The Medium-Resolution Instrument on NASA's EPOXI mission spacecraft obtained these views of the icy particle cloud around Comet Hartley 2. The image on the left is the full image of Comet Hartley 2 for context, and the image on the right was enlarged and cropped.
The images confirm that the particles seen in the High-Resolution Instrument images are real and not artifacts.
This image was obtained on November 4, 2010, the day the EPOXI mission spacecraft made its closest approach to the comet.
This image from the High-Resolution Instrument on NASA's EPOXI mission spacecraft shows part of the nucleus of Comet Hartley 2. The Sun is illuminating the nucleus from the right. A distinct cloud of individual particles is visible. This image was obtained on November 4, 2010, the day the EPOXI mission spacecraft made its closest approach to the comet.
This zoomed-in image from the High-Resolution Instrument on NASA's EPOXI mission spacecraft shows the particles swirling in a "snow storm" around the nucleus of Comet Hartley 2.
Scientists estimate the size of the largest particles ranges from a golf ball to a basketball. They have determined these are icy particles rather than dust. The particles are believed to be very porous and fluffy.
The Sun is illuminating the nucleus from the right. This image was obtained on November 4, 2010, the day the EPOXI mission spacecraft made its closest approach to the comet.
Photo credits: (Top) NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD/Brown; (Middle and Bottom) NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD
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