Rosetta and the Organic Comet

On 13 August Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko reaches its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) and the Rosetta orbiter will be there to see exactly what happens. Rosetta will continue monitoring the comet’s activity until the extended mission ends, in September 2016, to increase our understanding of how a comet changes during its orbit and as it approaches and moves away from the Sun.

This film includes some of the most recent science findings about the comet including those from the CONSERT, CIVA, ROLIS, PTOLEMY and COSAC instruments. It covers the comet’s high porosity and the detection of multiple organic compounds. Some of these compounds are key ingredients for life and four compounds have never been found before on a comet until now.

Credit/Courtesy: ESA