could be a second member of the group. Origin of sungrazing comets Studies show that for comets with high orbital inclinations and perihelion distances of less than about 2 astronomical units, the cumulative effect of gravitational perturbations over many orbits is adequate to reduce the perihelion distance to very small values. One study has suggested that Comet Hale–Bopp has about a 15% chance of eventually becoming a sungrazer. Role in solar astronomy The motion of tails of sungrazers that survive perihelion (such as Comet Lovejoy) can provide solar astronomers with information about the structure of the solar corona, particularly the detailed magnetic structure. See also Helion (meteoroid) Footnotes References External links SOHO sungrazers information Cometography sungrazers page Sun approaching comets Mass Loss, Destruction and Detection of Sun-grazing and -impacting Cometary Nuclei (arXiv:1107.1857: 10 Jul 2011) Articles containing video clips es:Rasantes del sol Kreutz