Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, often simply referred to as 67P, is a short-period comet in our solar system. This comet was discovered by Soviet astronomers Klim Churyumov and Svetlana Gerasimenko on September 11, 1969. It orbits the Sun with a period of approximately 6.45 years and belongs to the Jupiter-family comets, which have orbits influenced by Jupiter.
The comet was first observed on photographic plates taken by Gerasimenko on September 2, 1969, at the Kiev University Astronomical Observatory. Churyumov, after analyzing these plates, identified the object as a new comet and named it after himself and Gerasimenko.
Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko has an unusual bilobed shape, often described as resembling a rubber duck, with two distinct lobes connected by a narrow neck. Its dimensions are approximately 4.3 by 4.1 kilometers, and it has a surface area of roughly 19.5 square kilometers. The comet's nucleus is composed of water ice, dust, and other frozen gases. It also contains organic compounds, which are of great interest for understanding the origins of life.
67P became particularly famous due to the Rosetta Mission by the European Space Agency (ESA). Launched on March 2, 2004, Rosetta was the first spacecraft to orbit a comet and to deploy a lander, Philae, onto its surface. The mission's objectives included:
The Philae lander made its historic landing on November 12, 2014, but due to technical issues, it bounced several times before coming to rest in a location with limited sunlight, which affected its operation. However, it managed to gather valuable data during its active periods. Rosetta itself orbited 67P for over two years, providing unprecedented close-up observations of the comet's surface and activity.
The mission revealed:
The Rosetta Mission concluded on September 30, 2016, when the spacecraft was deliberately crashed onto the comet's surface to gather final data and to ensure that no contamination from Earth would be left on 67P.
The study of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko has provided invaluable insights into the composition, structure, and behavior of comets, contributing significantly to our understanding of the Solar System's formation and the potential role of comets in delivering water and organic compounds to Earth.