The pictures above are of the comet Hartley 2, taken by the EPOXI mission spacecraft in its journey through space. This flyby gives an extremely close-up view of a comet, objects which astronomers have been working hard to learn more about in recent years. Although Hartley 2 is only about two kilometers long (from the long side), these pictures reveal that is is incredible active as gravitational forces continuously pull on it. The photo itself gives an eerie viewpoint on the vast number of objects tumbling through our solar system. Comets such as the Hartley 2 are extremely common, and to learn more about them can spawn many new ideas and theories about the solar system we live in.
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