COMET SIDING SPRING SKIMS PAST MARS (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)

by STANews , Monday, October 20, 2014, 11:35

A recently discovered comet has whizzed past Mars, giving scientists a unique chance to study an object from the farthest reaches of the Solar System.

The comet, known as Siding Spring, raced past Mars at 56km per second (125,000mph), missing it by 139,500 km.

Rovers on the Martian surface and satellites were primed to catch the event on their cameras and instruments.

Siding Spring comes from the Oort Cloud - a spherical region of space far beyond the planets.

Researchers believe the comet is very little altered from the time of its formation more than 4.5 billion years ago.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29665247