Mars Orbiter's spectrometer shows Oort comet's coma
Monday, October 27, 2014 - 10:30
in Astronomy & Space
The Compact Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) observed comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring as the comet sped close to Mars on Oct. 19. CRISM recorded imaging data in 107 different wavelengths, showing the inner part of the cloud of dust, called the coma, surrounding the comet's nucleus.