<p>Key factors:</p>

<ul>
<li>How close is perihelion? Too close and it may be destroyed on its first pass. We know Halley's Comet, which has a perihelion of about 0.6AU, has been orbiting for over 2000 years, passing the sun every 74-76 years and is still going strong.</li>
<li>How big is it? Every pass loses material, so a bigger comet could last longer.</li>
<li>What is its composition? Darker comets can absorb more energy when close to the sun, which may accelerate outgassing and breakup.</li>
</ul>

<p>And of course some comets hit large objects - Shoemaker-Levy hit Jupiter and was destroyed.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-01T14:17:11.540Z
2013-10-01T17:26:20.553Z
2013-10-01T17:26:20.553Z
Rory Alsop
<p>I had heard that comet ISON might not survive a close pass by our Sun, and I was curious about the odds of how other comets had fared. So, how often do other comets survive a close pass by our sun? Also, are there any connections between a comet's size or buildup(of material) that makes it more or less likely to not survive?</p>

<the-sun><solar-system><observational-astronomy><comets><space>
How often do comets survive passage by the Sun?
Sarah Szabo
# How often do comets survive passage by the Sun?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-10-01)

I had heard that comet ISON might not survive a close pass by our Sun, and I was curious about the odds of how other comets had fared. So, how often do other comets survive a close pass by our sun? Also, are there any connections between a comet's size or buildup(of material) that makes it more or less likely to not survive?

**Tags:** the-sun, solar-system, observational-astronomy, comets, space


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-10-01. Score: 13 | Accepted answer

Key factors:

* How close is perihelion? Too close and it may be destroyed on its first pass. We know Halley's Comet, which has a perihelion of about 0.6AU, has been orbiting for over 2000 years, passing the sun every 74-76 years and is still going strong.
* How big is it? Every pass loses material, so a bigger comet could last longer.
* What is its composition? Darker comets can absorb more energy when close to the sun, which may accelerate outgassing and breakup.

And of course some comets hit large objects - Shoemaker-Levy hit Jupiter and was destroyed.


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