ROSAT Image of Comet Hyakutake

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An X-ray image of Comet Hyakutake, as observed by the High Resolution Imager on the ROSAT X-ray observatory. The X-rays arise primarily from a crescent-shaped region with a diameter of about 50,000 km, on the sunlit side of the comet. The directions toward the sun and of the comet motion are indicated by the arrows. No X-ray emission is detected from the nucleus, marked by the "+" sign. The ellipse represents the instrument field of view, not the extent of the X-ray emission.