ESA has released a series of vivid images taken by its Rosetta probe of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to the public. Rosetta is will be ending its mission on September 30 with a controlled crash onto the comet. There it will join Philae, the probe’s lost lander rediscovered earlier this month.
Rosetta was 5.46807 miles (8.8 km) away from the comet when it took the first of the images on August 31. The image shows steep slopes in the Hathor region, an area on the comet that consists of a 900 meter (2952.76 feet) cliff with marked lines, streaks, and small terraces. The smoother terrains of Hapi, a region on the comet’s neck, is also visible in the image.
The other image, taken on September 11, reveals the Wosret region, which is just opposite Hathor. This image shows that the Wosret region has many different terrains, some smooth and others jagged and fractured.
264 NAVCAM images from July 27 to August 9 were also released earlier this week. They are available for viewing in the Archive Image Browser.
