Philae’s New 360-Degree Image Is Our Best Look At The Comet Yet

Philae’s New 360-Degree Image Is Our Best Look At The Comet Yet

Earlier today we showed you a composite image of the first two photo from the Philae lander. But the European Space Agency released four brand-new images in a press briefing this morning, and it’s our clearest look at the Philae’s spot on 67P we’ve seen.

The ESA put together a raw 360-degree panoramic image of these new photos and showed them off during the webcast. And here’s a GIF of Philae’s new images too:

Philae’s New 360-Degree Image Is Our Best Look At The Comet Yet

Hence one of the cameras is looking at open space — you can tell this from the lens flares reflecting the sun in the top photo in the upper left corner. This set of images suggests that the lander could be lying on one of its sides. We’ll know more later today, when more precise telemetric data will come in. [ESA Webcast]

Update: Here is the hi-res version of the top image, which the ESA has just released:

Philae’s New 360-Degree Image Is Our Best Look At The Comet Yet


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