Thursday, April 21, 2011

Shot of Comet Tempel 1 taken by Deep Impact's flyby Spacecraft

Shot of Comet Tempel 1 taken by Deep Impact's flyby Spacecraft
Click on the image to enlarge

This spectacular image of comet Tempel 1 was taken 67 seconds after it obliterated Deep Impact's impactor spacecraft. The image was taken by the high-resolution camera on the mission's flyby craft. Scattered light from the collision saturated the camera's detector, creating the bright splash seen here. Linear spokes of light radiate away from the impact site, while reflected sunlight illuminates most of the comet surface. The image reveals topographic features, including ridges, scalloped edges and possibly impact craters formed long ago.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD
Image enhancement: Jean-Baptiste Faure

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