European Space Agency Releases Image of What It’s Like To Stand On A Comet
By Chris Ciaccia, Fox News // October 2, 2018
image is from 2014
(FOX NEWS) – The European Space Agency has released a new image of what it’s like to actually stand on a comet, courtesy of the Rosetta spacecraft, now lost in space.
The image, which is from 2014, was taken before the Rosetta spacecraft actually landed on the comet, known as Comet 67P. It is a composite of three other images and was created by astronomer Jacint Roger Perez, when the Rosetta spacecraft was 17.5 miles (28.2 kilometers) away from the comet’s surface.
“Seen in the centre and left of the frame is Seth, one of the geological regions on the larger of the two comet lobes, which declines towards the smoother Hapi region on the comet’s ‘neck’ that connects the two lobes,” the ESA wrote on its website.
“The landscape in the background reveals hints of the Babi and Aker regions, both located on the large lobe of 67P/C-G. For a wider image of this region in the overall context of the comet see here.”
The ESA also noted that there is a cliff face near the bottom of the picture, the Aswan cliff, which separates the Seth and Hapi regions on the comet.
“Observations performed by Rosetta not long before the comet’s perihelion, which took place on 13 August 2015, revealed that a chunk of this cliff had collapsed – a consequence of increased activity as the comet drew closer to the Sun along its orbit,” the ESA added on its website.
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