NEW DELHI: A remarkable cosmic event unfolded during the recent total solar eclipse on April 8, as millions across North America witnessed not just the eclipse but also a fleeting astronomical phenomenon. A tiny “sungrazer” comet, later named SOHO-5008, was discovered, photographed, and then destroyed within a span of 24 hours. This rare occurrence was reported during the eclipse that stretched from Mexico to Canada, captivating viewers with a totality duration of up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds, a Live Science report said.
The discovery of the comet was made by Worachate Boonplod, an amateur astronomer from Thailand, who noticed a faint disruption in images captured by the coronagraph on Nasa‘s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).The comet’s presence was predicted by Karl Battams, an astrophysicist at the US Naval Research Laboratory and leader of NASA’s Sungrazing Comets Project, to be visible to photographers during the eclipse’s totality.
Indeed, as the moon’s shadow passed above New Hampshire, amateur astronomer Lin Zixuan managed to capture an image of the comet, though it appeared as a barely visible blur against the dark sky. Battams noted on the social platform X that “ground-based observations of sungrazing comets are extremely rare” and can only be made during eclipses, though this comet was not visible to the naked eye.
The fate of SOHO-5008 was sealed later that day as it likely disintegrated upon getting too close to the sun—a common end for most sungrazers. Due to the brief window of observation before its destruction, details about the comet’s size or proximity to the sun remain unclear. Sungrazers are comets that come within about 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) of the sun, significantly closer than Mercury, and most belong to the Kreutz group, originating from a giant comet that fragmented around 2,000 years ago.
This event wasn’t the first instance of a sungrazer being photographed during an eclipse. A similar observation was made during the December 14, 2020, solar eclipse over Argentina and Chile, when comet C/2020 X3 (SOHO-3524) was seen approaching the sun. Another comet, the cryovolcanic 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as the “devil comet,” was expected to be visible during the April 8 eclipse but proved elusive.
The recent total solar eclipse and the transient journey of SOHO-5008 highlight the dynamic and unpredictable nature of our cosmos, offering a unique spectacle for astronomers and enthusiasts alike.
The discovery of the comet was made by Worachate Boonplod, an amateur astronomer from Thailand, who noticed a faint disruption in images captured by the coronagraph on Nasa‘s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).The comet’s presence was predicted by Karl Battams, an astrophysicist at the US Naval Research Laboratory and leader of NASA’s Sungrazing Comets Project, to be visible to photographers during the eclipse’s totality.
Indeed, as the moon’s shadow passed above New Hampshire, amateur astronomer Lin Zixuan managed to capture an image of the comet, though it appeared as a barely visible blur against the dark sky. Battams noted on the social platform X that “ground-based observations of sungrazing comets are extremely rare” and can only be made during eclipses, though this comet was not visible to the naked eye.
The fate of SOHO-5008 was sealed later that day as it likely disintegrated upon getting too close to the sun—a common end for most sungrazers. Due to the brief window of observation before its destruction, details about the comet’s size or proximity to the sun remain unclear. Sungrazers are comets that come within about 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) of the sun, significantly closer than Mercury, and most belong to the Kreutz group, originating from a giant comet that fragmented around 2,000 years ago.
This event wasn’t the first instance of a sungrazer being photographed during an eclipse. A similar observation was made during the December 14, 2020, solar eclipse over Argentina and Chile, when comet C/2020 X3 (SOHO-3524) was seen approaching the sun. Another comet, the cryovolcanic 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as the “devil comet,” was expected to be visible during the April 8 eclipse but proved elusive.
The recent total solar eclipse and the transient journey of SOHO-5008 highlight the dynamic and unpredictable nature of our cosmos, offering a unique spectacle for astronomers and enthusiasts alike.
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