Hopes were high that it may have endured, but this was not the case

Dec 3, 2013 07:50 GMT  ·  By

After roaming the solar system for more than 4.5 billion years, Comet C/2012 S1, also known as ISON, met its fiery demise on Saturday, November 28. It was destroyed at perihelion, its point of closest approach to the Sun, by the high temperatures of the corona, and the intense solar winds that struck it.

The comet's passage gave rise to numerous discussions in the astronomical community. At first, it appeared that Comet ISON was entirely and utterly destroyed at perihelion, NPR reports. A day or two later, experts provided evidence that it may have turned into a zombie.

New data from NASA confirm that ISON has been disintegrated, when it passed just 1,165,000 kilometers (724,000 miles) above the surface of the Sun. The comet was surveyed with several spacecraft, including the NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) satellites.

“Never one to follow convention, ISON lived a dynamic and unpredictable life, alternating between periods of quiet reflection and violent outburst. However, its toughened exterior belied a complex and delicate inner working that only now we are just beginning to understand,” comments astrophysicist Karl Battams on NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign website.