Comets : Hartley 2

Comet Hartley 2 is dropping golf-ball sized fluffy ice balls in its wake as it orbits the sun, according to recent photos taken NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, commonly known as WISE.

Dust following in the wakes of comets isn't new, but scientists were surprised to see that the pieces seen close up by the EPOXI spacecraft last year survived long enough to give the comet a bumpy trail.

Image : NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

Comets