NASA's STEREO Mission, Shows the Motion of Comet Encke (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA's STEREO Mission, Shows the Motion of Comet Encke

Caption

This animation, captured by NASA's STEREO mission, shows the motion of Comet Encke and its tail as it approached the sun in April 2007. Scientists studied the movements of hundreds of dense chunks of glowing ionized gas within the comet's tail, finding evidence of turbulence that may explain both the solar wind's variability and its unexpectedly high temperatures. Click the image to see the animation.

Credit

Credits: NASA/STEREO

Usage Restrictions

None

License

Licensed content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.