Today’s CometWatch entry is a NAVCAM image taken on 17 November 2015, when Rosetta was 141.4 km from the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spacecraft has not been this close to the nucleus since weeks before perihelion, when the increased amounts of dust due to enhanced comet activity started interfering with navigation and Rosetta remained at larger distances from 67P/C-G.
Single frame enhanced NAVCAM image of Comet 67P/C-G taken on 17 November 2015. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
The scale is 12.1 m/pixel and the image measures 12.3 km across; the contrast was increased to bring out the comet’s activity.
In this orientation, the large comet lobe is on the lower left, and the small lobe on the upper right. Outflows of dust are visible around the nucleus, particularly to the left.
On the small lobe, the circular depression of Hatmehit is well in sight, pointing to the upper right corner of the image, with the rougher terrains of Bastet visible below and the Wosret region to its left. Abydos, the final resting place of the lander Philae, is roughly at the centre of the small lobe in this view.
Hints of Sobek are visible on the comet’s neck; on the large lobe are parts of Babi (right), smooth areas on Aker and Khepry (centre), and the more rugged Anhur and Khonsu (left).
The original 1024 x 1024 image of today’s CometWatch is provided below:
Discussion: 4 comments
Are these images taken at what intervals? Wish we had video of the jet activity
Maybe you missed these image sequences showing jet activity in action (scroll through the story for a nice animation!) https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_s_big_day_in_the_Sun
You can browse the image archive for an idea of how frequently images are taken (with the NAVCAM): https://imagearchives.esac.esa.int
Emily’s ‘sandwich’ clearly exposed at this illumination and perspective.
Central smooth material [my speculative accreted/sintered regolith (cone ‘dressing’ remains?)]. South [fused?] Plaque crowned by the most visible of jetting and binary hinted at the lower right.
This is cometary fiction.
Interesting symmetric view to 22 March:
https://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2015/03/30/cometwatch-22-march/