A solar flare left comet C/2023 P1 without a tail, but it eventually recovered

In the middle of last month, comet C/2023 P1 passed within a short distance of the Sun. A flash on the star ripped off its tail.

Here's What We Know

The comet was discovered by Japanese astronomer Hideo Nishimura about a month and a half ago. If it survives the approach to the Sun, the next time the inhabitants of the Earth will be able to see it only in the second half of XXV century, because the duration of the orbit is about 430 years.

On 12 September 2023, C/2023 P1 flew 125 million km from our planet. For comparison, the distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,400 kilometres. Five days later, the comet passed 33 million from the Sun. Despite this approach, C/2023 P1 survived and did not disappear.

On 22 September 2023, there was a solar flare. The coronal mass ejection left the comet without a tail. Over time, the tail was able to recover.

Source: space