Comet dances with sun, death; giving mixed signals

By Seth Borenstein

Published November 26, 2013 10:46pm ET

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Comet dances with sun, death; giving mixed signals — In this photo provided by NASA, a contrast-enhanced image produced from the Hubble images of comet ISON taken April 23, 2013 reveals the subtle structure in the inner coma of the comet. In this computer-processed view, the Hubble image has been divided by a computer model coma that decreases in brightness proportionally to the distance from the nucleus, as expected for a comet that is producing dust uniformly over its surface. ISON's coma shows enhanced dust particle release on the sunward-facing side of the comet's nucleus, the small, solid body at the core of the comet. This information is invaluable for determining the comet's shape, evolution, and spin of the solid nucleus. (AP Photo/NASA) | AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Comet ISON is teasing the solar system as it dances with the sun and it’s giving astronomers mixed signals.

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