<p>Wikipedia offers some useful info on sungrazers:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>As of October 21, 2017, there are 1495 known comets that come within ~12 solar radii (~0.055 AU).[2] This accounts for nearly one third of all comets.[3] Most of these objects vaporize during their close approach, but a comet with a nucleus radius larger than 2–3 km is likely to survive the perihelion passage with a final radius of ~1 km.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungrazing_comet" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungrazing_comet</a></p>

<p>There's a bit about pyroxenes sublimating off at 7 solar radii, but no mention of whether any such object made it around the sun. Pyroxenes <a href="http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Geophys/meltrock.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">generally melt</a> at around 1000°C.
An Iron/Nickel body melting at 1538°C/1455°C might well make it through a 7 solar radii passage.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-20T18:02:08.863Z
I'm guessing that the delta speed (radial) for comets doesn't vary much given their general source/ellipse major radius.  Is this true?
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T01:38:04.490Z
Interesting, I'm reading further now, and have just asked [Was NASA's 2007 attempt to see meteoroids coming from a solar eclipse successful? What instruments were used?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/30069/7982)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-20T16:16:18.477Z
2019-03-20T16:16:18.477Z
Wayfaring Stranger
<p>After SOHO began watching the Sun from space with its coronagraphs 24/7 it was discovered that there are comets passing very close to the Sun quite regularly, and while some are destroyed, some are seen to emerge and continue on.</p>
<p>From these observations and from all other comet and asteroid observations there should be quite a collection of objects whose orbits take them very close to the Sun.</p>
<p>Is there any way to find out <em>What is the closest an asteroid or comet has passed the Sun and survived?</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Here is a GIF I made for <a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/a/15429/12102">this answer</a> also used in <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/28263/7982">this answer</a>. In addition to some comets you can see Venus on its approach to occultation by the Sun in 2016. Seeing the Pleiades so close to the Sun is exciting as well!</p>
<blockquote>
<p>These <a href="http://lasco-www.nrl.navy.mil/index.php?p=content/handbook/hndbk_3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">LASCO C3</a> images from <a href="http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/home.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SOHO</a> were downloaded <a href="http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/data_query" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/data_query</a>. <em>The square frame is about 15.9 degrees wide</em>.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LgrIs.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LgrIs.gif" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-01T05:59:22.370Z
Maybe [comet Lovejoy?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2011_W3_(Lovejoy))
Nilay Ghosh
<orbit><asteroids><comets><collision>
What is the closest an asteroid or comet has passed the Sun and survived?
uhoh
# What is the closest an asteroid or comet has passed the Sun and survived?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-19)

After SOHO began watching the Sun from space with its coronagraphs 24/7 it was discovered that there are comets passing very close to the Sun quite regularly, and while some are destroyed, some are seen to emerge and continue on.

From these observations and from all other comet and asteroid observations there should be quite a collection of objects whose orbits take them very close to the Sun.

Is there any way to find out *What is the closest an asteroid or comet has passed the Sun and survived?*

---

Here is a GIF I made for [this answer](https://space.stackexchange.com/a/15429/12102) also used in [this answer](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/28263/7982). In addition to some comets you can see Venus on its approach to occultation by the Sun in 2016. Seeing the Pleiades so close to the Sun is exciting as well!

> These [LASCO C3](http://lasco-www.nrl.navy.mil/index.php?p=content/handbook/hndbk_3) images from [SOHO](http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/home.html) were downloaded [sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/data\_query](http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/data_query). *The square frame is about 15.9 degrees wide*.
>
> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/LgrIs.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/LgrIs.gif)

**Tags:** orbit, asteroids, comets, collision

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Maybe [comet Lovejoy?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2011_W3_(Lovejoy))  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-03-20. Score: 4

Wikipedia offers some useful info on sungrazers:

> As of October 21, 2017, there are 1495 known comets that come within ~12 solar radii (~0.055 AU).[2] This accounts for nearly one third of all comets.[3] Most of these objects vaporize during their close approach, but a comet with a nucleus radius larger than 2–3 km is likely to survive the perihelion passage with a final radius of ~1 km.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungrazing_comet>

There's a bit about pyroxenes sublimating off at 7 solar radii, but no mention of whether any such object made it around the sun. Pyroxenes [generally melt](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Geophys/meltrock.html) at around 1000°C.
An Iron/Nickel body melting at 1538°C/1455°C might well make it through a 7 solar radii passage.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: I'm guessing that the delta speed (radial) for comets doesn't vary much given their general source/ellipse major radius.  Is this true?  
> **username_0**: Interesting, I'm reading further now, and have just asked [Was NASA's 2007 attempt to see meteoroids coming from a solar eclipse successful? What instruments were used?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/30069/7982)  

---

