Rosetta is an amazing probe launched by the European Space Agency. In 2014 it will go into orbit around the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and actually deploy a lander to sample the surface!
That rendezvous is still years away, but the target is now in sight: Rosetta has returned its first image of the comet.
Oh, very cool! The top image is the wide angle shot, showing a densely-populated star field toward the center of our galaxy; from Rosetta that’s the direction to the comet. The second image zooms in a bit, and you can see some distant stars and nebulosity. The bottom one has been processed to remove the stars, and the nucleus of Churyumov-Gerasimenko stands out.
Note that this image was taken when Rosetta was still 163 million kilometers (100 million miles) from the comet — that’s more than the distance from the Earth to the Sun! That’s why it took a total of 13 hours of exposure time to see the comet in these images; it’s still extremely faint from that great distance.
These pictures are important for several reasons: they test the cameras, a critical event for the upcoming encounter; they provide navigation cues, allowing engineers to test if the position of the comet is where they expected it to be; and they give the scientists and engineers practice in dealing with the images from the probe.
Not that Rosetta has simply been coasting along; it’s passed by the Earth, Mars, and even two asteroids — Lutetia (see the gallery below of those spectacular images!) and Steins — returning incredibly lovely pictures of these worlds.
Rosetta is already a very successful mission, and the best is yet to come.
Image credit: ESA 2011 MPS for OSIRIS-Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Image gallery of Rosetta’s flyby of the asteroid Lutetia
Related posts:
- Ten Things You Don’t Know About Comets
- Rosetta takes some home pictures
- Earth from Rosetta
- Rosetta swings by Mars
June 9th, 2011 at 11:33 am
163 million km in 1000 days, that’s 163,000 km a day or about 2 km a second. It’s a big solar system out there!
June 9th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
really good telemetry, I mean stupendously good. Tycho Brahe would be proud. if he weren’t in hell.
June 9th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
The “Rock and Rings” photos is incredible. I can’t stop looking at it!
June 9th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Brahe’s not in hell. His nose might be …
June 9th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
wow that is awesome
this
June 9th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
@2. reidh :
Yep, I’m with you there, absolutely.
Hmm .. well, ye-es, I guess that’s probably true but then so too would be Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Edward Emerson Barnard & other astronomers past – and present. What’s with singling Tycho out here?
Erm .. Seriously, where the blazes did that come from & what the heck do you mean by that?!?
On second thoughts, I’m not sure I even want to know. Dude, that is messed up.
June 9th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
2014, wow, that *is* a long way off – is Rosetta going to be keeping the comet in sight for the whole of the next three years or so?
Great picture and accomplishment.
June 16th, 2011 at 6:25 am
@6. Messier Tidy Upper :
A reference to Penny Arcade, I believe. One of the main character is named Tycho Brahe and makes a few speeches about Hell.
Seriously mate, that high horse is looking a bit tired. You should allow it to rest a minute…
June 21st, 2011 at 5:55 pm
@ ^ Unwept : Penny Arcade? Never heard of it / them. Ok then, just perhaps it does make sense in the right context if you know the reference but NOT knowing that ref or context reidh’s comment #2 sounds just “WTF!” to me.