APOD: Rosetta's Comet in View (2021 Sep 10)

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APOD: Rosetta's Comet in View (2021 Sep 10)

Post by APOD Robot » Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:10 am

Image 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.

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De58te
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Re: APOD: Rosetta's Comet in View (2021 Sep 10)

Post by De58te » 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!

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Re: APOD: Rosetta's Comet in View (2021 Sep 10)

Post by neufer » Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:46 am

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
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!
:arrow: And we have already survived that encounter!
Art Neuendorffer

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Re: APOD: Rosetta's Comet in View (2021 Sep 10)

Post by orin stepanek » Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:59 am

67P_210907_1024.jpg
Pretty close for something you need a telescope to see!🔭
Comet67p_from_16_km1024.jpg
Has really rugged teraine! :shock:
Orin

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