APOD: 2026 October 24 – Rosetta’s Selfie

On October 24, 2026, the Astronomy Picture of the Day showcased a unique photograph of the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft taken on October 7, 2014. The spacecraft was positioned just 16 kilometers from the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, a remarkable proximity for a spacecraft exploring a comet. Behind Rosetta, ethereal streams of dust and gas emanated from the comet's distinctive double-lobed nucleus.

The dramatic image was captured using the CIVA camera system on Rosetta's Philae lander, which was still attached to the spacecraft. Two separate exposures - one short and one long - were merged to account for the extreme high contrast between the comet's dark surface and the bright sunlight reflecting off one of Rosetta's 14-meter-long solar arrays.

Philae's primary landing site on the smaller lobe of the comet's nucleus had been selected earlier, and it was on this visible hemisphere that the lander descended shortly after its final separation from the mother spacecraft on November 12, 2014. Just moments after separating, Philae turned its camera back toward the orbiter, capturing this self-portrait before beginning its descent to the comet's nucleus.

The photograph, credited to ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIV, was released by NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day service as part of their ongoing celebration of the cosmos.