Powerful solar storm slashes tail of comet that amazed us days ago, NASA captures rare event

Scientists have captured a rare stellar event thanks to the latest space technology. The sparkling sea green comet Nishimura gave skywatchers on Earth a rare once-in-430-years glimpse just days ago. It has now helped us witness an extraordinary event where it was smashed into by a powerful solar storm as it did a slingshot around the Sun.

The event took place right after Nishimura successfully lived through its closest approach to the Sun amid fears that it might burn up. It was then hit by a possible coronal mass ejection. The comet saw its bright green trail cut off from the powerful solar storm, with a NASA spacecraft capturing the event. A video clip of the comet losing its tail has also been released and is wowing netizens. It was captured by NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A) spacecraft.

In the final moments of this video shared by NASA, carefully notice what happens to the comet as it approaches the Sun:

Comet ahoy! Our STEREO mission caught this glimpse of Comet Nishimura as it made its closest pass by the Sun last week.

While STEREO’s main job is studying the Sun and its connection to Earth, the spacecraft’s images of comets help us understand what the icy bodies are made of. pic.twitter.com/pzHqIcPJYP

— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 27, 2023

Nishimura was recently discovered by an amateur astronomer from Japan named Hideo Nishimura back on August 12. It then wowed people around the planet in September. Further observations uncovered that the Nishimura comet came from the Oort Cloud that lies beyond our solar system’s farthest planet Neptune. It is estimated to return to the solar system around every 430 years.

The comet was at its closest point to Earth on September 12 at a distance of around 125 million kilometres (around 500 times the distance to the moon from Earth). It had been visible from Earth near the horizon just before sunrise and post sunset for a few days before the passing. Astounding photographs of the comet sighting flooded the internet at the time.