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Images of Comet ISON were obtained using SOFIA’s FORCAST camera at wavelengths of 11.1, 19.7, and 31.5 microns. Measurements at 31.5 microns, shown here, are crucial for determining the temperature and other characteristics of the comet’s material, and cannot be made using ground-based telescopes.
Images of Comet ISON were obtained using SOFIA’s FORCAST camera at wavelengths of 11.1, 19.7, and 31.5 microns. Measurements at 31.5 microns, shown here, are crucial for determining the temperature and other characteristics of the comet’s material, and cannot be made using ground-based telescopes. In these images, the comet’s tail and resulting dust trail points to the upper right of the photo (images smoothed slightly during processing). For more info visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1ClQUBB