Steins from Rosetta's Narrow Angle Camera

As Rosetta approached the asteroid Steins in 2008, its Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) went into safe mode, costing it the highest resolution pictures.  As a result, the best images, taken near closest approach, were from the lower resolution Wide Angle Camera (WAC).  This image was produced from the last raw images taken before the NAC stopped taking pictures.  While not quite as good as the later WAC images, it shows Steins from a significantly different angle.  At some point, I plan to work with some of the best WAC frames.  However, since they were taken much closer to Steins, spacecraft motion has much more effect from frame to frame, meaning that stacking them will be much more difficult. 

 

Raw Data Courtesy ESA/OSIRIS Team/MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
Processed image Copyright Ted Stryk