Unusual ultraviolet aurora spotted around a comet for the first time

Unusual ultraviolet aurora spotted around a comet for the first time

ESA's Rosetta mission has revealed that its target comet, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, has its own far-ultraviolet aurora. This is the first time such electromagnetic emissions in the far-ultraviolet have been detected on a celestial object, aside from any…

Rosetta’s OSIRIS launches website with most recent imagery of Comet 67P

Rosetta’s OSIRIS launches website with most recent imagery of Comet 67P

Rosetta's OSIRIS camera team has launched new website designed to showcase its most recent images taken of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. These images are in high-resolution, taken with narrow- or wide-angle camera, showing the comet at very small distances….

Rosetta detects large amounts of pure oxygen emitting from Comet 67P

Rosetta detects large amounts of pure oxygen emitting from Comet 67P

Researchers led by Andre Bieler from the University of Michigan have found a large amount of molecular oxygen (O2) is being released by the Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Pure molecular oxygen is extremely rare in the universe and this discovery has…

Rosetta gathers data from the south pole of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Rosetta gathers data from the south pole of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Several months after the arrival at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) in August 2014, the Rosetta spacecraft has finally managed to observe and characterize comet's southern polar regions. The only instrument that was able to study this dark region of…

Rosetta’s one year at the Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Rosetta’s one year at the Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

With comet 67P’s closest approach to the Sun less than one week away, ESA’s unmanned spacecraft Rosetta celebrated one year at the comet on August 6, 2015.After a 10-year chase spanning more than 6.4 billion km (4 billion miles) across the Solar System, the

Rosetta mission conference – update, latest results and what lies ahead

Rosetta mission conference – update, latest results and what lies ahead

The following video is a replay of media briefing held at the Paris Air Show on June 17, 2015 with members of the Rosetta team. The briefing includes an update on the mission, some of the latest results, and an outline what still lies ahead. ESA’s Rosetta comet-ch

Rosetta makes first detection of molecular nitrogen at a comet

Rosetta makes first detection of molecular nitrogen at a comet

ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has made the first measurement of molecular nitrogen at a comet, providing clues about the temperature environment in which Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko formed, the agency reports.The in situ detection of molecular nitrogen has long been

Philae completes it primary mission before hibernation

Philae completes it primary mission before hibernation

Rosetta's lander Philae has completed its primary science mission after nearly 57 hours on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, ESA proudly announced today. With its batteries now depleted and without enough sunlight available to recharge, Philae has fallen into