Hubble Space Telescope images of six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt. The object is designated P/2013 P5. The left-hand im

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Hubble Space Telescope images of six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt. The object is designated P/2013 P5. The left-hand image was taken on 10th September 2013, the right-hand image on 23rd September 2013. Its appearance has totally changed during that time. One theory to explain these images is that the asteroid's rotation rate has increased to the point where dust streams off the surface into space in periodic, impulsive ejection events. The dust is then swept out into tails by radiation pressure from the sun.

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Size: 3607px × 2432px
Photo credit: © NASA/ESA/STSci/D.Jewitt/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, /2013, 2013, asteroid, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, belt, comet, comet-, dust, ejection, hst, hubble, impulsive, light, p5, plume, pressure, radiating, radiation, rotate, rotating, rotation, space, spin, stream, sun, sunlight, tail, tails, telescope