This close-up view of comet Hartley 2 was taken by NASA's EPOXI mission during its flyby of the comet on Nov. 4, 2010. It was captured by the spacecraft's Medium-Resolution Instrument.
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This close-up view of comet Hartley 2 was taken by NASA's EPOXI mission during its flyby of the comet on Nov. 4, 2010. It was captured by the spacecraft's Medium-Resolution Instrument.NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD
Aug. 13, 2018
Research Highlight

The Hyperactivity and Dust Composition of the Comet Hartley 2

In November of 2010, NASA’s EPOXI mission completed a flyby of the short-period comet 103P/Hartley 2. This comet has a ‘hyperactive’ nucleus, which means that its water production rate is high relative to its surface area. A recent paper details mid-infrared spectra and images of the comet taken from Gemini-South near and after the EPOXI encounter. Analysis of the spectra and images from Gemini provide further details about the dust composition of Hartley 2 as compared to other short-period comets.

This artist's animation shows a sped-up view of the EPOXI mission spacecraft during its Nov. 4, 2010 flyby of comet Hartley 2. The fluffy shell around the comet, called a coma, is made up of gas and dust that blew off the comet's core, or nucleus.
This artist's animation shows a sped-up view of the EPOXI mission spacecraft during its Nov. 4, 2010 flyby of comet Hartley 2. The fluffy shell around the comet, called a coma, is made up of gas and dust that blew off the comet's core, or nucleus.Image credit: NASA.

The study, “Hyperactivity and Dust Composition of Comet 103P/Hartley 2 During the EPOXI Encounter,” was published in the journal The Astronomical Journal. This work was supported by the Emerging Worlds Program. The NASA Astrobiology Program provides resources for Emerging Worlds and other Research and Analysis programs within the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) that solicit proposals relevant to astrobiology research.