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P/2013 P5 on September 10, 2013
About the Object
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.At the time of the Hubble observations in September 2013, P/2013 P5 was 1.1 astronomical units (112 million miles) from Earth and 2.1 astronomical units (195 million miles) from the Sun.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.The image was created from Hubble data from proposal 13475: D. Jewitt (University of California, Los Angeles), J. Agarwal (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research), H. Weaver (JHU/APL), M. Mutchler (STScI), and S. Larson (University of Arizona). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFC3/UVIS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.September 10, 2013
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F350LP (long pass)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.P/2013 P5
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Active Asteroid
- Release DateNovember 7, 2013
- Science ReleaseNASA’s Hubble Sees Asteroid Spout Six Comet-like Tails
- Credit
This image was originally black and white and recorded only overall brightness. These brightness values were translated into a range of bluish hues. Such color "maps" can be useful in helping to distinguish subtly varying brightness in an image.

Related Images & Videos

Active Asteroid P/2013 P5
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope set of images reveals a never-before-seen set of six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt, designated P/2013 P5. The asteroid was discovered as an unusually fuzzy-looking object with the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid...

Active Asteroid P/2013 P5 (Artist's Schematic)
This is a diagram of the structure seen around an active asteroid designated P/2013 P5. The Hubble Space Telescope photographed six finger-like dust tails in September 2013. One interpretation is that the asteroid's rotation rate has been increased to the point where dust is...

Compass and Scale Images for P/2013 P5
The Hubble Space Telescope photographed six finger-like dust tails in September 2013 of active asteroid P/2013 P5. One interpretation for the structure is that the asteroid's rotation rate has been increased to the point where dust is falling off the surface along the equator...
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov