NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

The Landscape on Comet Tempel 1

This diverse landscape is the surface of comet Temple 1's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] nucleus as seen by the Deep Impact probe's Impactor Targeting Sensor [ http://deepimpact.j…]. Within minutes of recording the rugged view [ http://photojournal…], the landscape had changed dramatically though, as the impactor smashed into the surface near the two large, half kilometer-sized craters at picture center. Indications [ http://photojournal…PIA02131 ] are that the probe penetrated well below the surface before vaporizing, sending a relatively narrow plume of debris blasting back into space. Researchers are still speculating on the final size of the crater [ http://www.deepimpa…cratering.html ] produced by the July 4th comet crash [ http://www.deepimpa…050704a-jpl.html ], but material continues to spew from the impact site and has caused the faint comet [ http://deepimpact.u…] to brighten significantly. Determining the crater dimensions and analyzing the debris ejected from the comet's interior will provide premier insights into the formation of comet Tempel 1 [ http://www.deepimpa…], a primordial chunk of our own solar system.

Univ. Maryland [ http://www.astro.um…], JPL-Caltech [ http://www.jpl.nasa…], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov…]

Maryland

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Crater

Deep Impact

Impactor

comet

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

SPD-APOD-ap050706