Stardust comet flyby image!

Evil Dr Ganymede · Post #1by **Evil Dr Ganymede** » 03.01.2004, 02:05

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/status/040102.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3364419.stm

There are more images on the way, apparently. But Wild-2 looks like a rather peculiar and interesting object

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Post #2by **chris** » 03.01.2004, 20:43

Those steep walled craters are quite a surprise . . . It makes the comet look almost cartoonish. Are they impact craters modified by outgassing of volatiles?

--Chris

Post #3by **granthutchison** » 04.01.2004, 00:04

Yes, it looks like something out of The Little Prince (or the old British TV animation The Clangers)!
I suppose those odd craters could just be the result of explosive outgassing, with no impact necessarily involved.

Grant