A small part of Comet Ison appears to have survived its close encounter with the Sun.
At first the comet appeared to have fallen apart as it drew closer to the Sun's red hot surface, but early images are indicating that part of it may have survived. The European Space Agency (ESA), an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to space exploration, is now analysing images to see if part of its nucleus remains and could yet create a bright show in the night sky.
Astronomy experts from the University of Leicester have been following its progress closely too since the giant ball of ice and rock was initially declared dead when it failed to re-emerge from behind the star with the expected brightness.
They hope it will continue to brighten in the coming days.
Dr John Bridges, a lecturer in planetary sciences at the University of Leicester, who studies comet dust, is among those who have been watching events unfold keenly and is hoping its nucleus is still intact.
The comet, which comes from the outer solar system, was heated up beyond 2,000C as it passed within 1.2 million kilometres of the Sun. Due to this intense heat the giant balls of ice and rock change from a solid state to a gaseous one, which form a circle around it, allowing the comet to become more visible.
Ison was first discovered in September by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok.
