Rosetta spacecraft films landslide on comet

In 2015, Europe's Rosetta spacecraft captured a dramatic landslide collapse of a 100-metre-long of a comet. The cliffside collapse created about 2,000 tonnes of rubble.

Close-up photo of a cliff

Here's a close-up photo of a cliff, called Aswan, on comet 67P, taken in September 2014. The arrow here points at the crack on the cliff edge.

About the size of Mount Fuji

In this image taken on July 2015, shows that the cliff edge appears to have broken off in a landslide.

Bright spot on cliff

This bright spot was first spotted in July 2015, just five days after the landslide. The bright spot shows the cliff of the edge exposing the ice underneath.

About the comets

Comets and asteroids were formed in the solar system, when the planets were just being formed. Comets like 67P are thought to have originated in the water- and volatile-rich outer solar system.

Image credit: MPS for Osiris Team/Rosetta/ESA