A sungrazing comet is a comet that passes extremely close to the Sun at perihelion – sometimes within a few thousand kilometres of the Sun's surface. While small sungrazers can be completely evaporated during such a close approach to the Sun, larger sungrazers can survive many perihelion passages. However, the strong evaporation and tidal forces they experience often lead to their fragmentation.
Read more about Sungrazing Comet: The Kreutz Sungrazers, Other Sungrazers, Origin of Sungrazing Comets
Famous quotes containing the word comet:
“By being seldom seen, I could not stir
But like a comet I was wondered at.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)