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This close-up view of comet Hartley 2 was taken as NASA's EPOXI mission approached the comet at 6:59 a.m. PDT (9:59 a.m. EDT). The spacecraft's Medium-Resolution Instrument snapped the picture from a distance of 816 kilometers (507 miles). The sun is to the right.
The comet's nucleus, or main body, is approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) long and .4 kilometers (.25 miles) at the "neck," or most narrow portion. Jets can be seen streaming out of the nucleus.
| Name | Value | Additional Values |
|---|---|---|
| Target | 103P/Hartley | |
| System | Periodic Comets | |
| Target Type | Comet | |
| Mission | Deep Impact | |
| Instrument Host | Deep Impact | |
| Host Type | Impactor | |
| Instrument | Medium Resolution Instrument (MRI) | |
| Detector | ||
| Extra Keywords | Grayscale | |
| Acquisition Date | ||
| Release Date | 2010-11-05 | |
| Date in Caption | ||
| Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD | |
| Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13579 | |
| Identifier | PIA13579 | |