sungrazing comets

(sun -grayz-ing) Comets whose perihelion points are very close to the Sun's surface. They actually pass through the solar corona. Comet 1882 II, for example, passed within 1.2 solar radii of the Sun's center. Sungrazing comets tend to be exceptionally bright. 1843 I, for example, was seen in broad daylight when it was only 4° from the Sun in the sky. Quite often, sungrazers are torn apart by tidal forces.

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