355-stardust-2-dixon – The Stardust Probe Approaches Comet Wilde 2. An automated robotic spacecraft navigates close to a highly active, dark cometary nucleus venting dramatic fountain-like jets of gas and dust. Curved, colorful plumes in shades of white, orange, and blue erupt symmetrically from the core, forming a vast, dynamic coma structured by delicate radial filaments against a star-studded deep space background. The probe is positioned in the foreground below the nucleus, with its solar panels and main body highlighted by an orange glow from the surrounding energetic environment. Digital painting, 2002
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