Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 20, 2026

C/2011 N3 (SOHO)

C/2011 N3 (SOHO), also known as SOHO-2107, was a Kreutz sungrazer comet that disintegrated during perihelion on 6 July 2011. In January 2012, it was revealed that the comet was also observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light, providing rare insights to its actual chemical composition, mass, and nucleus size.

Last revised
Jul 20, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
323 w
Citations
11
Source
Wikipedia ↗
C/2011 N3 (SOHO)
Discovery12
Discovered bySOHO
Masanori Uchina
Discovery date4 July 2011
Designations
SOHO-2107
Orbital characteristics4
Epoch5 July 2011 (JD 2455747.5)
Observation arc2 days
Number of
observations		114
Orbit typeKreutz sungrazer
Perihelion0.0053 AU
Eccentricity1.00027
Max. orbital speed~650 km/s3
Inclination144.44°
6.431°
Argument of
periapsis		85.046°
Mean anomaly–0.011°
Last perihelion6 July 2011
Earth MOID0.555 AU
Jupiter MOID2.991 AU
Physical characteristics6
Mean radius
0.005–0.025 km (0.0031–0.0155 mi)
Mass~5.9 million tons5
~1.0
(2011 apparition)

C/2011 N3 (SOHO), also known as SOHO-2107, was a Kreutz sungrazer comet that disintegrated during perihelion on 6 July 2011.7 In January 2012, it was revealed that the comet was also observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light,8a providing rare insights to its actual chemical composition, mass, and nucleus size.6

See also

See also

Notes

Notes

  1. C/2011 N3 is the first comet of the Kreutz sungrazer family to be observed in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light.5
References

References

  1. K. Battams; G. V. Williams (September 2011). D. W. Green (ed.). "Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO)". IAU Circular. 9227 (1). Bibcode:2011IAUC.9227....1B.
  2. M. Uchina; K. Battams; G. V. Williams (12 July 2011). "Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO)". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. 2011-N41.
  3. E. Baldwin (20 January 2012). "Astronomers capture comet's dive into Sun". Astronomy Now. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  4. "C/2011 N3 (SOHO) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  5. G. H. Jones; M. M. Knight; K. Battams; et al. (2018). "The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets". Space Science Reviews. 214 (1): 20–106. Bibcode:2018SSRv..214...20J. doi:10.1007/s11214-017-0446-5.
  6. C. J. Schrijver; J. C. Brown; K. Battams; et al. (2012). "Destruction of Sungrazing Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO) within the Low Solar Corona" (PDF). Science. 335 (6066): 324–338. Bibcode:2012Sci...335..324S. doi:10.1126/science.1211688. hdl:2060/20140005820. PMID 22267810. S2CID 2837424.
  7. J. Matson (19 January 2012). "Solar Swan Song: NASA Satellite Witnesses a Comet's Plunge into the Sun". Scientific American. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  8. C. Q. Choi (20 January 2012). "Comet's Death Dive Into Sun Seen in Detail for 1st Time". Space.com. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
External links