67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (abbreviated as 67P or 67P/C-G) is a Jupiter-family comet, originally from the Kuiper belt, with a current orbital period of 6.45 years, a rotation period of approximately 12.4 hours and a maximum velocity of 135,000 km/h (38 km/s; 84,000 mph). Churyumov–Gerasimenko is approximately 4.3 by 4.1 km (2.7 by 2.5 mi) at its longest and widest dimensions. It was first observed on photographic plates in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko, after whom it is named. It came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 13 August 2015.
Churyumov–Gerasimenko was the destination of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, launched on 2 March 2004. Rosetta rendezvoused with Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014 and entered orbit on 10 September 2014. Rosetta's lander, Philae, landed on the comet's surface on 12 November 2014, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a comet nucleus. On 30 September 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft ended its mission by landing on the comet in its Ma'at region.
Actual footage from the comet surface by ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/I AA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA – CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Physical characteristics
Dimensions:
- Large lobe: 4.1 km × 3.3 km × 1.8 km (2.5 mi × 2.1 mi × 1.1 mi)
- Small lobe: 2.6 km × 2.3 km × 1.8 km (1.6 mi × 1.4 mi × 1.1 mi)
Volume: 18.7 km3 (4.5 cu mi)
Mass: (9.982±0.003)×1012 kg
Mean density: 0.533 ± 0.006 g/cm3 (0.01926 ± 0.00022 lb/cu in)
Escape velocity est. 1 m/s[6] Rotation period 12.4043±0.0007 h Axial tilt 52° North pole right ascension 69.3° North pole declination 64.1°[3] Albedo 0.06[3] Surface temp. min mean max Kelvin 180 230 Celsius −93 −43 Fahrenheit −135 −45
