Mission scientist reacts to historic first images from the surface of a comet

Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) is of special interest this January as at the time of writing (mid-November) it appears well on-course to be an easy binocular object and perhaps a marginal naked-eye comet.

Scientists examining imagery from Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft have logged numerous changes to the face of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, from collapsing cliffs to a growing crack through the comet’s neck that could foretell the eventual unraveling of the city-sized icy world.

A special issue of journal Science published 23rd January reveals details about the shape, evolution and lifespan of comet 67P-Churyumov/Gerasimenko.