Comet Lovejoy skimmed across the Sun's edge about 87,000 miles (140,000 kilometers) above the surface late December 15, 2011, furiously vaporizing as it approached the stellar surface and later emerged from the other side. It is the brightest sungrazing comet that SOHO and SDO have ever seen, with a nucleus about twice as wide as a football field. On approach, the comet's tail waggled as it interacted with the magnetic field of the Sun's atmosphere. It unexpectedly survived the pass and cruised out from behind the Sun roughly hours later. Comets are ancient balls of dust and ice. // SDO