ScienceCasts: Some Comets Like It Hot

Visit http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/12jan_cometlovejoy/ for more.

Astronomers are still scratching their heads over Comet Lovejoy, which plunged through the atmosphere of the sun in December and, against all odds, survived. The comet is now receding into the outer solar system leaving many mysteries behind.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• ScienceCasts
• SMD
• Science Mission Directorate
• Science@NASA News
• comet
• sungrazer
• Lovejoy
• heliophysics
• SOHO
• Solar Dynamics Observatory
• STEREO
• Hinode

[cH33zewarri0r]

the tail disappeared because the gravity from the sun pulled it in.

[ILoveDominikaDetko]

What that piece of ice did survive & will comeback in 600 Years?

So the inner comet had to be made of heavymetal when the outside is rockin with ice.

The Tail is lookin so weird cos the comet did lost its tail already for a sh time (Sun FlareHit)? & THE SUN IS SO HOT WHERE DID THE TAIL GO?, THERE IS NO TAIL AND NEVER WILL BE A TAIL, NEAR SUN IS BURNIN EVERYTHING, exspecially small particles & after that it got a tail again cos its colder? Tail is not H2 after, would be burned away, metal gases?

[camellset]

Sorry, the explaination of this comet and its survival through the solar corona is incorrect. Please reconsider your thoughts.

[Adelastro]

Thanks NASA for showing my photo at 3:53! The video is awesome.

[m0skit0zindahouse]

Damn! A Game Boy @ 0:27!

[888Quetzalcoatl888]

This is total bullshit

[Saparonia]

@MeganSpeaks Someone on here pointed out that it was travelling towards us and the tail was behind it. NASA have a new baby in the July 2011 comet that disintegrated but if you check it out the Sun was emitting flares and CME's at the time. I am just waiting for the next one when the Sun is quiet, but they will probably have technical faults that prevent them publishing anything that supports the Sun being in fact cool.

[MeganSpeaks]

@Greddier1 It lost its tail. The material in the Tail was melted away thus not exposing the tail if there is no material. The core of the comet though survived due to heat and cold balancing out.

[MeganSpeaks]

@Saparonia Not really, in fact I know exactly why. The cold and heat balance out the core.

[Saparonia]

A million degree corona not melting an icy snowball is a logical impossibility.