Comet May Reveal Clues to Our Origins as It Sweeps Past the Sun
Europe's Rosetta mission will track Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko every step of the way
Philae Lander Finally Slingshots Around the Sun
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The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission left earth in 2004 and 10 years later arrived at its object of study, a comet heading inbound from deep in the solar system. Early Thursday morning, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko made its closest approach to the sun (also known as its perihelion), whipped around it, and has begun its long journey back out, deeper into the cold.
Don't expect instantaneous photos that inspire awe across languages and national boundaries, as we've seen this year from spacecraft observing the dwarf planet Ceres, the dwarf planet Pluto, and earth itself. What scientists are looking for may be awe-inspiring; it's just a different kind of awe.