Time-Lapse of Expanding Debris from Comet – July 4

This time-lapse sequence of 20 images, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, reveals the dramatic effects from a collision early July 4 between comet 9P/Tempel 1 and an 820-pound probe released by the Deep Impact spacecraft. The Deep Impact probe smacked the comet at 1:52 a.m. EDT. The collision kicked up gas and dust from the comet's surface. The image sequence follows the expanding debris for 62 minutes after the impact. The final four images show a developing fan of gas and dust, which is traveling at about 450 miles an hour (720 kilometers an hour). The fan extends about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the nucleus.