A new image of the sunward plunging comet ISON suggests that the
comet is intact despite some predictions that the fragile icy nucleus
might disintegrate as the sun warms it. The comet will pass closest to
the sun on Nov. 28.
In this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image taken on Oct. 9, the
comet's solid nucleus is unresolved because it is so small. If the
nucleus broke apart then Hubble would have likely seen evidence for
multiple fragments.
Moreover, the coma or head surrounding the comet's nucleus is
symmetric and smooth. This would probably not be the case if clusters of
smaller fragments were flying along. What's more, a polar jet of dust
first seen in Hubble images taken in April is no longer visible and may
have turned off.
This color composite image was assembled using two filters. The
comet's coma appears cyan, a greenish-blue color due to gas, while the
tail is reddish due to dust streaming off the nucleus. The tail forms as
dust particles are pushed away from the nucleus by the pressure of
sunlight. The comet was inside Mars’ orbit and 177 million miles from
Earth when photographed. Comet ISON is predicted to make its closest
approach to Earth on Dec. 26, at a distance of 39.9 million miles.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
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