|
The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA SOHO spacecraft discovered the comet on 22 March 2004. It was a part of the Kreutz family of 'sungrazing' comets, which usually evaporate in the hot solar atmosphere. Comet 750 was spotted using the LASCO coronagraph on SOHO, an instrument designed for seeing outbursts from the Sun by using a mask to block the bright rays from the visible surface. It monitors a large volume of surrounding space and, as a result, has become the most prolific 'discoverer' of comets in the history of astronomy.
More than 75 per cent of the discoveries have come from amateur comet hunters around the world, watching freely available SOHO images on the Internet. So, it is possible for anyone with Internet access to hunt for new comets.
SOHO is a mission of international co-operation between ESA and NASA, launched in December 1995. Every day SOHO sends back thrilling images from which research scientists learn about the Sun's nature and behaviour. Experts around the world use SOHO images and data to help them predict space weather events that could affect our home planet.
More info: SOHO comet 750
Related News
SOHO-500 Comet Contest
SOHO Gets Best View of Comet Kudo-Fujikawa
Comet caused Dark Age frosts
Comet-chaser Rosetta blasts off into space
|
