Turkey Leg Anyone???

Turkey Leg Anyone???

This is a close-up taken from the EPOXI mission spacecraft as it approached Comet Hartley 2 on November 4th. The rough areas at both ends and the narrow, smooth waist give the appearance of a turkey leg, don’t they?

Hartley Comet

This “close encounter” with Hartley 2 was just the 5th time that a spacecraft from Earth has imaged a comet this close. But Hartley 2′s definitely the smallest one so far — it’s only about one mile long! While Hartley 2 is small, the jets of dust and gas reveal a very active surface. Notice that the jets originate from the rough surface areas, while sunlight illuminates the comet from the right.

So when someone in your family is feasting on a large turkey leg tomorrow, take a step back — WAY BACK — and think of Comet Hartley 2 hurtling in space — about 10 million miles from your dinner table!

Hartley Comet