Even those who do not study physics or astronomy likely know that the Sun is extremely hot, and anything that comes too close to it will simply melt. However, recently, a comet flew dangerously close to the Sun, nearly colliding with the “fireball,” which has left scientists puzzled due to its “strange behavior.”
This comet is officially named 96P/Machholz 1, and it was captured in images by NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) while it was hurtling towards the Sun.
Comet 96P as it flew past the Sun. (Photo: NASA).
Normally, comets disintegrate when they approach the Sun, but 96P did not. Some scientists believe that its size (this comet is quite large, with a diameter of about 6 km, which is more than two-thirds the height of Mount Everest, according to LiveScience) allowed it to pass through the “Sun barrier” without completely breaking apart.
96P was first discovered in 1986. (Photo: NASA).
Karl Battams, director of the Sungrazer Project at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, wrote: “96P is one of the strangest comets in terms of both composition and behavior in the Solar System.”
One reason is that the tails of comets are usually composed of gas, but analysis of 96P reveals that scientists found it has lower levels of carbon and cyanogen gas than normal.
Consequently, many scientists believe that 96P is a “visitor” originating from somewhere outside our Solar System, and due to gravitational forces between planets, it was inadvertently pulled into the Solar System.
However, others argue that 96P may originate from some corner of the Solar System, rather than being an “exotic visitor,” and it simply prefers to behave in such a unique way.
