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Credit & Copyright: SEN/Damian Peach
Explanation:
Yesterday, a comet passed very close to Mars.
In fact, Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding
Spring)
passed closer to the
red planet
than any comet has ever passed to Earth in recorded history.
To take advantage of this unique opportunity to study the close interaction of a
comet and a planet, humanity currently has five active spacecraft orbiting Mars:
NASA's
MAVEN,
MRO,
Mars Odyssey,
as well as
ESA's
Mars Express, and
India's
Mars Orbiter.
Most of these spacecraft have now sent back information that they have
not been damaged
by small pieces of the passing comet.
These spacecraft, as well as the two active rovers on the Martian surface -- NASA's
Opportunity and
Curiosity --
have taken data and images that will be downloaded to Earth for
weeks to come and likely studied for years to come.
The featured
image
taken yesterday, however, was not taken from Mars but from Earth and shows
Comet Siding Spring on the lower left as it passed Mars, on the upper right.
NASA Updates :
Comet Siding Spring from Mars
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet - Mars
Publications with words: comet - Mars
See also: