Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Rosetta's first sight of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko of final approach phase

Rosetta's first sight of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko of final approach phase
Rosetta's first sight of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko of final approach phase Shortly after waking from its long hibernation, Rosetta pointed its cameras at its comet target for the first time on March 20, 2014. The star-filled Wide-Angle Camera image contains comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko in the constellation of Ophiuchus. It shows a wide field 25 times larger than the diameter of the full moon. The color composite shows a background of hydrogen gas and dust clouds. The white box indicates the position of the close-up taken with the Narrow Angle Camera, with the comet appearing towards the top of this box, close to the bright globular star cluster M107. The image was taken from a distance of about 5 million kilometers to the comet. ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA

Here is the Narrow-Angle Camera detail view.

Rosetta's first sight of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko of final approach phase (narrow-angle detail)
Rosetta's first sight of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko of final approach phase (narrow-angle detail) Comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko in the constellation Ophiuchus. This image was taken on March 21, 2014 by the OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera. The comet is indicated by the small circle next to the bright globular star cluster M107. The image was taken from a distance of about 5 million kilometers to the comet.Image: ESA © 2014 MPS for OSIRIS-Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA