A review of data taken over the course of the two-year Rosetta mission shows that comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was sometimes reddish in appearance, while at other times it assumed a bluish hue. Sounds weird, but scientists have come up with a sensible explanation that doesn’t involve aliens with paint guns.
It looks like Rosetta’s comet was a bit of a tooter. A fart from the comet — which scientists called “a bright plume of dust blowing away … like a fountain” — likely originated from the comet’s insides, maybe from ancient gas vents or unseen ice.
The Rosetta space probe discovered a large amount of organic material in the nucleus of comet ‘Chury.’
ESA’s Rosetta completed its incredible mission on 30 September, collecting unprecedented images and data right until the moment of contact with the comet’s surface.
As Rosetta’s comet approached its most active period last year, the spacecraft spotted carbon dioxide ice – never before seen on a comet – followed by the emergence of two unusually large patches of water ice.
A new image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft shortly before its controlled impact into the comet’s surface on Sept. 30, 2016.
Scientists finally have a theory as to why comet 67P—also known as Rosetta’s comet—has two distinct lobes.
