Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Emily Lakdawalla • Jul 04, 2005

Views of Tempel 1

It looks like the European Space Agency was busy overnight -- lots of great Earth- and space- based images of the impact have been appearing on various websites. Here's a set from Hubble:

Tempel 1 as seen by Hubble, a minute prior to impact (July 4, 2005 at 05:51 UTC)
Tempel 1 as seen by Hubble, a minute prior to impact (July 4, 2005 at 05:51 UTC) NASA, ESA, P. Feldman (JHU) and H. Weaver (JHU/APL)
Tempel 1 as seen by Hubble, 19 minutes after impact (July 4, 2005 at 06:01 UTC)
Tempel 1 as seen by Hubble, 19 minutes after impact (July 4, 2005 at 06:01 UTC) The comet's brightness increased by a factor of 4, and the cloud of gas and dust around the nucleus spread out to about 200 kilometers wide. NASA, ESA, P. Feldman (JHU) and H. Weaver (JHU/APL)
The Deep Impact Impact onto Tempel 1 as witnessed by Hubble
The Deep Impact Impact onto Tempel 1 as witnessed by Hubble This photo was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope at 07:20 UTC on July 4, 2005, 28 minutes after the Deep Impact Impactor spacecraft crashed into the comet. The fan-like cloud of gas and dust extends about 1800 kilometers from the nucleus. NASA, ESA, P. Feldman (JHU) and H. Weaver (JHU/APL)

This view is from ESA's XMM-Newton spacecraft.

The Deep Impact Impact onto Tempel 1 as witnessed by XMM-Newton
The Deep Impact Impact onto Tempel 1 as witnessed by XMM-Newton This view is from ESA's XMM-Newton spacecraft. Two channels were used, blue, and ultraviolet. The top three images were taken through the blue channel and show the expansion of the post-impact cloud surrounding the comet. The bottom three images were taken through the ultraviolet channel, in a narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum that is sensitive to the presence of the hydroxyl ion, OH-, which is the first direct decay product of water. ESA/MSSL/Optical Monitor team. Image by Charo Gonzales and Pedro Rodriguez, ESAC (Spain)

"We're changing the world. Are you in?"
- CEO Bill Nye

Sign up for email updates