Structured Motion Replaced the Diffuse Model
Subsequent Hubble reprocessing and higher-resolution analyses revealed something the original image could not resolve: organized jet systems, not a random hydrogen halo.
Instead of isotropic outgassing, observers identified multiple discrete jets, rotating coherently with the object’s spin. Even more striking, three inner jets were found to be spaced at nearly perfect 120-degree intervals — a level of symmetry that is statistically improbable for random surface sublimation on an irregular icy body.
The hydrogen detected earlier now appears to be spatially linked to these jets, not freely dispersing into space as the original visualization implied.
Velocity Assumptions No Longer Hold
The NASA image framed hydrogen motion using a velocity scale topping out near 120 kilometers per second. At the time, this aligned with expectations for photodissociated hydrogen escaping a comet’s coma.
But newer modeling suggests that parts of the hydrogen population may be influenced by non-thermal processes, including radiation pressure and jet collimation. Some material remains unexpectedly slow and structured, while other components accelerate in ways inconsistent with simple thermal escape.
In short, hydrogen is present — but it is not behaving the way this image suggests.
