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> 5 Comets nucleus seen by spacecrafts

5 Comets nucleus seen by spacecrafts

author: Nasa/JPL/UMD/Novapix

reference: a-com09-00006

Image Size 300 DPI: 25 * 19 cm

This montage shows the only five comets imaged up close with spacecraft. The comets vary in shape and size. Comet Hartley 2 is by far the smallest and the most active of small comets. This jet activity can be seen extending from the comet's surface and into its outer shell of gas and dust, or coma. This is first time scientists have been able to link jets to the details of the surface.

Keywords for this photo:

103P/HARTLEY - 2010 - ASTRONOMY - BORRELLY - COMET - COMPARISON - DEEP IMPACT - EPOXI - HALLEY - HARTLEY 2 - NUCLEUS - SCALE - TEMPEL 1 - WILD 2 -