Achieving a remarkable feat, astrophotographer Petr Horálek has managed to click a very rare picture consisting of a comet, during the April 8 Solar Eclipse seen in Northern America, Universe Magazine reported.
The comet known as a “SOHO-5008” was spotted approaching the Sun as it delved into totality.
Comets are huge frozen snowballs made of dust and ice that orbit around the sun.
Usually, they remain frozen, however, during their orbit when they reach the Sun, these frozen snowballs heat up and start spewing dust and gases.
These flying objects are not that unique, as per the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), five thousand of them have been spotted up till now.
The head of the Sungrazer project Karl Battams, had already predicted in advance that SOHO-5008 would be visible in the sky during the April 8 solar eclipse.
Besides Horálek and several other astrographs also managed to spot the comet. Thai amateur Worachate Boonplod, just hours before the start of totality, spotted an unusually bright comet approaching the Sun in the Kreutz orbit
Astronomers have been witnessing comets for years, the first comet ever spotted was the Great Comet in 1680.
Other discoveries were made in May 1882 when a group of astronomers travelled to Egypt to observe a solar eclipse and were delighted to witness the appearance of a comet.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
