SCIENCE · SPACE
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 17, 2026, presents a three-dimensional view of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The image uses a red-and-blue stereo effect to show the comet’s irregular, two-lobed nucleus and jets of material emerging from its surface.
What the image shows
The image is a stereo anaglyph made from observations taken on July 25, 2015, by the narrow-angle camera on the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft. At the time, Rosetta was approximately 184 kilometres from the comet. When viewed with red-and-blue glasses, the paired images create a depth effect that helps the viewer perceive the shape of the nucleus rather than seeing it as a flat silhouette.
Comet 67P has a distinctive two-part form: a larger lobe roughly four kilometres across is joined by a smaller lobe around 2.5 kilometres wide at a narrow neck. The uneven surface, cliffs, pits and active jets make it a useful example of how comet nuclei differ from the nearly spherical bodies many people imagine when they think of small worlds.
Why the jets matter
Comets contain ice, dust and rocky material left over from the formation of the Solar System. As a comet approaches the Sun, heating causes some of its frozen material to turn directly into gas. Escaping gas carries dust with it, producing jets that can be seen by spacecraft cameras. The activity can change with the comet’s rotation, the amount of sunlight reaching different regions and the material exposed at the surface.
Those jets are more than a dramatic visual feature. By observing them from close range, scientists can study how a comet’s surface responds to sunlight and how material moves away from its nucleus. A detailed view also helps researchers connect the comet’s shape and terrain with its history of activity.
Rosetta’s mission to 67P
Rosetta was an ESA mission designed to follow comet 67P and study it as the comet travelled through the inner Solar System. Its companion lander, Philae, made the first landing on a comet nucleus in 2014. Rosetta continued collecting observations before the mission ended in September 2016 with a controlled descent to the comet’s surface. The spacecraft’s data remain valuable to researchers long after the mission itself concluded.
How to view the picture
The stereo effect requires red-and-blue glasses. Without them, viewers can still examine the comet’s outline and surface features, but the intended depth illusion will be reduced. NASA’s daily astronomy feature combines a selected image with an explanation and credits for the scientists, mission teams or photographers responsible for the material.
Source and image credit: NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: “3D 67P”. Image credit: ESA, Rosetta, MPS, OSIRIS; stereo anaglyph by Philippe Lamy.
