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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Comet ATLAS Breaks Apart

Comet ATLAS Breaks Apart
Comet ATLAS Breaks Apart NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured this stunning image of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) breaking apart on 20 April 2020. The comet was discovered in December 2019 and brightened through March 2020, leading astronomers to guess it might become visible to the naked eye as it passed about 116 million kilometers (72 million miles) from Earth in May. Unfortunately, the comet’s icy core fragmented, all but ending hopes for a good show in the night sky. NASA, ESA, STScI and D. Jewitt (UCLA)