HomeLutetia closest approach images
All images credit/copyright:
(C) ESA 2010 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
At a distance of 36 000 km, the OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) took this image catching the planet Saturn in the background.
Farewell Lutetia!
Approach images of Asteroid Lutetia. The first image was taken at 06:18 (about 9.5 hours before closest approach, 510000 kms from the asteroid), the last one at 14:15 (about 1.5 hours before closest approach, 81000 km from the asteroid.). The resolution changes from 9.6 km/px to 1.5 km/px.
Final sequence of images before closest approach (CA-8, CA-4:40, CA-2, CA-1:50)
Zoom into detail with grooves and craters.
Zoom in on a possible landslide and boulders at the highest resolution.
22-07-2010 • 04:44:46
Great images! Close look at ID:
SEMSZCZOFBG has two point sources that could be stars or rocky moonlets. There are at least two candidate shadows on the asteroid from potential rocks; upper left image, upper left edge of asteroid is the shadow, candidate rock is dim speck off to upper left. Candidate two is lower right image, upper left quadrant of asteroid.
16-07-2010 • 21:17:08
If one were to land on the it and walk around, could one jump up and float forever in space? Or, is there even a hint of gravity surrounding the rock that would not permit one to jump off.
14-07-2010 • 23:59:00
Hi!
Congratulations to you for the superb pictures from the close approach! Perhaps, there will be a map from Lutetia sometime...
14-07-2010 • 16:21:33
Hi Rosetta Team,
thank you for your great job and those astonishing pictures. I really look forward to the science output of the months to come.
By the way: In our web forum we discuss those bright dots all around the VIRTIS pictures. They look like sun-lit dust particles - or like hot pixels. They do not look like asteroid surface phenomena since they also appear around Lutetia.
See the discussion here:
http://www.raumfahrer.net/forum/smf/index.php?topic=2978.165
(in German)
Maybe you could provide a quick analysis. If not: We will propably read it in Nature soon! :-)
12-07-2010 • 21:50:15
What is the large grey rectangle in the image from? It looks like someone did some clean up.
14-07-2010 • 05:55:52
Now! I see the rectangle you are talking about.
12-07-2010 • 06:54:38
I'm proud of being Swede and paying taxes for something like the ESA
11-07-2010 • 18:56:37
Your blog is AWESOME! This is AMAZING!! I watched the live web cam and perused your blog so much!! Much fantastic information! Thank-you!! It must be very time consuming to put together and yet at the same time give you that 'rush' and be quite fun as well.
Congratuations to the team of scientists for this marvelous work they are doing!! Your pics are AWESOME!! I plan to visit often.
11-07-2010 • 17:40:59
Great work on the Lutetia approach! Wonderful images!
11-07-2010 • 16:31:19
Well done! Congratulations to John Ellwood, Gerhard Schwehm and their respective teams.
11-07-2010 • 16:01:47
Congratulations!! Let's more explore the Solar System and beyond!!
Masanori from Japan
11-07-2010 • 12:57:16
You know, it is not spherical. Therefore I think that it is a broken piece of a larger planet Where is the rest of it--or is it a remnant that was flung out of orbit long long ago from some distant galaxy .
11-07-2010 • 09:35:24
Thank-you so much, ESA, for making these images available in a timely fashion. Wishing you the best of luck for the comet encounter!
11-07-2010 • 08:43:29
Excellent jobs guys and gals at ESA and science teams.
The image of Lutetia with Saturn in background is a wonderful bonus.
And, the image of Lutetia versus prediction is spot on !
Over the moon - sorry asteroid - about this mission.
Ride on Rosetta :-))
Phill Parker
UK
11-07-2010 • 05:32:12
Congratulation !
Wonderful pictures it's very exciting mission !
Thanks a lot
11-07-2010 • 04:41:25
Excellent ! Well done !
11-07-2010 • 04:20:44
We will in an amazing age. Thanks ESA!
11-07-2010 • 02:49:30
What is the point of light?
appears on the dark side, in the right of image "7_crescent", at the center of Lutetia
11-07-2010 • 02:46:37
Amazing images. Here you have the video made using the preflight by of Lutetia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltgvaet9l4o
11-07-2010 • 01:13:25
In the detailed image with 4 pictures of Lutetia, is that a shadow of a moonlet on the face of the asteroid? Or are they pixel anomalies?
11-07-2010 • 07:18:00
or maybe a cosmic ray
11-07-2010 • 00:53:47
Thanks for sharing mission details with us.
Wonderful pictures !
We wish you success for the final mission target.
M.K.
IG Hobbyastronomen in Alzey u. Umland e.V.
11-07-2010 • 00:41:51
the esa-team did a wonderful job `til now. great pictures from Rosetta to Darmstadt :-)
any analytic details so far?
looking forward to 2014 !!
11-07-2010 • 00:03:52
I have no sound, but could watch. Any clues as to composition, what is the size of 21 Lutetia & how sharp are the sharpest images. 21 Lutetia is very grooved like the Mars moon Phobos, perhaps a rethink on the grooves of Phobos perhaps???
Love this, love this soooooooo much. I assume 21 Lutetia has turned out to be moonless, unlike 243 Ida.
Andrew Brown.
10-07-2010 • 23:59:09
Thanks for sharing these amazing pictures with us!
10-07-2010 • 23:58:29
Thanks for sharing these amazing pictures with us!
10-07-2010 • 23:47:35
Is it only me or grooves and striations make you think of Phobos? Is it possible that only impacts would explain them?
Great jobs and thanks for sharing "live"!
10-07-2010 • 23:44:51
We can see stripes like on phobos !
10-07-2010 • 23:18:03
Congratulation for this successful mission!
10-07-2010 • 23:17:12
The pictures are impressive
16-07-2010 • 19:27:39
Your spacecraft was even more impressive.
Thanks, it is a pleasure to fly it.
Andrea
10-07-2010 • 23:09:22
When will High Resolution versions be available online?
Congrats to the complete ESA Rosetta team!
10-07-2010 • 23:32:39
Beautiful close approch.
Congratulations to the Rosetta's team for the wonderful work.