This image was taken during the close approach phase of Stardust's Jan 2, 2004 flyby of comet Wild 2. It is a distant side view of the roughly spherical comet nucleus. One hemisphere is in sunlight and the other is in shadow analogous to a view of the quarter moon. Several large depressed regions can be seen. Comet Wild 2 is about five kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | 81P/Wild | |
System | Periodic Comets | |
Target Type | Comet | |
Mission | Stardust | |
Instrument Host | Stardust | |
Host Type | Sample Return | |
Instrument | Navigation Camera (NC) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Dust, Grayscale, Shadow | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2004-01-06 | |
Date in Caption | 2004-01-02 | |
Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05004 | |
Identifier | PIA05004 |