72 new images of comet Tempel 1 streaming in from Stardust-NExT flyby

Stardust-NExT sped to within 112 miles of the comet Monday at 11:39 p.m. EST. During the flyby, it snapped 72 new images of comet Tempel-1. Stand by for scientists' analysis of what they see.

By Pete Spotts, Staff writer
Christian Science Monitor

Images taken during the Stardust-NExT mission's flyby of comet Tempel 1 Monday night are trickling in to a happy but bleary-eyed science team eager to comb them for clues about the comet's history and changes the comet may have undergone since 2005, when another spacecraft took its measure.

After a trip of slightly more than 5.3 billion miles since its launch in February 1999, Stardust-NExT sped to within 112 miles of the comet, snapping 72 images during the flyby.

It's the first time researchers have gathered flyby data on the same comet twice.

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