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[patrickm]

Sundiving Comet Lovejoy is even more spectacular than forecasters expected. The rapidly brightening comet could become visible to the naked eye as it approaches the sun on Dec. 15th.

sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/c3/512/

Rad.

Amazing image courtesy NASA SDO

[Paulie pchris00]

It survived perihelion.

sdoisgo.blogspot.com/2011/12/aia-171-20111216t004000-12s-at.html

[erikruud]

It kind of looks like it survived just long enough for us to watch it evaporate.

[patrickm]

SDO Sees Comet Lovejoy Survive Close Encounter with Sun

One instrument watching for the comet was the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which adjusted its cameras in order to watch the trajectory. Not only does this help with comet research, but it also helps orient instruments on SDO -- since the scientists know where the comet is based on other spacecraft, they can finely determine the position of SDO's mirrors. This first clip from SDO from the evening of Dec 15, 2011 shows Comet Lovejoy moving in toward the sun.
Comet Lovejoy survived its encounter with the sun. The second clip shows the comet exiting from behind the right side of the sun, after an hour of travel through its closest approach to the sun. By tracking how the comet interacts with the sun's atmosphere, the corona, and how material from the tail moves along the sun's magnetic field lines, solar scientists hope to learn more about the corona. This movie was filmed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in 171 Angstrom wavelength, which is typically shown in yellow.

Credit: NASA/SDO

[patrickm]

Now I wanna know if anybody's figured out its new orbital period? I should have gained a lot of energy for its new loop.

Discussing the comet last night over dinner, my chemist friend wondered if a comet at that proximity to the sun would evaporate or sublime? No answers yet.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The old belief that comets are "Dirty Snowballs" has been shot down to all but the old school hangeroners.

Comets are essentially asteroids that have ice and other goodies inside - seeping thru cracks and fissures. The rock would survive a dive thru the corona, but I wonder how much was lost.

[patrickm]

Still doesn't answer the sublime vs. evaporate question. The liquid's gotta go somewhere.

Rock transmigrates at higher temperatures as well... cf. lava. Could just become plasma at some distance...

John was just wondering if it skipped a step with sublimation or not.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Hmmm...

There is also a bow wave that surrounds any travelling object diving through solar material. So perhaps...enough pressure builds up close to the rock to allow a very quick phase from solid to liquid before it boils away and evaporates.

[erikruud]

A little more Lovejoy coolness.

'Amazing' view of comet from space