Hubble Catches Views of a Jet Rotating with Comet 252P/LINEAR
Thursday, May 12, 2016 - 12:30
in Astronomy & Space
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured images of Comet 252P/LINEAR after the comet passed by Earth on March 21. The visit was one of the closest encounters between a comet and our planet. The Hubble images taken on April 4 reveal a narrow, well-defined jet of dust ejected by the comet's icy nucleus. The jet also appears to change direction in the images, which is evidence that the comet's nucleus is spinning.