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Science & Exploration

How big is Rosetta compared with the comet?

16/10/2014 7664 views 18 likes 324617 ID 00:00:53
English
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This short animation explains the relative sizes of the Rosetta spacecraft and Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta is 32 m from tip to tip of the solar wings. The comet measures 4.1 km along its longest length, 128 times the width of Rosetta.

Unlike typical artist’s impressions, this image is scaled to convey the vast difference in size between Rosetta and the comet, even when the spacecraft is in a close 10 km orbit, as depicted here.

Rosetta reached 10 km distance from the comet centre by October 2014.

  • ESA
  • Animation
  • Space Science
  • Rosetta
  • Rosetta Orbiter
  • Measuring
  • 3D view comet Comet nucleus Comets Comets and Asteroids Rosetta
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