Images from NASA suggest part of Comet ISON’s tail survived its slingshot path around the sun.
NASA researchers are still studying the images. But a tweet from the European Space Agency said it appears a remnant of ISON’s tail continued past the sun – even if the rest of ISON did not.
The latest image can be seen here.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Navy solar researcher Karl Battams said ISON was likely destroyed.
"It does seem like Comet ISON probably hasn't survived this journey," he said in a Google+ hangout.
Before grazing the sun, ISON was roughly half a kilometre wide. It was expected to come within 1.6 million kilometres of the star.
ISON, first discovered last year by a Russian telescope, is believed to have come from the fringes of our solar system in the Oort cloud.
NASA solar physicist Alex Young said the chances of witnessing a comet graze the sun are incredibly slim.
"They are pretty rare," Young said. "So we might not see one maybe even in our lifetime."
It seems that part of #ISON's tail survived, but no nucleus. SOHO will continue to monitor! pic.twitter.com/JWPidIWPAr
— ESA Science (@esascience) November 28, 2013
With files from The Associated Press
