Mars-Bound Comet: Photos of Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring (Gallery)

Comet Siding Spring Mars Flyby: Virtual Telescope

This image of Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) shows the comet (in crosshairs) and Mars (the bright, overexposed object) in a view from a remotely operated telescope controlled by the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy on Oct. 19, 2014. Read the Full Story.

Herschel's Look at Comet Siding Spring

Europe's Herschel observatory captured these images of Comet Siding Spring before the observatory was retired in 2014. Read the Full Story.

C/2013 A1 Siding Spring Orbit Graphic

This graphic depicts the orbit of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring as it swings around the sun in 2014. On Oct. 19, the comet will have a very close pass at Mars, just 86,000 miles (138,000 kilometers) from the planet. Although the nucleus will miss the planet, the comet's coma of dust particles might envelop the Red Planet. Read the Full Story.

C/2013 A1 Siding Spring

This is a Hubble Space Telescope picture of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring as observed on March 11, 2014. At that time the comet was 353 million miles from Earth. The solid icy nucleus is too small to be resolved by Hubble, but it lies at the center of a dust cloud, called a coma, that is roughly 12,000 miles across in this image. [Read the Full Story Behind this Photo]

Southern Hemisphere Sky Map Showing Comet Siding Spring

Comet Siding Spring will make a close approach to Mars on Oct. 19, 2014. This sky map shows where to look in the Southern Hemisphere's night sky for a possible view of Mars and the comet. The planet and comet may be visible with binoculars. Read the Full Story.

Mars Sky Map Oct. 19, 2014

This sky map shows where to look for Mars on Oct. 19, 2014. Read the Full Story.

Hubble Space Telescope Spots Comet's Jets

See photos and images of the Mars-bound comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring, which will buzz the Red Planet on Oct. 19, 2014. Comet Siding Spring was discovered in January 2013. Its pass through the inner solar system will be closely watched by Mars probes. Here: The images above show — before and after filtering — comet C/2013 A1, also known as Siding Spring, as captured by Wide Field Camera 3 on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Image released March 27, 2014. [Read the Full Story Behind this Photo]

C/2013 A1 Siding Spring Image After Processing

Hubble resolves what appear to be two jets of dust coming off the nucleus of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring in opposite directions. [Read the Full Story Behind this Photo]

Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring: Jets Seen by Hubble

This is a series of Hubble Space Telescope pictures of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring as observed on Oct. 29, 2013; Jan. 21, 2014; and March 11, 2014. When processed, the images reveal two dust jets erupting from the comet's nucleus in opposite directions. [Read the Full Story Behind this Photo]

Compass and Scale Image for Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring (3 Epochs)

Compass and scale image for Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring (3 Epochs). [Read the Full Story Behind this Photo]