NASA‘s EPOXI spacecraft passed comet Hartley 2 this morning, snapping some outrageously awesome photographs as it flew by. The crew sent close-up images of the comet back to us earthlings to ogle and wonder why we didn’t become astronauts after all.
While we come to terms with the fact that it just wasn’t in the stars for us, we still love the humbling feeling we get when we gaze at the universe’s magical mysteries — even if it’s just in the form of a photo.
Some say the Hartley 2 looks like a peanut, drumstick or bowling pin, possibly reminiscent of a good time you had last weekend, while the rough surface reminds us that there is perfection in nature’s imperfections (and thus our own.) The massive structure beams light from within, reaffirming the light that emanates from us all.
Think all this waxing poetic is far-fetched? Probably, but we’re not the only ones who were inspired by the sighting. “Cheers erupted in the Mission Control room of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as five high-resolution images flashed up on a big screen.”
View photos here.
Photo by makelessnoise via Flickr.