Photographs of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimko (C-G)

This page contains photographs of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimko (C-G). This comet will be visited by the Rosetta spacecraft in November of 2014 (all things going to plan!). Observations of this comet are useful for the planning of the Rosetta mission.

Unless otherwise stated, photographs on this page are captured using the following telescope and imaging equipment:

  • 12″ SCT at 2200mm focal length
  • SBIG ST8-XME camera
  • 0.84″/pixel (arc seconds per pixel)
  • Astronomik Type II Red filter

Photographs on this page are taken from Perth, Western Australia in the southern hemisphere  At the time of starting this page, the comet 67P passes nicely overhead during the night, providing good photography opportunities at high altitude. The comet is relatively faint, being estimated at approximately magnitude 18, making it only a photographic not visual comet and even photographic requiring reasonably capable equipment to achieve acceptable quality photographs.

Comet 67P (Churyumov-Gerasimenko); 3 x 600s (sum combined), star tracked. 0.84”/pixel, 12” SCT @ ~2280mm, SBIG ST8-XME @ bin 1x1. Exposure start: 2014-07-17T13:16:02.900 UTC
Comet 67P (Churyumov-Gerasimenko); 3 x 600s (sum combined), star tracked. 0.84”/pixel, 12” SCT @ ~2280mm, SBIG ST8-XME @ bin 1×1. Exposure start: 2014-07-17T13:16:02.900 UTC. This image is resized 200% from the original.
Comet 67P (Churyumov-Gerasimenko); 3 x 600s (sum combined), comet tracked. 0.84”/pixel, 12” SCT @ ~2280mm, SBIG ST8-XME @ bin 1x1. Exposure start: 2014-07-17T12:41:17.760 UTC
Comet 67P (Churyumov-Gerasimenko); 3 x 600s (sum combined), comet tracked. 0.84”/pixel, 12” SCT @ ~2280mm, SBIG ST8-XME @ bin 1×1. Exposure start: 2014-07-17T12:41:17.760 UTC.. This image is resized 200% from the original.