Science and Exploration

Rosetta Sees a Living Planet

By Keith Cowing
May 24, 2013
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Image: Illuminated crescent of Earth showing part of South America and Antarctica

Images and data taken just before closest approach were downloaded this morning, and they show the lights of North America in the night and a glowing Southern Hemisphere.

Image: Illuminated crescent of Earth showing part of South America and Antarctica

Images and data taken just before closest approach were downloaded this morning, and they show the lights of North America in the night and a glowing Southern Hemisphere.

The illuminated crescent of Earth showing part of South America and Antarctica. This OSIRIS image was acquired with the the narrow-angle camera from a distance of 350 000 km at 22:28 UTC last night. The resolution is 6.5 km/pixel.

Image: ESA’s Rosetta sees North America at night

The lights of North American cities. Rosetta OSIRIS Imaging System’s Narrow-Angle Camera image. The image was taken with a 10-s deep exposure at 05:44 CET. Some of the cities are clearly visible. Others like New York are covered by clouds, making the light diffuse.

Images

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.