Comet R3 streaks by the sun in new space weather satellite images

As a U.S. satellite monitored the sun for hazardous space weather this week, something unexpected slipped into view. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-19 orbits about 22,300 miles above Earth and carries instruments that can track solar activity. Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field shield people from the worst health effects of radiation during geomagnetic storms, but these events can still disrupt power grids and navigation systems. “But sometimes, other activity comes into view that, while not space weather, is still fascinating!” the agency wrote Monday on X. That activity was Comet C/2025 R3, which recently made its closest approach to both Earth and the sun. In footage posted by NOAA, the giant space snowball suddenly darts across the solar camera's field of view. You can watch it in the X post below. The satellite's coronagraph was able to capture the images because of how the instrument works. It blocks the sun's blinding face to create an artificial eclipse — similar to using your hand to shield your eyes from a bright light. That lets forecasters watch solar storms erupt from the sun's outer atmosphere, events that would otherwise be lost in the