A High Cliff on Comet Churyumov Gerasimenko

Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by an astronomer.

November 28, 2021.
The cliff is a kilometer high.
That happens on the comet Churov-Gerasimenko.
In the year of 2014, the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Rosetta spacecraft.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

A high cliff on a comet.
The image is licensed by the European Space Agency, the NAVCAM, and Stuart Atkinson.

This high cliff is not on a planet, but on a comet. It was part of the dark nucleus of Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which was discovered by the robotic craft that rendezvoused with the comet. The ragged cliff was imaged by Rosetta. The low surface gravity of the comet would make it an accessible climb and even a jump from the cliff survivable. There are boulders as large as 20 meters across at the foot of the cliff. Data from the European Space Agency shows that the ice in the comet is likely different from the water in the oceans. The mission ended with a controlled impact. The comet is visible through a small telescope after completing another close approach to Earth.

Tomorrow's picture is stellar pinwheel.

Robert Nemiroff is an author and Jerry Bonnell is an editor.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a privacy policy on the internet.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.

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Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by an astronomer.

November 29
The featured image shows a spiral structure.
The Hubble Space Telescope captured a picture of the system.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

The Spiral in LL Pegasi is extraordinary.
Jonathan Lodge has the rights to the image.

The strange spiral structure on the upper left was created by something. No one is sure if it is related to a star in a system entering the planetary nebula phase, when its outer atmosphere is ejected. The huge spiral spans about a third of a light year across and, winding four or five complete turns, has a regularity that is without precedent. The time it takes for the two stars to travel to each other is close to the time it takes for a new layer to appear. The star system that created it is known as LL Pegasi. The image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The mystery of why the spiral glows is a mystery with a leading hypothesis being illumination by light reflected from nearby stars.

Tomorrow's picture is planet with moons.

Robert Nemiroff is an author and Jerry Bonnell is an editor.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a privacy policy on the internet.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.