2009-11-12
Rosetta Snaps Crescent Earth
As it hurtles toward its Friday close pass of Earth, the European Rosetta spacecraft took this remarkable snap of our home planet, looking like a blue crescent moon hanging in space. Go ahead and click it to en-massive-ify.
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According to the ESA team: The illuminated crescent is centered roughly around the South Pole (South at the bottom of the image). The outline of Antarctica is visible under the clouds that form the striking south-polar vortex. Pack ice in front of the coastline with its strong spectacular reflection is the cause for the very bright spots on the image.
[update]Rosetta has been taking regular pictures during the course of its Earth pass, and ESA will be releasing them as a video shortly. Too cool!
Rosetta will make its closest approach on Friday at 08:45 CET.
Everybody wave!
SpaceHead
Image credit: ESA © 2009 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
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2 comments:
Will we be able to see it?
Sadly it will be too dim to catch with the naked eye and too fast to track with a telescope. It will be over the island of Java if anyone there wants to look up.
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