Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Comet Tempel 1 from Stardust-NeXT Spacecraft

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 16, 2011 is “Comet Tempel 1 from Stardust-NeXT Spacecraft,” an image. It is credited to Credit: NASA , JPL-Caltech , Cornell. The original explanation runs about 158 words.

Comet Tempel 1 from Stardust-NeXT Spacecraft
Credit: NASA , JPL-Caltech , Cornell Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“No comet has ever been visited twice before. Therefore, the unprecedented pass of the Stardust-NeXT spacecraft near Comet Tempel 1 earlier this week gave humanity a unique opportunity to see how the nucleus of a comet changes over time.”

— APOD editors, February 16, 2011

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 16, 2011
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: NASA , JPL-Caltech , Cornell
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 158 words

All of February 2011 → · 2011 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Comets

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.