Explanation: Intense and overwhelming, the direct glare of the Sun is blocked by the smooth occulting disk in this image from the sun-staring SOHO spacecraft. Taken on January 3rd, an extreme ultraviolet image of the Sun to scale, is superimposed at the center of the disk. Beyond the disk's outer boundary is a sungrazer comet, one of the brightest yet seen by SOHO. The comet was discovered (movie link) by Australian amateur astronomer Alan Watson, while examining earlier images from another sun-watching spacecraft, STEREO-A. Based on their orbits, sungrazers are believed to belong to the Kreutz family of comets, created by successive break ups from a single large parent comet that passed very near the Sun in the twelfth century. Subjected to strong tidal forces and intense solar heat, this sungrazer comet did not survive its close encounter.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- Five Bright Comets from SOHO
- APOD: 2024 October 7 Á The Long Tails of Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS
- Comet at Moonrise
- APOD: 2024 September 30 Á Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS over Mexico
- APOD: 2024 September 25 Á Comet A3 Through an Australian Sunrise
- APOD: 2024 September 23 Á Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS Approaches
- Periodic Comet Swift Tuttle