The Rosetta robotic space probe has sent back this amazing photo of itself, illuminated in the sun’s light.
From the left, the edge of Rosetta is visible swathed in a protective covering, followed by one of its 15 yard-long solar wings. In the upper center sits Comet 67P, also called Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, just 30 miles away.
Although five seemingly smooth potential landing sites have been chosen for the mission, the choices are narrowing as Rosetta nears Churyumov-Gerasimenko and its rough surface becomes easier to see. The target site will be announced next week for this first-ever attempt to land on a comet. Meanwhile, researchers have made a colorful map of 67P’s various geographical regions.
The European Space Agency’s ‘rosetta blog’ states that two images taken at two different exposures, both made on September 7 by the CIVA camera on the mission’s Philae landing craft, were used to acheive a result that would show the most detail.