First image from comet lander as it drops to surface

The body of Rosetta is in the upper right-hand corner of the image, with its solar panel stretching into the centre of the frame. The sun peeks in from the left, blanked out at the middle where its brightness overwhelms the camera.

The picture was taken by Philae's CIVA instrument, which has been taking stunning selfies of Rosetta since it entered its unusual "triangular" orbit of the comet.

(Image: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA)

When came the incredible second picture released by ESA, showing Philae with its landing legs deployed as it drops into the distance, taken with Rosetta's OSIRIS instrument.

Follow the Rosetta mission live and catch up on its background at bit.ly/rosettaliveblog.