BBC: On Thursday at 2:03 GMT, Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko passed through the point on its orbit when it is closest to the Sun. The comet is the target of the European Space Agency’s Rosetta orbiter and Philae lander. Rosetta is still in orbit around the comet and is providing data back to Earth, but Philae has been out of contact for several weeks. Like Earth, the comet will not experience peak warmth synchronous with its closest approach, but when it will occur is unknown. One of the Rosetta mission’s goals is to determine when that is. The orbiter has been capturing images of the release of gas and dust jets as the comet’s ice melts. To avoid the material, it has been moved out to a 300-km orbit but will likely be returned to 10–30 km when activity dies down.
Despite the tumultuous history of the near-Earth object’s parent body, water may have been preserved in the asteroid for about a billion years.
October 08, 2025 08:50 PM
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Physics Today - The Week in Physics
The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.