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SOHO sees its 750th comet

6 April 2004

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On 22 March 2004, the 750th comet seen by SOHO was discovered by the German amateur astronomer Sebastian F. Hönig (one of the most successful SOHO comet-hunters)

Here the comet is seen by SOHO LASCO C2 when somewhat closer to the Sun. The LASCO coronagraph on SOHO, designed for seeing outbursts from the Sun, uses a mask to block the bright rays from the visible surface. It monitors a large volume of surrounding space, and as a result has become the most prolific discoverer of comets in the history of astronomy.

This comet was part of the Kreutz family, a group of sungrazing comets. This type of comet usually evaporates in the hot solar atmosphere.

The ESA/NASA SOHO mission was launched on 2 December 1995.

Credits: ESA/NASA

Back to article

On 22 March 2004, the 750th comet seen by SOHO was discovered by the German amateur astronomer Sebastian F. Hönig (one of the most successful SOHO comet-hunters)

Here the comet is seen by SOHO LASCO C3. The LASCO coronagraph on SOHO, designed for seeing outbursts from the Sun, uses a mask to block the bright rays from the visible surface. It monitors a large volume of surrounding space, and as a result has become the most prolific discoverer of comets in the history of astronomy.

This comet was part of the Kreutz family, a group of sungrazing comets. This type of comet usually evaporates in the hot solar atmosphere.

The ESA/NASA SOHO mission was launched on 2 December 1995.

Credits: ESA/NASA

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Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 183 Kb)

Artist's impression of the SOHO spacecraft.

Credits: ESA (Image by Total Design)

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