Stunning Images from Rosetta Show Closeup Views of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

By Nancy Atkinson - August 6, 2014 at 11:03 AM UTC | Planetary Science
14843737445_3c303e047f_z.jpg

Rosetta has arrived! After traveling more than ten years, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft reached comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. These most recent images shared from the Rosetta team were obtained from a distance of 285 kilometers above 67P's surface, and scientists say they surpass all pictures taken from earlier space missions of cometary surfaces. Visible are steep slopes and precipices, sharp-edged rock structure, prominent pits, and smooth, wide plains.

"It's incredible how full of variation this surface is," said Holger Sierks, the principal investigator of the OSIRIS imaging system on Rosetta. "We have never seen anything like this before in such great detail. "Today, we are opening a new chapter of the Rosetta mission. And already we know that it will revolutionize cometary science." Below, see more closeup images, including an animation from the navigation camera of Rosetta's approach to the comet.

Read our full, detailed article about Rosetta's arrival here.

[caption width="580" align="alignnone"]

Animation from the navigation camera of Rosetta's view of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as the spacecraft approached to enter orbit. Credit: ESA/Rosetta team. [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_113714" align="aligncenter" width="480"]

Close-up detail of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The image was taken by Rosetta's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera and downloaded today, 6 August. The image shows the comet's 'head' at the left of the frame, which is casting shadow onto the 'neck' and 'body' to the right.

The image was taken from a distance of 120 km and the image resolution is 2.2 metres per pixel. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_113717" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by Rosetta's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on 3 August from a distance of 285 km. The image resolution is 5.3 metres/pixel. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_113718" align="aligncenter" width="540"]

By planned overexposure of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko structures in the coma become visible. This images was taken on August 2nd, 2014 from a distance of 550 kilometers. It was exposed for 5.5 minutes. ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_113708" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

The image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by Rosetta's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on 3 August 2014 from a distance of 285 km. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA[/caption]

We'll add more images as they become available, and this is just the beginning! In the next months, Rosetta will come closer than 10 kilometers to the comet's surface, with one of the main goals to search for an appropriate landing site for the Philae lander. Philae is scheduled to touch down on the surface sometime this fall. Plus, Rosetta will stay close to the until the end of 2015. "We will have the unique opportunity to witness, how the comet's activity forms and changes its surface", said Sierks.

Here's a video that shows more information of what Rosetta will be doing over the coming months:

Sources:

ESA Flickr

,

Max Planck,

ESA

,

ESA blog.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com