Comet Hartley 2

This image of the peanut-shaped comet Hartley 2 was taken when the EPOXI mission spacecraft was less than 500 miles from the comet. The comet's nucleus, or body, is about 1.2 miles long. That is a little longer than the Brooklyn Bridge and a little shorter than the Golden Gate Bridge. The comet's "neck" is .25 miles wide. Jets can be seen streaming out of the nucleus.

The EPOXI mission flew past comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 4, 2010.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD