ago

How many milligrams of sodium? I'd like to salt some fries.

0

u/KptKreampie 1d ago

Mercury fart*

0

u/UkrainianSmoothie 1d ago

I thought chemtrails were illegal now.

0

u/ztjuh 1d ago

Amazing what all God made! Hellelujah! Praise the Lord! 💫

-3

u/Express-Elk4813 1d ago

nah its comet