Astronomers watch ‘lingering death’ of comet as it passes near the Sun

Image caption: Heating up – 323P/SOHO as observed by the Subaru Telescope in December 2020 (left) and the Canada France Hawaii Telescope in February 2021. Image courtesy: Subaru Telescope / CFHT / Man-To Hui / David Tholen. Article by Sam Jarman. PhysicsWorld – July 19, 2022.

For the first time, astronomers have clearly observed the partial disintegration of a comet at its closest point to the Sun. Led by Man-to Hui at Macau University of Science and Technology, the international team made the observation using a combination of ground- and space-based telescopes. Describing the event as the “lingering death” of the object, the team says that its study reveals some highly unusual features in the comet’s colour and rotation. […]

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