Comet ZTF over Yosemite Falls.

They are both falling. The water in Yosemite Falls , California , USA , is falling toward the Earth. Comet ZTF is falling toward the Sun . This double cosmic cascade was captured late last month as fading Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) had just passed its closest to planet Earth. The orange star just over the falls is Kochab . With the exception of a brief encounter with a black bear , the featured image was a well-planned composite of a moonlit-foreground and long-duration background exposures - all designed to reconstruct a deep version of an actual single sight. Although Comet ZTF is now fading as it glides back to the outer Solar System , its path is determined by gravity and so it can be considered to still be falling toward the Sun -- but backwards.

Comet ZTF Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD