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Million comet particles detected in Stardust capsule

After examining stardust capsule, the scientists estimate they have up to a million comet particles, with a dozen or so that are the thickness of a human hair, and maybe even one that is larger than a millimeter. But it will take some time to know exactly what the aerogel collector tray holds.

The opposite side of the collector tray holds samples of interstellar dust. Any tracks made by these miniscule particles are not readily apparent, so it will take some time to scan the aerogel tiles and find them. The scientists estimate they have collected up to two hundred interstellar dust grains, each no larger than a micron in size.

The Johnson Space Center will be sending out Stardust samples to about 150 scientists worldwide by next week.

posted by: kyawoo at 20:08 | link | comments |
comets

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