here an image with a better resolution:



Comet on 13 February 2016 – OSIRIS narrow-angle camera
Released 18/02/2016 8:30 am
Copyright ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image taken on 13 February 2016, when Rosetta was 45.8 km from Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The scale is 0.82 m/pixel.

Distance Rosetta ↔ 67P/CG 45.785 km
Distance 67P/CG ↔ Sun ...... 351946784 km 2.352619 AU
Distance Rosetta ↔ Earth ... 222157728 km 1.485033 AU

"Typology of dust particles collected by the COSIMA mass spectrometer in the inner coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko" by Y. Langevin et al is published in the journal Icarus.

some information can be found at
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2016/03/02/profiling-cosimas-dust-grain-family/
just a little bit from that:

The grains collected from 11 August 2014 – 3 April 2015 across nine 1 cm^2 targets, when the comet was moving towards the Sun along its orbit from about 3.5 to 2 AU, provide the focus for a detailed study outlined in a paper published this month in the journal Icarus. The paper, led by Yves Langevin of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale at CNRS/University of Paris-Sud, France, describes the key characteristics of the different grain families imaged under the COSIMA microscope, the COSISCOPE.


credit:ESA/Rosetta/MPS for COSIMA Team MPS/CSNSM/UNIBW/TUORLA/IWF/IAS/ESA/BUW/MPE/LPC2E/LCM/FMI/UTU/LISA/UOFC/vH&S/ Langevin et al (2016)
Diversity of particles seen on a small area on one single target. This image section measures 2.5 mm across, with light coming from the right. Examples of a compact particle (a), a shattered cluster (b), a glued cluster (c) and a large rubble pile (d) are seen in this small area.

This post was edited by brmv on Mar 2 2016 10:33pm

I see an alien... we are not alone...

and here a further discovery:

Discovery of diamagnetic cavity

Released 11/03/2016 10:00 am
Copyright ESA/Rosetta/RPC/IGEP/IC



The decrease in magnetic field strength measured by Rosetta’s RPC-MAG instrument at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 26 July 2015 at a distance of about 170 km from the comet.
The measurement reveals a ‘diamagnetic cavity’, or a region devoid of magnetic field, caused by the interaction of the comet with the solar wind. This is one of the most spectacular measurements from almost 700 detections of magnetic field-free regions made by Rosetta at the comet since June 2015.
Scientists expected that such a diamagnetic cavity could form at Rosetta's comet around perihelion, but only extend to 50–100 km from the nucleus, and since the spacecraft was at greater distances from the comet at the time, they did not expect to detect it. Instead, they measured it and on many occasions, revealing that the cavity is much bigger than expected.
The reason for that is likely a dynamic perturbation, or instability, that propagates and gets amplified along the boundary between the solar wind and the magnetic field-free cavity, causing the latter to grow in size and allowing Rosetta to detect it.

and a nice close up:



Comet on 12 March 2016 – OSIRIS narrow-angle camera
Released 18/03/2016 5:00 pm
Copyright ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Pixel resolution 0.31 m/px at 67P/CG
Distance Rosetta ↔ 67P/CG 17.742 km
Distance 67P/CG ↔ Sun ...... 383759776 km 2.565276 AU
Distance Rosetta ↔ Earth ... 236418336 km 1.580359 AU

here an image from the recent close approach:



Comet on 19 March 2016 – OSIRIS wide-angle camera
Released 22/03/2016 10:04 am
Copyright ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

OSIRIS wide-angle camera image taken on 19 March 2016, when Rosetta was 11.9 km from Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The scale is 1.1 m/pixel.
Distance Rosetta ↔ 67P/CG 11.980 km
Distance 67P/CG ↔ Sun ..... 390951936 km 2.613352 AU
Distance Rosetta ↔ Earth ... 244574560 km 1.634880 AU

Did they ever get the lander running again?

Of course, they just needed to change the Duracell batteries.

Damn Internet!



This post was edited by card_sultan on Mar 26 2016 04:30pm

why do you always want to prove that this subforum deals with issues you cannot digest?