EPOXI Flyby of Comet Hartley 2

[PPI Brian]

NASA's EPOXI spacecraft made a close approach to comet Hartley 2 on November 4, 2010 and captured this stunning image.



For more information about the mission, check out the link below:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/epoxi/index.html

[Damian]

That image just gave me goosebumps.  It's so cool how you can see the gasses streaming from the comet at different tragectories.

[PPI Brian]

That image just gave me goosebumps.  It's so cool how you can see the gasses streaming from the comet at different tragectories.

It looks kind of like a giant fried chicken drum stick traveling through space, doesn't it?    

You can still see comet 103P/Hartley 2 with a good pair of binoculars and a clear view of the east sky. Tonight the comet will be almost directly under the belt stars of Orion, in Monoceros between the alpha stars of Canis Major (Sirius) and Canis Minor (Procyon). It's a magnitude 5.5 fuzzball with a hint of a tail, but it's worth looking for. Don't get fooled by M-50: Charles Messier documented this star cluster in 1772 during his now famous comet hunts from Paris. 

I am constantly amazed by the images NASA's robotic missions capture. I am looking forward to the DAWN spacecraft's close approach to Vesta and Ceres, and of course New Horizons flyby of Pluto and Charon. There is no shortage of amazing places to visit in our solar system.  

[Gary]

Wow, that picture is awesome.  It blows my mind what exists all around us, yet we hardly take notice.  I love looking at the night sky.  It never ceases to amaze me.

[PPI Debra]

That is an awesome picture! I know I'm repeating what Gary said, but there's no other word for it.

[Damian]

Mmmmmmm, fried space chicken...

[PPI Tracy]

Mmmmmmm, fried space chicken...

KFC, baby!!

Ahem...mmm....sorry.