Feature Astronomy

Year in Review: Visitor from the Oort cloud

Comet ISON meets demise in solar flyby

SHORT LIVED  Comet ISON starts as a streak (left), disappears into the sun’s corona (red) and fades (right) as it emerges from the close encounter. This composite, time-lapse image shows the comet’s path from November 28 to December 1.

SDO/SOHO/ESA & NASA

By Gabriel Popkin

- More than 2 years ago

22

Comet ISON was an ordinary-sized comet with an extraordinary story.