Starship Asterisk*

Rosetta's Comet in View

Explanation: Faint comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) sweeps past background stars in the constellation Taurus and even fainter distant galaxies in this telescopic frame from September 7. About 5 years ago, this comet's 4 kilometer spanning, double-lobed nucleus became the final resting place of robots from planet Earth, following the completion of the historic Rosetta mission to the comet. After wandering out beyond the orbit of Jupiter, Churyumov-Gerasimenko is now returning along its 6.4 year periodic orbit toward its next perihelion or closest approach to the Sun, on November 2. On November 12, the comet's perigee, its closest approach to Earth, will bring it within about 0.42 astronomical units. Telescopes should still be required to view it even at its brightest, predicted to be in late November and December. On September 7 Rosetta's comet was about 0.65 astronomical units away or about 5.4 light-minutes from our fair planet.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

The comet's closest approach to Earth at 0.42 AU is at first kind of scary until I realize that the planet Venus closest approach to Earth is 0.28 AU. And the planet Venus is much, much bigger than the comet!

De58te wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:30 am

The comet's closest approach to Earth at 0.42 AU is at first kind of scary until I realize that the planet Venus closest approach to Earth is 0.28 AU. And the planet Venus is much, much bigger than the comet!

And we have already survived that encounter!

Pretty close for something you need a telescope to see!
Has really rugged teraine!