A giant plasma discharge on the Sun may tear off the tail of the most anticipated comet of the year

13.10.2024/00/30 XNUMX:XNUMX    443

Scientists suggest that a coronal mass ejection heading toward Earth could significantly damage comet C/2023 A3.

A giant coronal mass ejection on the Sun may spoil one of the most anticipated astronomical events of 2024, writes IFLScience.

Another flare of class X2.1 occurred on October 7 and was accompanied by a giant emission of plasma from the Sun's corona

The brightest comet this year, named C/2023 A3, will be at its closest approach to Earth on October 12. As I already wrote Фокус, scientists predict that it will be as bright as the brightest stars, and it may even be possible to observe it without the use of additional equipment. Currently, the comet's tail is approximately 18 km long, and this icy object already looks very bright.

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comet C/2023 A3 Fullscreen
The brightest comet of this year, named C/2023 A3, will be at its closest distance from Earth on October 12
Photo: space.com

But in July, some scientists suggested that Comet C/2023 A3 might not survive a close encounter with the Sun and break apart. Simply put, it cannot withstand the powerful radiation and heat of our star. Fortunately, the comet survived its approach to the Sun and is now on its way to Earth. But now comet C/2023 A3 may be affected by a major coronal mass ejection that erupted at the Sun on October 7.




As I already wrote Фокус, due to the fact that the activity of our star is increasing, there are increasingly frequent flares of the X class on it. Next X2.1 class flash occurred on October 7 and was accompanied by a giant emission of plasma from the Sun's corona. A solar flare is an emission of radiation that quickly reaches the Earth if this emission is directed towards our planet.

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Sun flare Fullscreen
Due to the fact that the activity of our star is increasing, X-class flares occur more and more often on it
Photo: NASA

Coronal mass ejections or huge streams of plasma can travel through space at speeds from 250 km/s to 3000 km/s. The fastest plasma flows, which are directed towards the Earth, reach our planet in 18 hours, and the slower ones - in several days. Therefore, scientists predict that the plasma can reach the Earth as early as October 10, which will lead to the appearance of a geomagnetic storm of medium strength.

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But for comet C/2023 A3, the recent coronal mass ejection could be a big problem. Scientists believe that the plasma could hit the icy object and potentially tear off the comet's tail before it even approaches Earth. Thus, if this were to happen, Comet C/2023 A3 would not only appear not very bright, but would not be an impressive sight without its main feature.