Explanation: How did unusual spires form on comet Wild 2? Close inspection of images taken of Comet Wild 2 by the passing Stardust spacecraft in January show numerous strange pinnacles as long as 100 meters long jutting off the surface. The pinnacles were unexpected - close-ups of other comets and asteroids show no such features. In fact, no other Solar System object besides Earth is known to show such unusual structures. Other unusual Wild 2 surface features including long cliffs, deep pits and craters, and numerous active jets. Together with the spires, these features are hypothesized to be indicative of a very rigid surface sculpted by impacts and explosive sublimation. Initially, Wild 2 was expected by many to be held together only quite loosely. Stardust is scheduled to fly by the Earth in 2006 and drop off a sample of Wild 2 for detailed scrutiny.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Публикации с ключевыми словами: comet - Comet Wild 2 - кометы - комета Вилд-2 Публикации со словами: comet - Comet Wild 2 - кометы - комета Вилд-2
См. также: APOD: 2025 December 30 Б An Artificial Comet 3I/ATLAS Flyby SWAN, Swan, Eagle APOD: 2025 October 6 Б The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Lemmon 3I ATLAS: хвосты межзвездной кометы Комета Леммон и Млечный Путь 3I/ATLAS: вид с планеты Земля Все публикации на ту же тему >>