Wild 2 Comet Analyzed

Mz6 writes "Back in January Slashdot reported about the Stardust probe and its capture of particles from the tail of Wild 2 (pronounced 'Vilt 2'). You might also remember about how it snapped 72 images of the comet and sent them back to JPL. Well, after a detailed analysis of the comet Wild 2 and building upon preliminary analysis in March, it has left astronomers at JPL astounded at an object that has no known peers in the solar system. The comet has towering protrusions and steep-walled craters that seem to defy gravity, more than a dozen jets of material shoot out from its insides, dust swirls around the comet in unexpectedly dense pockets, and boasts 2 large 'footprints', aptly named Left and Right."

Creativity?

[dalamarian]

I know that there are countless countless objects in space... but I think they could come up with something better than left and right :)

Towers? Jets?

[Gunfighter]

Sounds to me like this is just an inter-stellar traveller from afar making his daily rounds. I'm going to laugh if we try to land a probe on a comet and some windshield wiper-like apparatus fires up and sweeps the probe off.

Couldn't resist

[Anonymous Coward]

Show us your craters! Show us your craters!

Wow

[14erCleaner]

I love ambiguous phrasing:

The features have been named Left Foot and Right Foot in a new map of the comet, which is roughly 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide.

That's one big map!

Gravity?

[digidave]

The comet has towering protrusions and steep-walled craters that seem to defy gravity

Really? On an object flying in space? Whodathunkit?

Re:Links

[Milo of Kroton]

Best of all.. there's minimal reading, just pretty pictures.

So you can means that nobody tell others RTFA? What day in slashdot history!

And the number 2?

[h00pla]

Wild 2 (pronounced 'Vilt 2')

And the 2, how do I pronounce that? Just asking...

Wow!

[Insomnia]

...you mean that stupid, stupid movie (Armageddon) actually might have had the look of a comet right? Who'd have thought.

--I no longer spellcheck - it cost me 5 points. ;)

I'm much more interested in the analysis ...

[burgburgburg]

of the Girls Gone Wild 2 comet.

Much hotter then other space bodies, that much is known.

Re:Links

[Petrol]

But I suppose we can say LATFP :)

Re:And the number 2?

[death_cheese]

Hi, my name is Ed (pronounced "John"). Don't you love the English language?

Even Funnier

[virg_mattes]

> you mean that stupid, stupid movie (Armageddon) actually might have had the look of a comet right?

Well, this is made even funnier by the idea that Armageddon was a movie about a meteor, not a comet. Carry on.

Virg

Re:I'm much more interested in the analysis ...

[Anonymous Coward]

> the Girls Gone Wild 2 comet.

It has two gravity-defying protusions named Left and Right.

Re:Wow

[Anonymous Coward]

Well at least they aren't forcing anyone to play twister on it....

Re:Towers? Jets?

[JamJam]

That sounds like something from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Actually I wouldn't be surprised if this comet is making its rounds looking for a new hyperspace bypass. Pack your things, we're all going to be demolished next Thursday...

I wonder if it's just a coincidence as this is how my morning started:
"You wake up. The room is spinning very gently round your head. Or at least it would be if you could see it which you can't..."

modern science

[dAzED1]

from the article:

"Only two other comets have been seen up close, but both appeared fairly smooth and were nowhere near so heavily cratered."

Well with such a HUGE sample pool, I can see how they're able to make such firm analysis of this meteor! I mean, really - both the others they've seen up close didn't look at this one, so clearly this one is completely unique in the solar system!

Sigh.

Re:Wow

[JesseL]

The comma follows "...new map of the comet". So, mister smarty pants, how would you phrase a similar sentence that actually was refering the the size of the map?

Please note that I had the choice to post this or mod you into oblivion.

Nope...

[Anonymous Coward]

Given all these photographs, and a single point light source at near infinity, has anyone been able to generate a 3D model of the comet?

All of us geeks are trying to generate good images/movies of 43D models for Pr0n sites....