Rosetta navigation camera (NAVCAM) image taken on 28 July 2014.
Full frame 1024 x 1024 pixel NAVCAM image taken on 28 July from a distance of about 2237 km from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
View and download interpolated image here.
Crop from the 28 July processed image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, to focus on the comet nucleus. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Discussion: 11 comments
The problem with the comet having a period of revolution of ~12hrs and the camera taking a picture every 24hrs is that the comet is always seen under the same angle…
It seems like Rosetta’s current point of view is roughly above the north pole of the comet, so its rotation probably looks almost the same as if you were to just rotate the picture on your screen.
This would also explain why the southern hemiduck is flat and undetailed in the current shape models.
true, maybe an 17 h period or so would be better for taking Pictures. the “neck” of the nucleus seems to be brighter than the rest, probably more exposed ice there?
If you stretch the brightness levels in the dark part of the raw frame – can you see the comet’s coma?
Thankyou again for posting these “Nav Cam Dailies”… it’s a privelidge to be able to see the growing size, morphology and change in contrast ‘features’. Amazing.
Only eight days to go… yay.
Lets all hope 67P/C-G will stay quiet and not start throwing dirty ice as a welcome , fingers crossed !
trying to wait patiently for aug 6…. im worse than a kid at xmas!!!
Any from OSIRIS planned?
Thursday is currently out regular OSIRIS image release day!
Thanks for the fine navcam photos. I like to see
the comet growing from day to day. There was
a similar sequence back in 2005, when Haybusa
approached asteroid Itokawa, and JAXA showed
a new photo (of the growing banana) every day.
Ingo.
For those who’re wondering why there’s so little apparent surface detail to be seen in the NAVCAM images at the moment, it’s important to realise that the Sun is pretty much behind Rosetta’s back at the moment at it approaches 67P/C-G, i.e. the “phase angle” is close to zero.
That tends to result in an apparently flat illumination of the surface with no shadows to be seen anywhere. This will change as we get even closer and the Sun-comet-Rosetta angles start changing again.