Hubble telescope probes heart of comet

BALTIMORE, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Astronomers are using the Hubble Space Telescope to probe the core of the Comet Holmes for clues on how it mysteriously brightened.

The comet has captured the attention and delight of sky watchers since it brightened by nearly a million-fold in a 24-hour period last month, the European Space Agency/Hubble Information Center said Thursday in a release.

The telescope snapped images for several days, providing the sharpest view yet of the source of the spectacular brightening. Hubble first observed the comet in 1999, when there was virtually no dusty shroud around the nucleus.

Astronomers said they hope to use the new Hubble images to determine the size of the comet's nucleus to see how much of it was blasted away during the outburst.