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3-D Reconstruction of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s Nucleus
Results from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope played a major role in preparing ESA's ambitious Rosetta mission for its new target, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G). For the first time in history, Rosetta will land a probe on a comet and study its origin. Hubble precisely measured the size, shape, and rotational period of comet 67P/C-G.
Hubble's observations revealed that comet 67P/C-G is approximately a three-by-two mile, football-shaped object on which it is possible to land. Mission scientists were concerned that the solid nucleus could be nearly 3.6 miles (6 km) across. The higher gravity on a comet that size might make a soft landing more difficult.
This photo shows three views of the 3-D reconstruction of comet 67P/C-G's nucleus: pole (top right), side (bottom left), and end (bottom right).
About the Object
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.At the time of the HST observations on March 11, 2003, the comet was 1.5 AU (about 140 million miles or 220 million km) from the Earth and 2.5 AU (about 230 million miles or 370 million km) from the Sun.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.This image was created from HST data from proposal 9713 : P.L. Lamy and L. Jorda (Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale, France), I. Toth (Konkoly Observatory, Hungary), and H.A. Weaver (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFPC2
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.March 11 - 12, 2003
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F555W (V), F675W (R)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko,Comet 67P/C-G
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Periodic Comet
- Release DateSeptember 5, 2003
- Science ReleaseHubble Assists Rosetta Comet Mission
- Credits
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Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
