NASA is continuing the long-held tradition of comparing modestly large objects to the smallest state in the Union:
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has determined the size of the largest icy comet nucleus ever seen by astronomers. The estimated diameter is approximately 80 miles across, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island. The nucleus is about 50 times larger than found at the heart of most known comets. Its mass is estimated to be a staggering 500 trillion tons, a hundred thousand times greater than the mass of a typical comet found much closer to the Sun.
So NASA says this SHOULD pass closer than Saturn to us, meaning nobody has to worry about this happening anytime soon:
That leaves us free to appreciate the ingenuity of the scientists who figured this one out:
The challenge in measuring this comet was how to discriminate the solid nucleus from the huge dusty coma enveloping it. The comet is currently too far away for its nucleus to be visually resolved by Hubble. Instead, the Hubble data show a bright spike of light at the nucleus' location. Hui and his team next made a computer model of the surrounding coma and adjusted it to fit the Hubble images. Then, the glow of the coma was subtracted to leave behind the starlike nucleus.
Good work folks!
Honestly though, in the midst of skyrocketing crime, sky-high inflation, the crumbling United States world order, and a trainwreck of a president in the White House, I think Allahpundit speaks for all of us:
I'll leave this here too:
Before you do it though, comet, please let me finish the last season of Better Call Saul!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
