Description

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Stunning images of comets from the Rosetta space craft

Comets have fascinated humans and inspired our imaginations for millennia. Having witnessed the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago, comets are also a scientist's dream to study. Composed of fluffy dust, several ices and rich organics, they are believed to preserve pristine material from this early time and therefore hold the key to understanding the origin of the solar system. To make this dream a reality, the Rosetta mission visited a comet named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko between 2014 and 2016. On board the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft were eleven scientific instruments as well as Philae, an in situ laboratory to land on the comet's surface. The camera system OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic and Infrared Remote Imaging System) can certainly be considered the "Eyes of Rosetta."

This book collects the most stunning images acquired by OSIRIS and compiled by the scientists who were responsible for the development and operation of the camera system.