Comet 96P survived its close approach to the Sun at a distance of just 0.12 AU – that’s closer than Mercury’s orbit!
The animation to the right shows the comet’s approach to the Sun and then departing. Note the tail’s direction: it’s always pointing away from the Sun even though the comet continues on its relatively straight path. This illustrates how a comet’s tail does not indicate its direction of movement.
Comet 96P has an unusual composition – it has very little carbon and cyanogen compared to other comets. There are various theories about the comet’s composition; however, it is possible that this comet originated far outside the solar system and was captured by the Sun’s gravity.
This comet has a period if 5.29 years yet it is possible that it could be ejected from the solar system, so we might not see it again.
