On the surface...

Rosetta and Philae and Comet 67P

• 
  This view focuses on the boulder-strewn neck region of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, with the smaller lobe on the left and the larger lobe on the right. Much of the comet’s activity originates from the neck. The scene also shows the contrast between the rugged material in the cliff walls rising up to the smaller lobe and the soft, more ‘textured’ material that characterises the neck and that is also coating the larger lobe in this region.

• Rosetta’s lander Philae is safely on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as these first two CIVA images confirm. One of the lander’s three feet can be seen in the foreground. The image is a two-image mosaic

• 
  Boulders seem to defy gravity in this view, apparently clinging to the steep sides of the larger lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, although of course it is all a matter of the orientation of the image and the local gravity vector. But perhaps the most intriguing feature in this frame is on the right-hand side, where thin layers of rock have the appearance of being flexed or compressed. This feature sits close to the ‘neck’ of the comet, which can be seen in the background rising up towards the smaller of the comet’s two lobes. One theory for the comet’s formation is that two smaller bodies collided to create the comet shape we see today. Whether this layered feature is due to such a scenario or a completely different process remains to be seen. This single-frame NAVCAM image measures 1024 x 1024 pixels. It was captured from a distance of 9.82 km from the centre of the comet (about 7.8 km from the surface) at 18:22 GMT on 26 October 2014. At this distance, the image resolution is 83.7 cm/pixel and the size of the image is 857 x 857 m. 

• Rosetta’s OSIRIS narrow-angle camera witnessed Philae’s descent to the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko yesterday. This animated gif comprises images captured between 10:24 and 14:24 GMT (onboard spacecraft time). More images showing Philae closer to the surface are still to be downloaded. Separation occurred onboard the spacecraft at 08:35 GMT (09:35 CET), with the confirmation signal arriving on Earth at 09:03 GMT (10:03 CET). The signal confirming landing arrived on Earth at 16:03 GMT (17:03 CET).

• This image shows an OSIRIS narrow-angle image taken from a distance of 30 km on 14 September 2014 (prior to landing) marks the first touchdown point of the Philae lander. The signal confirming landing arrived on Earth at 16:03 GMT (17:03 CET). It is thought that Philae bounced twice before settling on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
  
  The lander has not yet been identified and images are still to be downloaded from the Rosetta spacecraft for further analysis.