Flyby of Comet Siding Spring
Flyby of Comet Siding Spring
This animation combines multiple images that were acquired by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) operated by DLR on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. The speed of Siding Spring relative to Mars during the flyby was approximately 56 kilometres per second. The images were acquired at intervals of 171 seconds and have a resolution of 17 kilometres per pixel. The animation reveals not only the nucleus of the comet, but also the coma, made up of dust and gas, that surrounds it.
