image: Comet C/2011 N3 can be seen approaching the Sun in the SOHO/LASCO coronagraph image in the lower left; in the center of that image is a copy of the main image to show the region of the sun displayed. The main image is a composite of extreme ultraviolet images of the Sun, taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The image, showing emission from gas with temperatures around one million Kelvin, is a composite of vertical strips following the motion of the comet as it descends into the solar corona to the point of destruction; the dashed area outlines the trajectory of the comet. Insets show the contrast-enhanced emission from the comet's tail six times during the last ten minutes of the comet's existence. This image relates to a paper that appeared in the Jan. 20, 2012, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by C.J. Schrijver at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA, and colleagues was titled, “Destruction of Sun-Grazing Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO) Within the Low Solar Corona.” view more
Credit: Image © <i>Science</i>/AAAS