Space and Astronomy Atlas

How The Universe Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Celestial Object

67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Comets

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 Type
Periodic comet (Jupiter family, contact binary nucleus) 1
Diameter (km)
4.3 1
Mass
9.98 x 10^12 kg 1
Orbital Distance
3.46 AU (about 517 million km from the Sun) 1
Discovery Year
1969 1
Classification
Catalogue
Other or Uncatalogued 1
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.

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Additional Source 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia)67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - Rosetta orbit

Orbits

Sun, Celestial Objects

A periodic comet on a Jupiter-family orbit around the Sun.

Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - shape
    a gentle, low-velocity collision of two objects
  • 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Wikipedia - physical characteristics infobox
    approximately 9.982 x 10^12 kg
  • 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Wikipedia - orbital characteristics infobox
    3.457 AU (517.2 million km)
View the Source
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia)
  • 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.
  • Lead section
    It was first observed on photographic plates in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko, after whom it is named.
  • Associated With: Rosetta, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Wikipedia) - Rosetta orbit
    Rosetta's lander, Philae, landed on the comet's surface on 12 November 2014
  • In Group: Short-Period Comets, Lead sentence
    67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (abbreviated 67P or 67P/C-G and nicknamed "Chury") is a Jupiter-family comet.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.