9P/Tempel 1 size and scale context

9P/Tempel 1 is the Jupiter-family comet that NASA's Deep Impact mission struck with a 370-kilogram impactor in 2005, blasting out a plume of pristine sub-surface material so instruments could read the composition of a comet's interior for the first time. Read its scale context, comparisons, and journey links on the canonical object page.

81P/Wild (Wild 2)Comet nucleus·5.5 km

67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoComet nucleus·6 km

9P/Tempel 1Comet nucleus·7.6 km

19P/BorrellyComet nucleus·8 km

Scroll up for smaller

Scroll down for larger

Between the smallest and the largest, perspective is everything.

About

Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.

Guides turn parts of that scale into curated essays, while focused views let you explore the same range through specific groups of objects.

Editorial

Solar System Planets From Electron to Atoms Stars To Scale Birth And Death Of Stars Black Holes To Scale

Views

Planets of the Solar System Stars of the Universe Black holes Subatomic scale

Open Scale of Space Browse all comparisons

Between the smallest and the largest, perspective is everything.

About

Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.

Guides turn parts of that scale into curated essays, while focused views let you explore the same range through specific groups of objects.

Editorial

Solar System Planets From Electron to Atoms Stars To Scale Birth And Death Of Stars Black Holes To Scale

Views

Planets of the Solar System Stars of the Universe Black holes Subatomic scale

Open Scale of Space Browse all comparisons

Comets

67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is the comet nucleus studied in unrivaled detail by ESA’s Rosetta mission. Rosetta detected molecular oxygen streaming from the comet, a surprising result that suggests some of its ice preserves very early Solar System chemistry.

Scale fact6 kmmaximum extent

Object class: Comet nucleus
Mass: ~10 billion tonnes
Host: Solar System
Estimated age: ~4.5 billion years
Composition: Water ice, dust, frozen volatiles

Comets

9P/Tempel 1

Scale fact7.6 kmmaximum extent

Object class: Comet nucleus
Mass: ~70 billion tonnes
Host: Solar System
Estimated age: ~4.5 billion years
Composition: Water ice, dust, frozen volatiles

Comets

19P/Borrelly

19P/Borrelly is the bowling-pin-shaped comet nucleus that NASA's Deep Space 1 probe imaged in 2001 — only the second comet ever seen up close, with a dark, ridged surface and bright jets erupting from a smooth central region.

Scale fact8 kmmaximum extent

Object class: Comet nucleus
Mass: ~20 billion tonnes
Host: Solar System
Estimated age: ~4.5 billion years
Composition: Water ice, dust, frozen volatiles