(Two jets of gas and dust blast from Comet 67P– Photo Credit: ESA/Rosetta/ Navcam/Bob King)
New images of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, taken by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft, show an amazing pair of jets vigorously expelling ice crystals, mixed with dust, from its nucleus.
The space agency expects the jets to grow stronger as 67P approaches the Sun in August 2015. However, at the moment, the spacecraft is manoeuvring into orbit and preparing to deploy Philae onto the comet’s surface, therefore Rosetta hasn’t been able to capture the best views of the comet’s jetting activity until now.
Currently, the comet’s nucleus is illuminated by sunlight so it drowns out the fainter jets. But Rosetta will make an excursion to its nightside on September 24th and assuming the jets remain active, the spacecraft should be able to snap some even better images.
You can view the latest images of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko here.
The Solar System & Beyond 