APOD: 2026 October 24 – Rosetta’s Selfie

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NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for Oct. 24, 2026, features a selfie of the Rosetta spacecraft taken on Oct. 7, 2014, near comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The image was made with the CIVA camera system on the Philae lander and was the final picture from Philae’s camera before the lander separated from Rosetta.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day on Oct. 24, 2026, features a selfie of the Rosetta spacecraft photographed near comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014. Taken by the CIVA camera system aboard Rosetta’s attached Philae lander, the image records the orbiter just 16 kilometers from the comet and was Philae’s last camera image before it detached to begin its descent.

The photograph was taken on Oct. 7, 2014, when Rosetta was about 472 million kilometers from Earth and 16 kilometers from the surface of 67P. The comet’s double-lobed nucleus appears beyond the spacecraft, with dust and gas streaming away from it. Sunlight reflects from one of Rosetta’s solar arrays, which measured 14 meters in length.

NASA’s APOD explanation says the scene’s strong contrast was recorded by combining two exposures, one short and one long. The camera system, known as CIVA, was part of the Philae lander while it remained attached to Rosetta. The image credit is ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA.

Philae’s selected primary landing site was on the visible side of the comet’s smaller lobe. The Oct. 7 picture was the last image from Philae’s camera before separation. After the lander detached on Nov. 12, it took another image looking back toward the orbiter, then continued its descent toward the comet’s nucleus, according to the APOD description.

A Last View Before Philae’s Descent

The image captures a short interval in Rosetta’s mission: the spacecraft was close enough to 67P for the comet to dominate the scene, while Philae was still attached and preparing to separate. Its value is both visual and documentary. It shows the orbiter, solar array and active comet together, and preserves the view from Philae’s camera shortly before the lander’s descent.

The distances also convey the scale of the mission. Rosetta was hundreds of millions of kilometers from Earth, yet only 16 kilometers from the comet when the photograph was made. The picture offers readers a direct record of spacecraft operations near a small, irregular body, rather than a distant telescope view alone.

The APOD feature is a retrospective presentation of an archival image, not a report of a new spacecraft maneuver or discovery. Its relevance lies in highlighting a documented moment in the Rosetta-Philae exploration of 67P and the transition from orbiting the comet to attempting a landing.

Rosetta and Philae at 67P

Rosetta was the European Space Agency mission that traveled to and studied comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Philae was carried by the orbiter, and its cameras were able to photograph Rosetta while the lander remained attached. The Oct. 7 image was therefore taken before the lander separated, during Rosetta’s close operations around the comet.

The sequence described by NASA’s APOD is specific: the selfie was captured on Oct. 7, 2014; Philae separated from Rosetta on Nov. 12; and, shortly after separation, Philae took a further image looking back at the orbiter as it began its descent. The featured image belongs to the first part of that sequence, not to the lander’s later surface operations.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day publishes an image or photograph with an explanation written by a professional astronomer. The Oct. 24, 2026, entry credits ESA, Rosetta, Philae and CIVA for the image, with Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff and Keighley Rockcliffe listed as authors and editors.

What the APOD Entry Does Not Add

The APOD entry presents the image and mission details but does not report a new finding about 67P or a recent reassessment of the photograph. It also does not give additional technical specifications for the two exposures, such as their individual durations, or further detail about how the images were combined. Those particulars are not provided in the source material.

The source identifies the site selected for Philae’s primary landing attempt as being on the visible hemisphere of the smaller lobe, but this image alone does not establish where the lander ultimately came to rest. The APOD text describes the lander’s separation and descent without expanding on its later trajectory or surface status. The feature should be read as an image explanation, not as a comprehensive account of Philae’s landing outcome.

The Next APOD Feature

The source lists “Dark Matters” as the subject of the next Astronomy Picture of the Day. No publication time or further details about that upcoming entry are included in the supplied material. The Oct. 24 feature itself is a retrospective display of the 2014 Rosetta-Philae photograph; it does not announce a future mission event or new observation of comet 67P.

Readers seeking more about the image can consult NASA’s APOD page, which provides the explanation and image credit. Any additional account of Philae’s descent or the wider Rosetta mission would require information beyond the details given in this entry.

Key Questions

When was Rosetta’s selfie taken?

The image was taken on Oct. 7, 2014. NASA featured it as the Astronomy Picture of the Day on Oct. 24, 2026.

How close was Rosetta to comet 67P?

Rosetta was about 16 kilometers from the comet’s surface. It was approximately 472 million kilometers from Earth at the time.

Which camera took the photograph?

The photograph was made using the CIVA camera system aboard Philae, while the lander was still attached to Rosetta. The APOD description says the high-contrast scene combines a short and a long exposure.

Why is this described as Philae’s last image before separation?

NASA’s APOD explanation identifies it as the final image from Philae’s camera before the lander separated from Rosetta on Nov. 12, 2014. Philae took another image looking back toward the orbiter shortly after separation.

Does this APOD announce a new discovery?

No. The Oct. 24, 2026, entry revisits an archival 2014 image and explains its setting and mission context. The supplied source does not report a new observation or discovery.

Source: primary