18 August 2014
Anaglyph of Comet 67P
This 3D photograph of Comet 67P was produced by cobining two images of the comet, acquired by the Rosetta spacecraft, at a distance of 104 km. It can be viewed using anaglyph glasses.
Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
The European Space Agency (ESA) recently published anaglyph 3D images of Comet 67P, produced using images from the Rosetta spacecraft, which arrived at 67P, on 6 August. The anaglyphs allow the surface features of the comet’s nucleus to be perceived, using 3D glasses.
The image shows Comet 67P’s rugged surface, featuring diverse terrains, including valleys and linear cliff-like markings. It was taken on 7 August, at a distance of only 104 km from 67P (4 km across).
Comets are small icy bodies orbiting the Sun. They are believed to consist of primitive material, whose chemical composition has remained virtually unchanged, since the birth of the solar system. By studying comets at a close range, scientists hope to better understand the origin and evolution of the solar system.
Launched in March 2004, Rosetta has voyaged along a 6.4-blilion-km long path, in interplanetary space, to reach 67P. Through its spectacular spaceflight, the comet-chasing space probe orbited the Sun five times, flew by the planet Mars and encountered two asteroids. Now Rosetta and 67P are about 450 million km from Earth.
Rosetta is scheduled to enter orbit around 67P in September 2014. It will orbit the comet for 17 months, to conduct the most detailed study of a comet ever. Rosetta also carries a smaller probe, known as Philae, which will land on the surface of 67P in November 2014. Philae will sample and analyze the comet’s surface composition.
References
The European Space Agency
NASA
Wikipedia
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist