Rosetta OSIRIS Update: Comet 67P Fly-By Closest, Clearest Images While Rosetta, Sun, Comet Synchronized

The Comet 67P flyby that occurred on February 2015 was the closest that Rosetta has ever been able to capture. Scientists said that it was the most unique observation because it was at that exact moment that the Rosetta, the Sun, and the comet were synchronized.

Rosetta OSIRIS captured an image showing a comet flyby. It is the closest ever taken making experts debate if the image captured is the OSIRIS shadow as it revealed a hazy dark spot surrounded by a halo-like region, Planetary reported.

The planet synchronization's geometric trajectory almost casted no shadows; thus, showed all the surface structures for scientists to easily analyze. More Comet 67P images were released showing outstanding shots of the comet. Also, with the help of a wide-angle camera, it captured the comet's increasing activity. Recently on the Archive Image Browser, 540 NAVCAM images were uploaded depicting images of Rosetta approximately 5 kilometers away from the surface.

Scientists claim that the image included the vehicle's shadow, while a few others say that by differentiating the ratio and diameter based on the image, it is more likely the shadow of something else bigger, like the sun. It has been continuously speculated as the shadow of the Rosetta, but due to further analysis of the image, it was noted otherwise.

The most recent OSIRIS data archived 1357 narrow-angle camera images and 2162 wide-angle camera images from December 2014 to March 2015. The images taken were in 28 kilometer orbit of the comet. In early February, the vehicle moved 142 kilometers outwards before passing the comet at a distance of 6 kilometers and away. The images can be seen in ESA, showing Rosetta's trajectory.

The OSIRIS is a narrow-angle camera. It captured the Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko on February 2015; however, it was just recently released to the public in the Archive Image and the Planetary Science Archive.