  In this work, a novel approach to explain the survival of sungrazing comets
within the Roche limit is presented. It is shown that in the case of low
tensile strength of the cometary nucleus, tidal splitting of the nucleus can be
prevented by the reaction force caused by the sublimation of the icy
constituents. The survival of Comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) within the Roche limit
of the Sun is, thus, the result of high tensile strength of the nucleus, or the
result of the reaction force caused by the strong outgassing of the icy
constituents near the Sun.
