Discovered on October 22, 1969 at the Alma-Ata Observatory, Russia by Klim Ivanovic Churyumov, the Soviet and Ukrainian astronomer found an image of the comet while examining a photographic plate of another comet (32P / Comas Solá) taken by Svetlana Ivanova Gerasimenko the September 11, 1969.
A historic comet
Comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko made history by becoming the first comet to be orbited and landed by robots from Earth. The Rosetta spacecraft, carrying the Philae lander, met this comet in August 2014 and escorted it on its journey to the inner solar system and back.
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe has orbited Comet 67P / Churiumov-Guerasimenko since August 2014, studying the comet’s nucleus and coma, the halo of dust and gas it produced as it moved through space. Philae, the lander, was destined to be the crowning glory of the mission, although it failed to land where it was intended. It landed in one piece, but bounced off the comet’s low gravity. They found him a month later. The unfortunate Philae landing could help inform future missions to other orbiting comets, scientists say.
Churyumov-Gerasimenko revolves around the Sun in an orbit that crosses those of Jupiter and Mars, approaching but not reaching the orbit of Earth. Like most comets in the Jupiter family, it is believed to have fallen from the Kuiper belt, a region beyond Neptune’s orbit, as a result of one or more gravitational collisions or tugs.
The comet in question is closing in on Earth , getting a little closer each time and getting brighter every day.
From now on, if you are fond of astronomy, you will know that you can now point your telescope and look for this comet in the sky, since its closest approach will take place on November 11 and 12, 2021. At its closest point, the comet will pass more than 61 million km from Earth , between the orbits of Earth and Mars. And it will be the closest observation time of 67P for the next 193 years, until it arrives on November 16, 2214.
It will not be visible to the naked eye because it will not appear bright enough to be seen without telescopes. At its brightest, it will be magnitude 9-10, perfect for viewing with amateur telescopes, and an easy target for those whose small telescopes are equipped with cameras.
It is one of the most studied comets by science . It is 4 kilometers in diameter, and like many of the small, icy comets in our solar system, it has two distinct lobes. Astronomers believe that two-lobed comets like this one formed during slow collisions of icy debris, early in the formation of our solar system, about 4.5 billion years ago.
The comet has no magnetic field. Its density is 400 kilograms per cubic meter and its diameter is 4 kilometers. The surface temperature of -68 ºC to -43 ºC. Regarding its composition, gases such as water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ammonium and methane were detected.
