Hubble Confirms Largest Comet Nucleus Ever Seen

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Hubble Confirms Largest Comet Nucleus Ever Seen

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Post by smp »


I heard about this on NPR this morning. From NASA:
"NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has determined the size of the largest icy comet nucleus ever seen by astronomers. The estimated diameter is approximately 80 miles across, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island. The nucleus is about 50 times larger than found at the heart of most known comets. Its mass is estimated to be a staggering 500 trillion tons, a hundred thousand times greater than the mass of a typical comet found much closer to the Sun."

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/20 ... -ever-seen

WOW!

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Re: Hubble Confirms Largest Comet Nucleus Ever Seen

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Post by helicon »


Very impressive scale. Hopefully it will offer some great views if it ever approaches earth when it makes its jaunt into the inner solar system.
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