Mysterious comet flies close to the Sun without melting, leaving scientists puzzled

Even people who don't study physics or astronomy probably know that the Sun is extremely hot, and anything that gets close to the Sun will melt. But recently, a comet flew so close to the Sun, almost colliding with a 'fireball ', that scientists are having a headache because of its 'strange behavior'.

This comet, officially named 96P/Machholz 1, was captured by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory of NASA (US Space Agency) and ESA (European Space Agency) as it was rushing towards the Sun.

Comet 96P as it passes close to the Sun. (Photo: NASA).

Normally, comets disintegrate when they fly close to the Sun, but 96P did not. Some scientists believe that because of its size (this comet is quite large, about 6km wide, which is more than 2/3 the height of Mount Everest, according to LiveScience ) it was able to pass through the 'Solar gate' without completely disintegrating.

96P was first discovered in 1986. (Photo: NASA).

Karl Battams, director of the Sungrazer Project at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, wrote: '96P is one of the strangest comets in both composition and behavior in the Solar System.'

One reason is that comet tails are usually gaseous, but analysis of 96P found that it had lower-than-normal amounts of carbon and cyanogen gas .

Therefore, many scientists believe that 96P is a "visitor" that originated from somewhere outside our Solar System, and due to interplanetary forces it was unwillingly pulled into the Solar System.

But others believe that 96P originated from somewhere else in the Solar System, rather than being a "distant visitor ," and that it simply likes to be unique.