An image taken earlier this month – 4 June – by Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera, shows comet 67P/C-G has quietened. It is the most recent full-resolution image from the narrow-angle sensor, and was taken with 430 000 km between the spacecraft and comet.
Strikingly, there is no longer any sign of the extended dust cloud that was seen developing around nucleus at the end of April and into May. Indeed, monitoring of the comet has shown a significant drop in its brightness since then.
Read the full story: Rosetta’s comet: expect the unexpected
Comet 67P/C-G on 4 June. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Discussion: 2 comments
I wonder if it weren’t Rosetta’s thrusters sweeping all the dust off the comet’s vicinity. If Rosetta is braking, I would guess it had its thrusters pointed in the comet’s general direction…
Nice Snapshot
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I guess it probably has more to do with a drop in solar wind &/or radiation ?
Allthough i seems possible , the comet was covered by some ” hoarfrost ” from the “winter”
which just got blown away easy and now since the more solid surface is exposed, it takes some time untill there is enough heat to melt the inner material.
Just guessing