67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko compared to Earth

A comet shaped like a rubber duck, visited by ESA’s Rosetta orbiter, whose Philae lander made the first landing on a comet.

Can you see it?

Worth knowing about 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Its size: larger lobe 4.1 × 3.3 × 1.8 km, smaller lobe 2.6 × 2.3 × 1.8 km; mean radius 1.65 km. One spin: 12.06 hours since its 2015 pass by the Sun, which sped it up from 12.4 hours (measured by Rosetta).

Why it stands out

Gravity is roughly 100,000 times weaker than Earth’s — light enough that a gentle jump could send you drifting off into space. This is exactly what almost happened to the Philae lander in 2014: its anchoring harpoons failed to fire on touchdown, so it bounced right back off the surface, sailed about 1 km up, and didn’t settle down again for almost two more hours.

What it does near the Sun

As it nears the Sun, jets of gas and dust erupt from cracks in its crust.

The machines we sent

ESA’s Rosetta orbited 2014–2016 and dropped the Philae lander in 2014, the first-ever comet landing.

How anyone knows this

• Eclipses, conjunctions and other sky events
• How did anyone measure the Earth in the first place?
• Every kind of object on this site

Games it appears in

• Which is more massive?
• Put them in size order

Show 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the model☀️ Everything the Sun holds🌙 Plan an evening outside