A composite
image of Earth by night shows the city lights of the northern hemisphere and
the illuminated crescent over Antarctica.
The images
were taken by the European Space Agency's Rosetta – the first mission designed
to orbit and land on a comet – as the spacecraft made its closest approach to
Earth during its second swing-by on November 13. The OSIRIS Wide Angle Camera
captured the top image as Rosetta soared 49,700 miles (80,000 kilometers) above
the Indian Ocean where local time approached midnight. The camera then snapped the bottom image as Rosetta
was roughly 46,600 miles (75,000 kilometers) from Earth.
To find Baghdad, Hong Kong, or some other cities among
the signs of human habitation that appear in the northern hemisphere, click
here for more details.
After
sending its picturesque postcard, Rosetta will head out to meet its comet
target, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, in 2014. The spacecraft originally launched
in March 2004.
– ESA 2005 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA and
SPACE.com Staff
Credit: ESA 2005 MPS for OSIRIS Team
MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
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