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Stunning video: NASA captures giant comet hitting sun

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Uploaded by on May 18, 2011

SOHO (NASA-ESA Solar & Heliospheric Observatory) watched as a fairly bright comet dove towards the Sun in a white streak and was not seen again after its close encounter (May 10-11, 2011). The comet, probably part of the Kreutz family of comets, was discovered by amateur astronomer Sergey Shurpakov. In this coronagraph the Sun (represented by a white circle) is blocked by the red occulting disk so that the faint structures in the Sun's corona can be discerned. Interestingly, a coronal mass ejection blasted out to the right just as the comet is approaching the Sun. Scientists, however, have yet to find a convincing physical connection between sun-grazing comets and coronal mass ejections. In fact, analysis of this CME using images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows that the CME erupted before the comet came close enough to the solar surface to interact with strong magnetic fields.

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  • So this is how it looks like... amazing!

  • the second clip was a solar flare :/

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All Comments (1,381)

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  • next thing.. people will be saying that there will be an increase in solar activity and that all our communications will be affected... yeah right... all this scaremongering is gr8 entertainment.. i sure would like to kick these conspiracy theorists in the busker browns

  • woah.

  • both clips were solar flares and the same one at that

  • @Brittanionf529 I'm guessing your still a virgin huh?

  • goku is fighting frieza on namek

  • That is 2012 the end of the worud

  • Your Video Is Very Useful Sharing The comet, probably part of the Kreutz family of comets, was discovered by amateur astronomer Sergey Shurpakov. In this coronagraph the Sun

  • That wasn't a comet hitting the sun.. There is an object it appears diving towards the sun, but the "explosion" event was a solar flare.. Has absolutely nothing to do with the object

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