Where is 'skull face'?
Date: 28 October 2020
Copyright: Image: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; Data: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROMAP; Analysis: O'Rourke et al. (2020)
Rosetta's Philae lander touched down on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014 and made multiple contacts with the surface before arriving at its final resting place. Its second touchdown site was recently identified just 30 metres away from its final position, in a location that resembles the shape of a skull with a pointed 'hat' when viewed from above.
This animation shows the location of 'skull face' hidden in the shadowed cliffs of the comet: when the exposure of the image is enhanced, the touchdown site is revealed. The animation points out the various features of the 'skull'. For example, Philae's body compressed into the ice-dust scenery to create the skull's right eye.