Explanation: What that looming behind this gravel-strewn hill on Comet ChuryumovGerasimenko? A jagged cliff. The unusual double-lobed nucleus of Comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko lends itself to unusual and dramatic vistas, another of which has been captured by the Rosetta spacecraft that arrived at the comet last September. The featured cometscape, taken last October and digitally enhanced, spans about 850 meters across. Meanwhile, Comet ChuryumovGerasimenko continues to sprout jets as it nears its closest approach to the Sun in August. Along the way, Rosetta will continue listening for signals from Philae, a probe that landed on the nucleus but rebounded to an unknown surface location last November. If newly exposed to sunlight, Philae might regain enough energy to again signal Rosetta.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- Five Bright Comets from SOHO
- APOD: 2024 October 7 Á The Long Tails of Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS
- Comet at Moonrise
- APOD: 2024 September 30 Á Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS over Mexico
- APOD: 2024 September 25 Á Comet A3 Through an Australian Sunrise
- APOD: 2024 September 23 Á Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS Approaches
- Periodic Comet Swift Tuttle