Picture of the Day - Firs Close Approach image of Comet Hartley 2

This is one of the first close approach images sent back to Earth from the NASA’s EPOXI mission after it flew by comet Hartley 2 around 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT) on Nov. 4, 2010. The spacecraft’s high-gain antenna, which is used for transmitting back images, was pointed away from Earth from 18 hours before the encounter until minutes after the event. The spacecraft then turned to point the antenna toward Earth and sent images.

Firs Close Approach image of Comet Hartley 2. Credit: NASA