Comet 'Dragged' Into Sun, SOHO Observatory Detects Comet Just Before It's Destroyed (VIDEOS)

Poor comet, we hardly knew ye.

Just hours after being discovered, this comet met its end, barreling into the sun and likely disintegrating. Amateur astronomers Michal Kusiak of Poland and Sergei Schmalz of Germany reportedly first found the comet on September 13, shortly before it crashed into the sun on the 14th.

According to Spaceweather.com, the comet was actually a member of the the Kreutz family of comets, meaning it broke off of a larger mass. Typically comets like this are too small to see, but in this case, it was just big enough to remain visible.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured the entire event.

Coincidentally, the comet headed for the sun just hours after a massive solar storm took place. The two incidents were not linked, however.

Space.com writes that the comet was "dragged" into the sun, and the sun has recently been unleashing more coronal mass ejections and strong solar flares "as it works toward a maximum in its 11-year activity cycle. Just last week, for example, the sun generated two X-class flares — the strongest type — and three CMEs."

In May, another comet hit the sun, seemingly creating a massive coronal ejection. However, while there seems to be an ejection following this collision as well, scientists hesitate to say that comets are capable of creating these reactions. There currently is no definitive proof to suggest the two events are related.

WATCH the comet starting to be dragged in on September 13 (via Space.com):

WATCH the comet hitting the sun on September 14 (from SOHO via SpaceWeather.com):

Comments

[LMPE]

10:02 PM on 09/17/2011

So long, sucker! And don't let the sun's mixture of hot plasma and magnetic fields hit ya on the way in!

[cjohns58]

05:30 PM on 09/16/2011

Amazing, we won't have to worry about that one.

[trefoil]

05:22 PM on 09/16/2011

Realize how very small we are when compared to SPACE. Nothing wrong with getting small when you're in the right place. "Yo, Adrian!!"

[csjrac]

04:43 PM on 09/16/2011

totally amazing

[mhagge2216]

03:25 PM on 09/16/2011

Lame.

[Juda Farmer]

02:19 PM on 09/16/2011

I rather enjoyed the last few seconds. Where we can see the immense gravity of the Sun literally sucking in the comet. One could imagine the comet traveling at a relative speed, then as shown by the video, quickly speeding up to meet its doom.

Space is truly awesome.

[MxxPwr]

02:59 PM on 09/16/2011

Yeah, it's amazing how much bigger the gravity horizon is over the actually matter disc of the sun.

[irnhyd]

02:14 PM on 09/16/2011

Ice, Ice, Baby...

[moogan]

01:19 PM on 09/16/2011

That was it?

[Denise Ellis Hooks]

01:16 PM on 09/16/2011

Interesting..... but why did the picture move just as the comet made impact?!

[cheechazteca]

01:08 PM on 09/16/2011

Almost looks like the Sun chewed it up and spit it out on the other side

[Juda Farmer]

02:16 PM on 09/16/2011

I was about to comment on that. It sure does look like a piece of it went straight through and blasted out the other side. Coincidental maybe, but the trajectory was exactly right.

[B Marc Douglas]

12:27 PM on 09/16/2011

Amazing.

[Bigv4719]

12:25 PM on 09/16/2011

I wish the Kardashian's were on that comet!

[cheechazteca]

12:47 PM on 09/16/2011

10 - 4 dat!

[Denise Ellis Hooks]

01:17 PM on 09/16/2011

lololol good one lolol

[nhfireman]

12:11 PM on 09/16/2011

Interesting

[bob40wil]

11:54 AM on 09/16/2011

I hate when that happens.

[megabob]

11:40 AM on 09/16/2011

Captains Log...Star date 43657.12! Lt. Worf has been reprimanded for releasing a two month back-up of the toilet in his quarters near the sun during our last time warp. It has been seen to crash into the sun, but Commander Data has assured me that past generations will believe it to have been a comet, so, no harm has been done. As punishment Worf will be required to clean all toilets on decks two and three for ten months!!! Picard out.