Comet Siding Spring Buzzes Mars

Comet siding spring s dust tail will completely engulf the entire planet when mars travels through it.

Comet siding spring buzzes mars.

Nasa s extensive fleet of science assets particularly those orbiting and roving mars have front row seats to image and study this once in a lifetime flyby. But the dust shed by the comet. In october comet siding spring will buzz mars at 125 000 miles per hour and close enough for the comet s tail of gas and dust to envelop the planet. Comet siding spring s mars buzz animated take a close look at how comet siding spring will make its historic flyby of mars on oct.

25 700 mi from the center of mars. 19 comet c 2013 a1 comet siding spring will pass within about 87 000 miles 139 500 km of mars. Hubble images show comet siding spring has passed the snow and water lines the points at which the sun s warmth activates or releases gases and water ice to form the coma and tail. 86 500 mi from the center point of mars and the uncertainty region shows.

With an observation arc of 733 days the nominal pass is 0 000931 au 139 300 km. In a rare cosmic close encounter the comet siding spring whizzed past mars at a distance of 139 500 kilometres just more than one third of the distance from earth to the moon on 19 october. On that date comet 2013 a1 siding spring will buzz mars about 10 times closer than any identified comet has ever flown past earth. By kiona smith strickland jul 30 2014.

Comet siding spring will approach within 86 000 miles 138 000 kilometers of mars on oct. Spacecraft at mars might get a good look at the nucleus of comet. The comet siding spring whizzed within 87 000 miles of mars close enough for nasa to force its fleet of spacecraft orbiting mars to duck for cover. 19 potentially putting on a good show for nasa s red planet spacecraft.