On 4 March 2005, Rosetta made the first of three flybys at Earth.

Moonrise over the Pacific, 4 March 2005

Moonrise over the Pacific, 4 March 2005

This stunning image by Rosetta’s navigation camera captures the Moon rising above the Pacific at 22:06 UT, just three minutes before closest approach during the 4 March 2005 flyby, which took Rosetta past Earth at a distance of 1954.74 km.

While various cloud formations in the foreground first catch the eye, the image also reveals the delicate nature of Earth’s atmosphere as a thin veil that separates us from the harsh space environment.

Rosetta swung past Earth again in 2007 and 2009 (and also Mars in 2007) for gravitational kicks to boost it onto its comet-chasing orbit.