Incredible New Photos Taken From the Surface of a Comet

This incredible image was taken by the Philae lander of one of its legs resting on the comet's surface. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

This incredible image was taken by the Philae lander of one of its legs resting on the comet's surface.

ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

This is the first 360-degree panorama shot released from the Philae lander. The view was captured by the CIVA-P imaging system. Parts of Philae’s landing gear can be seen. The next image in the gallery is a sketch of the lander superimposed on this photo. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

This is the first 360-degree panorama shot released from the Philae lander. The view was captured by the CIVA-P imaging system. Parts of Philae’s landing gear can be seen. The next image in the gallery is a sketch of the lander superimposed on this photo.

ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

This image is a sketch of the lander superimposed on the previous photo. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

This image is a sketch of the lander superimposed on the previous photo.

ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

This photo was captured by Philae's downward-looking ROLIS camera from about 40 meters above the surface of the comet as the lander descended. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR

This photo was captured by Philae's downward-looking ROLIS camera from about 40 meters above the surface of the comet as the lander descended.

ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR

The image shows the comet as seen by Philae's ROLIS instrument on the during descent from about 3 Kilometers away. Resolution is about 3 meters per pixel. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR

The image shows the comet as seen by Philae's ROLIS instrument on the during descent from about 3 Kilometers away. Resolution is about 3 meters per pixel.

ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR

Philae took this shot of its mothership Rosetta shortly after separation from about 10 meters away with the lander’s CIVA-P imaging system. It shows almost the full length of one of Rosetta's 14 meter-long solar wings. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

Philae took this shot of its mothership Rosetta shortly after separation from about 10 meters away with the lander’s CIVA-P imaging system. It shows almost the full length of one of Rosetta's 14 meter-long solar wings.

ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

Rosetta took this parting shot of the Philae lander as it began its 7-hour descent to the comet's surface. ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Rosetta took this parting shot of the Philae lander as it began its 7-hour descent to the comet's surface.

ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

A full-frame parting shot from Rosetta. ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

A full-frame parting shot from Rosetta.

ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Image of the comet taken by Rosetta from 10 kilometers away.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

This photo of the original planned landing site was taken by Rosetta just days before its lander Philae began the descent. ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

This photo of the original planned landing site was taken by Rosetta just days before its lander Philae began the descent.

ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Editor’s Note: We will update this gallery with new images as they become available.

For millennia, people have seen comets come and go from afar, watching the mysterious, bright objects suddenly appear in the sky with long, spectacular tails. Now the Rosetta mission has provided an unprecedented close-up perspective. The spacecraft’s images of comet 67P/Guryumov-Gerasimenko’s surface reveal a rugged environment, covered with jagged rock and sharp cliffs. Now its lander, Philae, has snapped the first-ever photos from the surface of a comet.

The photos in this gallery include those first shots, as well as photos taken of the lander’s descent by both Philae and Rosetta. Alos included are some gorgeous images of the comet taken during Rosetta’s reconnaissance flyby at 10 kilometers above the surface.

It’s dark out in space, especially at the comet’s current location about 278 million miles from the sun. The comet itself is blacker than coal. To highlight the features on the surface, the contrast in some of these black-and-white images has been enhanced.

The Rosetta spacecraft, which is orbiting the comet, is equipped with OSIRIS, a wide and narrow-angle camera. The Philae lander has two imaging instruments, a set of six cameras called ÇIVA that take surface panoramas, and another camera called ROLIS, which took the pictures of the comet during the descent and will help study the texture and fine structure of the comet’s surface.