Comet C/2023 A3 will soon be at its closest distance to Earth, and SOHO has photographed it against the backdrop of another X-class solar flare.
A photo of a solar flare can become even more interesting if an unexpected guest gets into the frame. This is exactly what happened on October 9, when there was a X1.8 class flare on the Sun, which was observed by the SOHO spacecraft, and at that time, a very bright comet C/2023 A3 with a huge tail and a coma flew by against the background of the Sun, writes Space.
The Sun exploded again with an X-class flare. Eruptions of this class of radiation are considered the most powerful of all that the Sun produces. If on October 7, as I already wrote Фокус, spacecraft recorded a X2.1 class flare, then on October 9 a X1.8 class flare occurred on the Sun.
This event was observed by the SOHO spacecraft, which is a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency. To observe solar activity, SOHO uses a coronagraph, which blocks bright sunlight and allows us to see solar flares as well as coronal mass ejections.
One of the SOHO images shows a thick, bright white line on the right side of the solar flare image. This has already become the famous brightest comet of this year called C/2023 A3, which flew against the background of the Sun. More about this comet Фокус already wrote
Currently, the tail of the comet has grown to 29 million km long, while its coma, that is, the gas envelope around the comet's nucleus, has a diameter of approximately 209 thousand km. The comet is currently approaching the Earth and will be visible in the evening sky on October 10 and 11, about half an hour after sunset. It is assumed that under very good conditions the comet can be seen with the naked eye, but it is most likely that you will need binoculars. The comet will be closest to Earth on October 12, and should also be clearly visible in the evening sky after sunset.
In addition to the comet, another interesting detail can be seen in the photo taken by the SOHO spacecraft. In the left part of the picture, next to the disk of the Sun, you can see a bright white ball. Mercury is the first planet from the Sun.
From the images of the device, the scientists made a video that contains both images of the comet and the X-class flare. The video shows how the comet appears in the field of view of the coronagraph against the background of plasma emissions and radiation on the Sun.
The X1.8 class flare on the Sun occurred together with a coronal mass ejection, and this stream of plasma, as scientists assume, is headed toward Earth. Already on Friday, October 11, it should reach our planet and as a result of interaction with the Earth's magnetic field, a geomagnetic storm will arise.