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Rosetta releases incredible image of 67P comet

by · 30/10/2014

With two weeks to go before Rosetta’s probe Philae lands on the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the European Space Agency (ESA) has released an amazing picture of the comet.

 

Rosetta, comet, comet chase, Philae, ESA, European Space Agency, 12 November, sodium, magnesium, photograph, 67P, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko

This image shows boulders, sand dunes and craters on the comet that the ESA hopes will become the first comet ever to be landed on when Philae is released on 12 November.

It is currently just 9.8 kilometres (six miles) away from the comet but is catching up bit by bit before Rosetta releases the probe to touch down on the surface, where it will be travelling less than five kilometres (3 miles) per hour faster than the comet.

Rosetta has already returned some interesting results as its COSIMA instrument has detected high concentrations of sodium and magnesium in the comet’s coma.