Emily Lakdawalla • Feb 13, 2015
An active comet, from a distance
As I write this, Rosetta has closed to within 50 kilometers of Churyumov-Gerasimenko, on its way to a very close, 6-kilometer flyby of the comet tomorrow. ESA posted a detailed blog about the flyby today, and how it is typical of Rosetta's mission throughout 2015. But that's not what I'm writing about here. To prepare for the flyby, Rosetta traveled much farther away, allowing it to snap these amazing photos of an increasingly active comet from a great distance. Enjoy!