Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

A Kilometer High Cliff on Comet Churyumov – Gerasimenko

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 16, 2024 is “A Kilometer High Cliff on Comet Churyumov – Gerasimenko,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit & Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO): ESA , Rosetta spacecraft , NAVCAM; Additional Processing: Stuart Atkinson. The original explanation runs about 159 words.

A black and white image shows, from the side, the wall of a high jagged cliff. At the bottom of the cliff is a smooth landing dotted with rocks. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit & Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO): ESA , Rosetta spacecraft , NAVCAM; Additional Processing: Stuart Atkinson Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“This kilometer high cliff occurs on the surface of a comet. It was discovered on the dark nucleus of Comet Churyumov – Gerasimenko (CG) by Rosetta , a robotic spacecraft launched by ESA , which orbited the comet from 2014 to 2016.”

— APOD editors, December 16, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 16, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO): ESA , Rosetta spacecraft , NAVCAM; Additional Processing: Stuart Atkinson
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 159 words

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Topics in this entry

Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 16 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.