Tour The Comet Where Rosetta Just Landed Photos This view focuses on the boulder-strewn neck region of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, with the smaller lobe on the left and the larger lobe on the right. Much of the comet's activity originates from the neck. The scene also shows the contrast between the rugged material in the cliff walls rising up to the smaller lobe and the soft, more textured material that characterizes the neck and that is also coating the larger lobe in this region. Boulders seem to defy gravity in this view, apparently clinging to the steep sides of the larger lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, although it is all a matter of the orientation of the image and the local gravity vector. On the right-hand side of the frame, thin layers of rock have the appearance of being flexed or compressed. One theory for the comet's formation is that two smaller bodies collided to create the comet shape. Whether this layered feature is due to such a scenario or a completely different process remains to be seen. This scene presents a dramatic view across the body of the large lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. On either side of the inner portion of the wall suggests the presence of slightly brighter material, perhaps more recently exposed than other sections.. The sides of the raised section shows signs of clear layering, along with fractures cross-cutting in many orientations. In the background, a faint stream of gas and dust can be seen, showing that an active region is nearby. This view looks from the smaller of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's two lobes (foreground in lower left) over to the larger lobe, which occupies most of the frame and which is dominated by rubble-filled depressions. One, just to the right of centre in the lower part of the image, has a near-circular appearance. It is expected that some circular pits on the comet are associated with the source of activity, perhaps as gas vents from the comet's porous interior. Whether this is such a feature is yet to be confirmed. The large lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko shows sets of long, parallel grooves and ridges. One ridge traces up to a peak in the distance, through a cascade of boulders. To the left, flat-topped steps contrast against a pinnacle, seen against the horizon. To the right, a patch of brighter material lies crumbled at the base of a steep wall, perhaps signaling material that has been freshly exposed. In a different orientation, the peak appears as a flat ridge that slopes down onto a flat plateau, showing the importance of viewing features from different angles. This unusual view takes a side-on look down the smaller lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and onto the smoother terrain of the "neck" region. In the background, cliffs of the comet's large lobe rise from the shadows, adding to the dramatic feel to this image. This scene features the boulder named Cheops, the largest and brightest boulder towards the top left of the image. Cheops and the surrounding cluster of boulders reminded scientists of the famous pyramids at Giza near Cairo in Egypt, and so it was named for the largest of those pyramids, the Great Pyramid, which was built as a tomb for the pharaoh Cheops around 2550 BC. Another large boulder lies towards the bottom of this frame and is surrounded by many smaller boulders that seem to be appearing from beneath the smooth, dusty material that dominates this scene. This dramatic view along the horizon highlights several relatively smooth, flat-topped plateaus that stand above the rugged surface on the larger lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. But their flat tops betray the scars of the walls just below, extensively criss-crossed with fracture-like features. At their bases lies plentiful rubble, perhaps once originating from the cliff faces, having crumbled away under the erosive forces at work on the comet. This image showcases one of the many pits seen on the surface of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Pits like these are thought to be where gas vents into space from the porous subsurface, carrying with it dusty grains of comet material. Scientists are keen to learn the role of this pit and others in the development of the comet's activity, as it gets ever closer to the Sun.