A periodic comet discovered in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Churyumov and Svetlana Gerasimenko. Its nucleus, roughly 4.3 by 4.1 kilometers, has a distinctive two-lobed shape formed when two separate smaller objects merged in a gentle, low-velocity collision early in the Solar System's history. The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft orbited the comet beginning in 2014, and on 12 November 2014 its lander Philae touched down on the surface, the first spacecraft ever to land on a comet nucleus.
Facts
Object TypePeriodic comet (Jupiter family, contact binary nucleus) 1 Diameter (km) Orbital Distance3.46 AU (about 517 million km from the Sun) 1 Discovery Year Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Rosetta, Spacecraft Rosetta orbited comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from 2014, and its lander Philae touched down on the comet's surface on 12 November 2014.
Orbits
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - Philae landingQuote, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - Philae landing
Rosetta's lander, Philae, landed on the comet's surface on 12 November 2014, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a comet nucleus.
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - discoveryQuote, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - discovery
discovered in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Ivanovich Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - nucleus sizeQuote, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - nucleus size
The nucleus measures approximately 4.3 by 4.1 km at its longest and widest dimensions
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - shapeQuote, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - shape
a gentle, low-velocity collision of two objects
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Wikipedia - physical characteristics infoboxQuote, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Wikipedia - physical characteristics infobox
approximately 9.982 x 10^12 kg
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Wikipedia - orbital characteristics infoboxQuote, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Wikipedia - orbital characteristics infobox
3.457 AU (517.2 million km)
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Rosetta, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - Rosetta orbitQuote, Associated With: Rosetta, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - Rosetta orbit
Rosetta's lander, Philae, landed on the comet's surface on 12 November 2014
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