Survivor: Comet

Comet Lovejoy, the bright white slash to the lower left of center, streaks toward the Sun in this December 15 image from the Sun-watching SOHO spacecraft. The craft's instruments block out the Sun itself, allowing them to monitor the Sun's extended outer atmosphere (the fainter streaks radiating from the center), plus eruptions from the Sun's surface. Discovered December 2, Comet Lovejoy plunged to within 85,000 miles (140,000 km) of the Sun's surface late on December 15. The comet survived the fiery encounter, although its tail was stripped away. [SOHO/LASCO (ESA/NASA)]