Comet Death Dive Into Sun Seen in Detail for 1st Time

[Astronuc]

Comet's Death Dive Into Sun Seen in Detail for 1st Time
http://www.space.com/14288-sungrazing-comet-death-dive-sun-observed.html
by Charles Q. Choi, SPACE.com Contributor
Date: 19 January 2012

A comet has been spotted disintegrating in the atmosphere of the sun for the first time.

Such sun-diving comets are common but none have been seen surviving entry into the sun's atmosphere until now. . . .

I was surprised to learn that sun-diving comets are common. I guess in the past, sun-diving comets simply disappeared, i.e., we knew they approached the sun, but did not reappear.

Now a single comet is an insignificant amount of mass compared to the sun, but I wonder how many comets the sun has collected over the eons, and how much of the carbon, oxygen in the sun has been contributed by comets.

 

[CosmicEye]

Cool. Maybe next time when they see a comets heading straight towards the sun, they can focus the cameras on the impact

 

[Astronuc]

Back in May 2011, another comet apparently got close to - or hit - the sun.

http://www.space.com/11663-comet-hits-sun-solar-explosion.html

These comets belong to the Kreutz family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreutz_Sungrazers

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213165028.htm

On the origin of the Kreutz family of sun-grazing comets (paper from 1967)
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1967BAICz..18..198S


Apparently many graze the sun, but some hit it. Ostensibly, this happens with other stars.

 

[Astronuc]

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=124915541
Comet Lovejoy Dives Toward the Sun

NOTE: This video loops 3 times. An instrument on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) adjusted its cameras in order to watch the trajectory of Comet Lovejoy. . . . . The movie from SDO was made the evening of Dec 15, 2011 and shows Comet Lovejoy moving in toward the sun.

 

[Dotini]

Comet Lovejoy Dives Toward the Sun

The poor little thing, it lost its tail and wriggled excitedly as it plunged through the million K solar corona - but fearlessly, Lovejoy survived to grow a spectacular new tail on the other side of the sun. Whew!

What a spectacular show nature puts on for us when we have the instruments to observe it. I am grateful to NASA, and consider my tax well-spent in this case.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve