"Halloween comet" disintegrates after flying close to the sun, video shows
A recently discovered comet that some stargazers had hoped to see during Halloween week has disintegrated before the day of ghosts and ghouls.
NASA confirmed Tuesday its sun-observing spacecraft captured the moment when the comet Atlas broke into chunks this week as it passed close to the sun.
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured the comet as it zoomed toward the sun, posting video of its flight on social media.
Wheeeeee! ☄️
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 28, 2024
ESA/NASA’s Sun-watching SOHO spacecraft spied comet C/2024 S1 ATLAS (entering from bottom right) as it darted toward the Sun.
The comet reached its perihelion, or closest approach of the Sun, today at 7:30am ET. pic.twitter.com/T7kvthWOPe
At the time, NASA noted that the comet reached its perihelion, or closest approach of the sun, on Monday at 7:30 a.m. ET.
"Over the past few days, it has broken into chunks as it approached the sun," NASA said.
Astronomers have been tracking the so-called Halloween comet, also known as C/2024 S1, since it was discovered in September by a telescope in Hawaii.
As it raced toward the sun, a space observatory operated by NASA and the European Space Agency spied its demise.
The comet is thought to be part of a family of comets that pass incredibly close to the sun.