Sungrazing Comet, LASCO, 2000
A sungrazing comet that appeared in this C2 coronagraph image on April 29, 2000 was headed right for the Sun where it soon disintegrated the next day. Comets, composed of ice and dust, characteristically have particles streaming out behind them. Comets can be found zooming around space quite frequently. A sungrazing comet is a comet that passes extremely close to the Sun at perihelion, sometimes within a few thousand kilometers of the Sun's surface. While small sungrazers can be completely evaporated during such a close approach to the Sun, larger sungrazers can survive many perihelion passages. However, the strong evaporation and tidal forces they experience often lead to their fragmentation.
Size: 3600px × 2700px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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