On April 4, comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) plunged toward the Sun — flying about twice as far from our star as the Moon is from Earth.
The observations give researchers spacecraft data on how a comet behaves and breaks down under extreme solar heating.
The SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft — a joint NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) mission — and other NASA missions soon revealed that it did not.
