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Comet Siding Spring (October 19, 2014)

Comet Siding Spring (October 19, 2014)
The comet image shown here is a composite of Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 exposures taken between October 18, 8:06 a.m. EDT and October 19, 11:17 p.m. EDT.

About the Object

  • Distance
    DistanceThe 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.
    On October 19, 2014, at 2:28 p.m. EDT, Mars and Comet Siding Spring were approximately 149 million miles from Earth and passed within 87,000 miles (1.5 arcminutes) of each other.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data 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 the following proposals: 13936: PI: Z. Levay and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) and 13675: PI: J.-Y. Li (Planetary Science Institute), T. Farnham and M. Kelley (University of Maryland), N. Samarasinha (Planetary Science Institute), D. Bodewits and M. A'Hearn (University of Maryland), C. Lisse (JHU/APL), W. Delamere (Delamere Support Services), and M. Mutchler (STScI).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    October 19, 2014
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F775W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Comet C/2013 A1, Comet Siding Spring
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Comet
  • Release Date
    October 23, 2014
  • Science Release
    Close Encounters: Comet Siding Spring Seen Next to Mars
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, J.-Y. Li (PSI), C.M. Lisse (JHU/APL), and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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Mars and Comet Siding Spring - October 19, 2014

Mars and Comet Siding Spring - October 19, 2014

This composite Hubble Space Telescope image captures the positions of Comet Siding Spring and Mars in a never-before-seen close passage of a comet by the Red Planet, which happened at 2:28 p.m. EDT October 19, 2014. On that date the comet passed by Mars at approximately 87,000...

Mars - October 18, 2014

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This image of Mars was taken with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 at 10:37 p.m. EDT on Oct.18, 2014.

Compass and Scale Image for Mars and Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)

Compass and Scale Image for Mars and Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)

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Details

Last Updated
Feb 17, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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