--- ---  # The Rosetta Spacecraft Took an Epic Selfie With a Comet by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 14, 2014 5:28 PM UTC  Using the CIVA camera on Rosetta’s Philae lander, the spacecraft have snapped a ‘selfie’ at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from a distance of about 16 km from the surface of the comet. The image was taken on Oct. 7, 2014 and captures the side of the Rosetta spacecraft and one of Rosetta’s 14 m-long solar wings, with the comet in the background. Using the CIVA camera on Rosetta’s Philae lander, the spacecraft have snapped a ‘selfie’ at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from a distance of about 16 km from the surface of the comet. The image was taken on Oct. 7, 2014 and captures the side of the Rosetta spacecraft and one of Rosetta’s 14 m-long solar wings, with the comet in the background.ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 14, 2014 5:28 PM UTC Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft took a [selfie](http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/10/Rosetta%5Fmission%5Fselfie%5Fat%5F16%5Fkm) published Tuesday that is, quite literally, out of this world. Rosetta’s mission is to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The spacecraft is very close to its target, enough that the comet appears in the background of this image only 16km away. Rosetta, dubbed Europe’s [“comet chaser,”](http://www.esa.int/Our%5FActivities/Space%5FScience/Rosetta/Europe%5Fs%5Fcomet%5Fchaser) went into space in 2004\. It had many things on its to-do list, including eventually landing on 67P. But for now, [Mission Selfie](http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/10/14/mission-selfie-from-16-km/) accomplished. ### PHOTOS: 20 Breathtaking Images of Earth From Space  Aleppo, Syria, May 26, 2013 – The Citadel of Aleppo – medieval fortified palace DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Belfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art work DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Utah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado River DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Cuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe Dam DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Doha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters. DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Dunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation) DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Australia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier Reef DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Gwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in Pakistan DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Croatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love) DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Hong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duck DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam Volcano DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Namib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie area DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Naples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount Vesuvius DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Niger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium Mine DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Schooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013 DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Sochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter Olympics DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Near the city of Sur, Oman, Feb. 13, 2013 – massive “green tide” DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Valencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trapped DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Versailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of Versailles DigitalGlobe—Getty Images  Xi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park DigitalGlobe—Getty Images Mission Selfie: Rosetta Took a Picture With a Comet ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3506995/rosetta-spacecraft-selfie-comet/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3506995/rosetta-spacecraft-selfie-comet/"},"headline":"The Rosetta Spacecraft Took an Epic Selfie With a Comet","datePublished":"2014-10-14T17:28:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:22.765Z","description":"Mission Selfie: Accomplished","url":"https://time.com/3506995/rosetta-spacecraft-selfie-comet/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Space","viral","selfie"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt449c8b5518ffde60/698760bf35ba6f84b9c04718/rosetta-mission-selfie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt449c8b5518ffde60/698760bf35ba6f84b9c04718/rosetta-mission-selfie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Using the CIVA camera on Rosetta’s Philae lander, the spacecraft have snapped a ‘selfie’ at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from a distance of about 16 km from the surface of the comet. 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