67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
Periodic contact binary comet / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (abbreviated as 67P or 67P/C–G) is a Jupiter-family comet.[10] It is originally from the Kuiper belt[11] and has an orbital period of 6.45 years as of 2012,[1] a rotation period of approximately 12.4 hours,[9] and a maximum velocity of 135,000 km/h (38 km/s; 84,000 mph).[12] Churyumov–Gerasimenko is approximately 4.3 by 4.1 km (2.7 by 2.5 mi) at its longest and widest dimensions.[13] It was first observed on photographic plates in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko, after whom it is named.[lower-alpha 1] It most recently came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 2 November 2021,[4][2][14] and will next come to perihelion on 9 April 2028.[3]
Discovery | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Discovered by | Klim Ivanovich Churyumov Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko | ||||||||||||||||
Discovery site | Almaty, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | ||||||||||||||||
Discovery date | 20 September 1969 | ||||||||||||||||
Designations | |||||||||||||||||
1969 R1, 1969 IV, 1969h, 1975 P1, 1976 VII, 1975i, 1982 VIII, 1982f, 1989 VI, 1988i[1] | |||||||||||||||||
Orbital characteristics[2] | |||||||||||||||||
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5) | |||||||||||||||||
Aphelion | 5.704 AU (853,300,000 km; 530,200,000 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
Perihelion | 1.210 AU (181,000,000 km; 112,500,000 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
3.457 AU (517,200,000 km; 321,300,000 mi) | |||||||||||||||||
Eccentricity | 0.64989 | ||||||||||||||||
6.43 yr | |||||||||||||||||
73.57° | |||||||||||||||||
Inclination | 3.8719° | ||||||||||||||||
36.33° | |||||||||||||||||
9 April 2028[3] 2 November 2021 (previous)[4][2] | |||||||||||||||||
22.15° | |||||||||||||||||
Physical characteristics | |||||||||||||||||
Dimensions | |||||||||||||||||
Volume | 18.7 km3 (4.5 cu mi)[6] | ||||||||||||||||
Mass | (9.982±0.003)×1012 kg[6] | ||||||||||||||||
Mean density | 0.533 ± 0.006 g/cm3 [6][7] (0.01926 ± 0.00022 lb/cu in) | ||||||||||||||||
est. 1 m/s[8] | |||||||||||||||||
12.4043±0.0007 h[9] | |||||||||||||||||
52°[5] | |||||||||||||||||
North pole right ascension | 69.3°[5] | ||||||||||||||||
North pole declination | 64.1°[5] | ||||||||||||||||
Albedo | 0.06[5] | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Churyumov–Gerasimenko was the destination of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, launched on 2 March 2004.[15][16][17] Rosetta rendezvoused with Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014[18][19] and entered orbit on 10 September 2014.[20] Rosetta's lander, Philae, landed on the comet's surface on 12 November 2014, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a comet nucleus.[21][22][23] On 30 September 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft ended its mission by landing on the comet in its Ma'at region.[24][25]