Saturday, July 23, 2011

First Video of Comet Striking Sun

This video looks fake, but is indeed real. Have you ever thought, "What would happen if a comet struck the Sun?" Well, this video is sure to answer all of that; it's pretty impressive! NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this movie of a comet streaking directly in front of the sun and created what appeared to be; "splash upon impact," EarthSky asserts. The video was released July 5, 2011.



Comets that strike the Sun have a special name, that sort of fits. Sungrazers. Before the video footage, astronomers thought that these comets ended their lives by crashing into the fiery sphere, but now their view has changed.

At its most basic, the movie has scientists excited since it's a "first," but additional analysis of the data may hold more clues about the fate of the comet. Most likely, given the intense heat and radiation, the comet simply evaporated away completely. (NASA)

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