JGeropoulas
The Living Force
Here's a link to the photographs taken when Hartley 2 was at its nearest approach 496,000 miles away (which is about twice the distance to the moon).
_http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/11/epoxi-comet-flyby/
Excerpts from the related article:
When the Deep Impact probe passed by comet Hartley 2 on November 4, it was only the fifth time in history that a spacecraft has been close enough to photograph the heart of a comet. The probe flew through the comet’s diffuse corona at about 27,500 miles per hour and came within 435 miles of its icy, dirty core.
Observations leading up to the flyby showed that Hartley 2 is small but active. It’s only about 1.36 miles across, a shrimp compared to other comets that have been visited by spacecraft.
“It’s hyperactive, small and feisty,” said Don Yeomans, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.
Hartley 2 wasn’t actually NASA’s first choice for the next comet encounter. The A-list comet, called 85P/Boethin, disappeared without a trace. Scientists think it may have broken up into untraceable fragments.
_http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/11/epoxi-comet-flyby/
Excerpts from the related article:
When the Deep Impact probe passed by comet Hartley 2 on November 4, it was only the fifth time in history that a spacecraft has been close enough to photograph the heart of a comet. The probe flew through the comet’s diffuse corona at about 27,500 miles per hour and came within 435 miles of its icy, dirty core.
Observations leading up to the flyby showed that Hartley 2 is small but active. It’s only about 1.36 miles across, a shrimp compared to other comets that have been visited by spacecraft.
“It’s hyperactive, small and feisty,” said Don Yeomans, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.
Hartley 2 wasn’t actually NASA’s first choice for the next comet encounter. The A-list comet, called 85P/Boethin, disappeared without a trace. Scientists think it may have broken up into untraceable fragments.
