Sun Eats Comet

Back on Oct 1, 2024, I posted that the ATLAS survey in Hawaii had discovered another new comet that would become bright in Earth’s skies. Predictions for C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) had it reaching as bright as magnitude -5 to -7 when it comes closest to the sun, at perihelion, on October 28. But now it appears likely that the Sun has devoured this latest interloper. The latest imagery from the sun-observing SOHO spacecraft suggests that Comet S1 did not survive its run-in with the sun. On its approach to today’s perihelion, the once-promising sungrazer comet seems to vanish from the spacecraft’s field of view. Presumably, the comet has disintegrated.

Complete article can be found at EarthSky