Rosetta probe catches distant comet

The European Space Agency's Rosetta probe has caught up with a comet after a 10-year chase.

The spacecraft fired its thrusters for six and a half minutes to finally reach Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

It will now enter a triangular flight path, looping around the comet and taking measurements.

This sequence of images was acquired by Rosetta's Osiris science camera system from a distance of about 285km on Sunday. Rosetta is now moving just 100km from the comet.

Images courtesy of ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA