Portal:Astronomy/Picture/13 May 2005



The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) constantly monitors the Sun from the Lagrangian point between the Earth and the Sun. It has discovered hundreds of tiny Sungrazing comets, most of which are Kreutz Sungrazers, fragments of a giant comet which broke up many centuries ago. Here, a Kreutz Sungrazer displays a prominent tail as it plunges towards the Sun. Credit: SOHO (ESA/NASA)