Getting to Know Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

universetoday.com ^ | August 3, 2014 | Bob King

[BenLurkin]

For all the wonder that comets evoke, we on Earth never see directly what whips up the coma and tail. Even professional telescopes can’t burrow through the dust and vapor cloaking the nucleus to distinguish the clear outline of a comet’s heart. The only way to see one is to fly a camera there.

Rosetta took 10 years to reach 67P/C-G, a craggy, boot-shaped body that resembles an asteroid in appearance but with key differences. Asteroids shown in close up photos often display typical bowl-shaped impact craters. From the photos to date, 67P/C-G’s ‘craters’ look shallow and flat in comparison

While 67P is doubtless its own comet, it does share certain similarities with Comet 81P/Wild including at least a few crater-like depressions seen during NASA’s Stardust mission. In January 2004, the spacecraft gathered photos, measurements and dust samples during its brief flyby of the nucleus. Photos reveal pinnacles, flat-bottomed depressions and bright plumes or jets of vaporizing ice.

[BenLurkin]

Some of the comets we’ve seen close up through the eyes of visiting spacecraft. Credit: NASA

[cripplecreek]

This one seems to have a dark pit.



Or an exhaust port.

[KoRn]

I’ve always found comets to be fascinating.

I will never forget Comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp. They were both beautiful to the naked eye, and happened during a very special time for me(and my wife).

[BenLurkin]

[trisham]

"We moved our base camp last night and we’re now positioned literally
within feet of the river. Have been sitting here watching the border
patrol patrolling in their riverboats all night and all morning..."

~Jim Robinson

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[plsvn]

This one seems to have a dark pit.

Seems that "dark pit" might be an "Objec de Kodak", an image fault, according to some other descriptions I've read.

[left that other site]

Comet Ping

[mikrofon]

[tet68]

That is obviously a mud covered mukluk, anyone would
see that.

Oh, and the other one is certainly a deep fried chicken
head, long a favorite with fair goers in Texas.