The huge jets are carbon dioxide snowballs flying out from the center of the comet. The comet also leaks frozen water vapor as it travels around the sun. This picture was taken by the EPOXI spacecraft, which flew by it in 2009. The carbon dioxide jets have never been seen before and will hopefully be studied much more thoroughly in the future. The comet is expected to completely evaporate in the next 1,000 years. As with any comet, meteor, or asteroid studied, it is helping us learn more about the development of our solar system. The Deep Impact mission also went to this comet to study its composition and properties.
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