If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a comet hits the Sun, this might be your answer. This stunning video shows the Sun’s “reaction” as a comet barrels towards its surface. What happens next is spectacular. Though NASA states that you can’t actually see the comet hit the Sun (the impact is blocked out by the red occulting disk that allows the other structures in the Sun’s corona to be seen) the ensuing explosion gives a pretty good idea of what’s going on. The Sun’s position is indicated by the white circle in the video. However, scientists don’t directly associate these coronal ejections with comet impacts. From NASA Goddard’s Flickr page: 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. WATCH (From NASA Goddard):
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on May 14, 2011. Filed under News.
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Posted by
on May 14, 2011. Filed under