Comet Siding Spring Buzzes Mars

Comet siding spring s dust tail will completely engulf the entire planet when mars travels through it.

Comet siding spring buzzes mars.

Hubble images show comet siding spring has passed the snow and water lines the points at which the sun s warmth activates or releases gases and water ice to form the coma and tail. Nasa s extensive fleet of science assets particularly those orbiting and roving mars have front row seats to image and study this once in a lifetime flyby. On that date comet 2013 a1 siding spring will buzz mars about 10 times closer than any identified comet has ever flown past earth. 19 potentially putting on a good show for nasa s red planet spacecraft.

19 comet c 2013 a1 comet siding spring will pass within about 87 000 miles 139 500 km of mars. In october comet siding spring will buzz mars at 125 000 miles per hour and close enough for the comet s tail of gas and dust to envelop the planet. With an observation arc of 733 days the nominal pass is 0 000931 au 139 300 km. By kiona smith strickland jul 30 2014.

But the dust shed by the comet. Initial observations by leonid elenin on 27 february 2013 suggested that it might pass 0 000276 au 41 300 km. 25 700 mi from the center of mars. Comet siding spring will approach within 86 000 miles 138 000 kilometers of mars on oct.

Comet siding spring s close encounter with the fleet of orbiters and rovers at mars is expected to give scientists their most detailed look yet at an object from the oort cloud. Comet siding spring s mars buzz animated take a close look at how comet siding spring will make its historic flyby of mars on oct. The comet siding spring whizzed within 87 000 miles of mars close enough for nasa to force its fleet of spacecraft orbiting mars to duck for cover. In a rare cosmic close encounter the comet siding spring whizzed past mars at a distance of 139 500 kilometres just more than one third of the distance from earth to the moon on 19 october.