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Nucleus of Comet 19P/Borrelly (Deep Space 1)

A long, thin rock-like structure sits at the center against a completely black background.

One of the comets the Webb team will study following its 2021 launch is Borrelly, a Jupiter-family comet. NASA's Deep Space 1 spacecraft snapped this image of Borrelly’s icy, rocky nucleus in September 2001. The irregularly shaped nucleus is 8 kilometers, or 5 miles, long. While Webb will not see this level of detail, it will be able to measure molecular composition on the surface and sense variations as the object rotates.

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.
    Taken by Deep Space 1 spacecraft on Nov. 4, 2001, 160 seconds before the spacecraft's closest approach to the comet. This image shows the 8-km (5-mile) long nucleus about 3417 kilometers (over 2,000 miles) away.
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    19P/Borrelly
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Periodic comet
  • Release Date
    September 25, 2019
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb to Unlock the Mysteries of Comets and the Early Solar System
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA-JPL

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Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA-JPL

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