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This image was taken during the close approach phase of NASA's Stardust's Jan 2, 2004 flyby of comet Wild 2. It is a distant side view of the roughly spherical comet nucleus.
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Comet Wild 2 - Stardust Approach Image

This image was taken during the close approach phase of Stardust's Jan 2, 2004 flyby of comet Wild 2. It is a distant side view of the roughly spherical comet nucleus. One hemisphere is in sunlight and the other is in shadow analogous to a view of the quarter moon. Several large depressed regions can be seen. Comet Wild 2 is about five kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter.

Image details

ID#:
PIA05004

Date added:
2004-01-06

Target:
Wild 2

Mission:
Stardust

Spacecraft:
Stardust

Instruments:
Stardust Navigation Camera

Size:
2400 x 2618 pixels (width x height)

Rating:



Views:
235

Full-Res TIFF:
PIA05004.tif (1.53 MB)

Full-Res JPG:
PIA05004.jpg (0.13 MB)

Image credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech