The image was obtained by the agency's Rosetta probe from a distance of about 10 kilometers (a little over 6 miles)

May 18, 2015 08:18 GMT  ·  By

A new space image made public by the European Space Agency (ESA) towards the end of last week reveals what Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko looks like when observed from an altitude of just 10 kilometers (a little over 6 miles) over its surface. 

The close-up, included in the gallery below, was obtained by the space agency's Rosetta probe last year, on October 23. It focuses on a geographical region on the comet by the name of Seth and adjacent region Hathor.

Unlike Seth and other landscapes on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which appear to be rather smooth, Hathor is rugged and rock-like. A few other regions thus far identified on the comet display the same characteristics, ESA researchers explain.

“Hathor may be an eroded surface and as such is showing us the internal structure of the comet’s head. In the foreground, contrasting terrains within the Seth region on the comet’s large lobe are observed,” reads the view's description.

This close-up produced on October 23 last year focuses on an area measuring 850 meters (nearly 2,800 feet) across. The cliff in the background, included in the region Hathor, is said to stand about 900 meters (3,000 feet) tall.

ESA's Rosetta probe left our planet in March 2004 and reached Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014. The spacecraft and the celestial body are now traveling through space together and find themselves some 344 million kilometers (213 million miles) away from Earth.

ESA's Rosetta probe is now orbiting Comet 67P/C-G (3 Images)

Artist's depiction of the Rosetta probe and its target comet
Image shows part of the surface of Comet 67P/C-G up closeMaps reveal the comet's geography
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