NASA | Solar Hurricane Tears Off Tail of Comet Encke

The video explains the behavior of comets in the solar system, particularly when they approach the sun, forming tails due to heat and radiation. It introduces coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as massive, fast-moving clouds of magnetized gas from the sun. A significant event captured by NASA shows a collision between Comet Enki and a CME, illustrating how the comet's tail was detached through magnetic reconnection. This process is similar to what happens when a CME interacts with Earth's magnetosphere, resulting in the Northern Lights.

Explain the process of magnetic reconnection as it relates to comets and CMEs.

What phenomenon is caused by the collision of a CME with Earth's magnetosphere?