It feels like everyone with a camera and clear skies is capturing amazing images of Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, and that includes NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
NASA's SOHO spacecraft captured these images of Comet C/2023 between 7 – 9 October 2024, just after its close approach to Earth.
It's reminiscent of the amazing images of Comet C/2023 A3 captured by astronauts onboard the International Space Station.
Find out more about the comet with our beginner's guide to Comet A3 and our guide to observing Comet A3 in October.
The comet is seen as a bright white object with a tale approaching the solar disc, which is obscured by SOHO's coronagraph instrument (the dark blue circle in the centre of the image).
The distinct white dot to the left of the image is the planet Mercury.
Below is an animation of Comet C/2023 A3 created using the images captured by SOHO.
NASA's SOHO
NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory orbits the Sun in step with Earth, capturing amazing images of our host star to enable solar scientists learn more about what makes the Sun tick.
Its LASCO (Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph) adopts an instrument known as a 'coronagraph', which effectively creates an artificial solar eclipse by blocking out the Sun's 'disk'.
This restricts the Sun's brightness and enables better views of its dynamic surface, revealing phenomena such as solar flares that would otherwise be difficult to see.
It's much the same as how you block out the Sun with your hand on a sunny day in order to better see what's in front of you.
NASA's SOHO mission provides data in real time, so you can look back and see what the Sun was doing at a particular time on a particular date.
In this case, we were able to look back and see Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS coming into LASCO's view.
When you watch the animation above, try and keep your eyes away from the comet and concentrate instead on the features you see extending from the Sun beyond the coronagraph.
You'll see bright solar flares being ejected into space.
The Sun is currently very active as it approaches the peak of the Solar Cycle, meaning it's an exciting time to be a solar scientist.
For more information, head to soho.nascom.nasa.gov
