Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 December 16
     [2]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.

           A Kilometer High Cliff on Comet Churyumov - Gerasimenko
      Image Credit & [3]Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO): [4]ESA, [5]Rosetta
        spacecraft, NAVCAM; Additional Processing: [6]Stuart Atkinson

   Explanation: This kilometer high cliff occurs on the surface of a
   comet. It was discovered on the dark nucleus of [7]Comet Churyumov -
   Gerasimenko (CG) by [8]Rosetta, a robotic spacecraft [9]launched by
   [10]ESA, which orbited the comet from 2014 to 2016. The ragged cliff,
   as [11]featured [12]here, was imaged by Rosetta early in its mission.
   Although towering about one kilometer high, the low surface gravity of
   [13]Comet CG would likely make a [14]jump from the [15]cliffs by a
   human survivable. At the foot of the cliffs is relatively smooth
   terrain dotted with [16]boulders as large as 20 meters across. Data
   from [17]Rosetta indicates that the ice in Comet CG has a significantly
   different [18]deuterium fraction -- and hence likely a [19]different
   origin -- than the water in Earth's oceans. The probe was named after
   the [20]Rosetta Stone, a rock slab featuring the same text written in
   three different languages that helped humanity [21]decipher ancient
   Egyptian writing.

                    Tomorrow's picture: near to the heart
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    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [37]Specific rights apply.
            [38]NASA Web Privacy, [39]Accessibility, [40]Notices;
                A service of: [41]ASD at [42]NASA / [43]GSFC,
                         [44]NASA Science Activation
                           & [45]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2412/CometCliffs_Rosetta_960.jpg
   3. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/
   4. http://www.esa.int/
   5. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Rosetta
   6. https://cumbriansky.wordpress.com/about/
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
   8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_(spacecraft)
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091123.html
  10. http://www.esa.int/
  11. http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/12/Comet_on_10_December_2014_NavCam
  12. https://cumbriansky.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/the-cliffs-of-churyumov-gerasimenko/
  13. http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/12/15/cometwatch-10-december/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140210.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110404.html
  16. http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/10/09/boulder-close-up/
  17. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/farewell-rosetta-esa-mission-to-end-on-comet-surface/
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterium
  19. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_fuels_debate_on_origin_of_Earth_s_oceans
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone
  21. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/00/84/ce/0084ce9d4e75ac0725816da10f42c2f8.jpg
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241215.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=241216
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241217.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  41. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  44. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  45. http://www.mtu.edu/