Watching the images & movies @ the NASA site on Deep Impact.

When you see a comet from the sky (ie Hale Bopp),a visible tail

is seen.Looking at the images of the impactor approaching Tempel-

Why is it so well defined? With all the dust/gas surrounding,wouldn't

it be obscured?

Thanks Doug

Temple 1 is an older comet and has been around the sun many times. Most of its volatiles have been shed off so its coma is less dense.

Yeah, it does actually have a tail it's just not as pronounced, and when they got up close (and presumably adjusted their exposure times for optimal photography on the comet) it seemed to more or less disappear from view.

 

The Wikipedia article on Deep Impact has some pretty good approach shots showing the tail when it was still a month out and closing.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Impact_%28space_mission%29

 

Here's one of the pics:

 

Just as a side note to this thread, it was learned today that we may not be able to get any further photographs of the crater left by the impacting vehicle due to the cometary "tail". I'm actually at a loss for a non-registration link for this at the moment, sorry.

Comets have indeed 3 tails, the dust tail, the ion tail and the hydrogen tail

Comets have indeed 3 tails, the dust tail, the ion tail and the hydrogen tail

Four, if you count the tale they tell of the early history of the solar system.

Oh, if comets could speak... they possibly would tell this tale:

http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/22746/page/2

 

 

But unfortunately, they are only stupid and mute balls rushing through space

...and the only way we can get information out of them is by blasting them to smithereens.

 

I'd expect Tempel 1 may have more of a pronounced tail now, due to the fact that we just exposed quite a bit of rock from its center. I'd assume that it would cause a tail until the crater is cleaned of debris.

...and the only way we can get information out of them is by blasting them to smithereens.

 

I'd expect Tempel 1 may have more of a pronounced tail now, due to the fact that we just exposed quite a bit of rock from its center. I'd assume that it would cause a tail until the crater is cleaned of debris.

 

edit: dang it! sorry for double post. The thing told me I had to wait 25 seconds, and when I came back later and reposted, it was already there somehow...

But unfortunately, they are only stupid and mute balls rushing through space

True. Though if you subscribe to the hypothesis of pan spermia [ http://www.panspermia.org/ ]they may not be dead, just sleeping.