This sequence of images, taken by SOHO’s LASCO coronagraph, depicts the asteroid Phaethon at perihelion during different orbits around the Sun. The glowing asteroid is enveloped by a cloud and followed by a small tail which shines brightly in the orange filter of LASCO. The fluorescence of sodium in response to the Sun causes this brightening.
These images were reexamined after LASCO successfully identified Phaethon in images taken in May 2022. The remarkable results show that Phaethon has been observed at perihelion by LASCO for more than 20 years.