WOW! We're really getting to the good stuff now! This is no computer-generated
shape model
, this is the real deal: the double-lobed nucleus of Comet 67P/C-G, as imaged by
Rosetta's
OSIRIS (
Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System) narrow-angle camera on Tuesday, July 29. At the time just about a week away from making its arrival, ESA's spacecraft was 1,950 km (1,211 miles) from the comet when this image was taken. (That's about the distance between Providence, Rhode Island and Miami, Florida… that's one fancy zoom lens, Rosetta!)
[caption id="attachment_113499" align="alignright" width="250"]
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko imaged on July 14, 2014 by OSIRIS from a distance of approximately 12,000 km. (ESA)[/caption]
This latest image reveals some actual surface features of the 4-km-wide comet, from a few troughs and mounds to the previously-noted
bright band
around the "neck" connecting the two lobes. The resolution in the July 29
OSIRIS
image is 37 meters per pixel.
Since Rosetta is quickly closing the gap between itself and the comet we can only expect better images to come in the days ahead, so stay tuned -- this is going to be an exciting August!
Keep up with the latest news
on ESA's Rosetta blog here
, and find out where exactly Rosetta and Comet 67P/C-G are in the Solar System
here
.
Watch: Once Upon a Time There Was a Spacecraft Called Rosetta
Image credits:ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Source: ESA