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Rosetta is homing in on Earth

Emily Lakdawalla

Written by Emily Lakdawalla
November 10, 2009

Heads up! ESA's Rosetta spacecraft is approaching for its last flyby of Earth, on Friday, November 13. It is now close enough that its OSIRIS high-resolution camera can resolve the Moon (and presumably Earth as well). Here's that photo of the Moon, a lovely crescent view captured on Sunday from 4.3 million kilometers away:

Rosetta approaches the Moon, November 8, 2009
Rosetta approaches the Moon, November 8, 2009 As Rosetta approached the Earth-Moon system for its third and final gravity-assist flyby in November 2009, it captured this view of a distant, crescent Moon. The Moon was 4.3 million kilometers away at the time.Image: ESA / OSIRIS Team

It's a bit small at this range, so here's a zoomed view:

Rosetta approaches the Moon, November 8, 2009 (enlarged)
Rosetta approaches the Moon, November 8, 2009 (enlarged) This version has been enlarged by a factor of two.Image: ESA / OSIRIS team

Stay tuned for further news and pictures from Rosetta's upcoming Earth flyby!

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