OSIRIS – The Eyes of Rosetta: Journey to Comet 67P, a Witness to the Birth of Our Solar System

Comets as beautiful phenomena in the night sky have fascinated humans and inspired our imagination for millennia. Having witnessed the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago, comets are also a scientist’s dream to study. Composed of fluffy dust, several ices and rich organics, it has long been believed that they preserve pristine material from this early time and therefore hold the key to understanding the origin of the solar system with all its planets―and ultimately life. To make this dream a reality, the Rosetta mission visited a comet named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko between 2014 and 2016. On board the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft were eleven scientific instruments as well as Philae, an in situ laboratory to land on the comet’s surface. The camera system OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic and Infrared Remote Imaging System) can certainly be considered the “Eyes of Rosetta.”

This book collects the most stunning images acquired by OSIRIS and compiled by the scientists who were responsible for the development and operation of the camera system. From the launch of the Rosetta spacecraft on board an Ariane 5 rocket, to a journey through space of more than ten years to reach 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, OSIRIS – The Eyes of Rosetta allows us to explore a comet with our own eyes and discover how exotic yet oddly familiar it is.