Comet Siding Spring View From Mars

Comet siding spring seen next to mars.

Comet siding spring view from mars.

Comet siding spring flew about 87 000 miles from mars during the encounter. Nasa s hubble space telescope has produced a unique composite image of comet siding spring as it made its never before seen close passage of a comet by mars. This composite hubble space telescope image captures the positions of comet siding spring and mars in a never before seen close passage of a comet by the red planet which happened at 2 28 p m. Several other nasa instruments on mars and in space also imaged comet siding spring s mars flyby.

19 comet c 2013 a1 also known as comet siding spring will pass within about 87 000 miles 139 500 kilometers of the red planet less than half the distance between earth and our moon and less than one tenth the distance of any known comet flyby of earth. Siding spring s nucleus will come closest to mars around 11 27 a m. In the animation the comet moves across the image from right to left above the brightest streak. Edt hurtling at about 126 000 mph 56 kilometers per second.

On that date the comet passed by mars at approximately 87 000 miles about one third the distance between earth and the moon.