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Close Encounters of the Awesome Kind

Who needs words when a picture can tell a thousand? And oh what pictures!

Feast your eyes on this small selection of close approach images from the past couple of days, taken by some extraordinarily talented astronomers and astrophotographers! (I'll update this if/when I get new pics - feel free to email them to me: [email protected], or send us details/link via our contact page, and I'll post the best ones.)

Oct 20 Edit: This page has proved a lot more popular than I anticipated! I'm going to keep adding images as I can, and will try to keep them chronological with the most recent at the top.

This image was recorded from Indonesia on October 20, 2014, at 12:09UT - less than one day after the comet's historic close approach to Mars! [Image credit: Muflih Arisa Adnan, provided by @marufins on Twitter]

Proof it survived! (We knew it would.) Comet Siding Spring now recedes from its historic Martian encounter in this October 20, 2014 image [Image credit: Martin Mobberley]

Just eighty minutes from close approach, Cosmo Coronaios managed to capture Comet Siding Spring hanging tight with Mars in this great image recorded from South Africa. [Image credit: Kosma Coronaios, via Spaceweather.com Comet Gallery]

Spectacular image of Comet Siding Spring approaching Mars today by one of the true kings of astrophotography, Damian Peach! [Image via Damian Peach/SEN]

Comet Siding Spring's close approach to Mars, October 19, 2014 [Image credit: Nick Howes and Ron Wodaski - Tzec Maun Foundation]

Almost like a moth to a flame, Comet Siding Spring flies towards Mars on October 19, 2014. Captured by Rolando Ligustri via iTelescope.net [Image credit: Rolando Ligustri/iTelescope]

Another great image of Siding Spring approaching Mars, by prolific UK-based astrophotographer (Martin Mobberley)

This gorgeous image was captured by Steve Lee on October 19, 2014, using the Siding Spring Observatory telescopes in Australia! [Image Credit: Nick Lee]

This fabulous shot of Siding Spring approaching Mars was taken by James Willinghan On October 18th, 2014


Keep up-to-date on the latest Siding Spring and sungrazing comet news via my @SungrazerComets Twitter feed. All opinions stated on there, and in these blog posts, are entirely my own, and not necessarily those of NASA or the Naval Research Lab.