Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Comet Breaks Apart Before Astronomers' Eyes

http://www.space.com/18364-comet-breakup-inner-solar-system.html

November 6, 2012 - space.com
A comet is falling apart on its trek through the inner solar system, and astronomers have a ringside seat for all the dramatic action.
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"Comet Hergenrother is splitting apart," Rachel Stevenson, a post-doctoral fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement. "Using the Gemini North Telescope on top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, we have resolved that the nucleus of the comet has separated into at least four distinct pieces, resulting in a large increase in dust material in its coma."
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