A comet, dubbed C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), spectacularly broke apart into three huge chunks — and anybody with an eight-inch telescope or bigger can catch the resulting fireworks show for the next several weeks, according to Sky & Telescope.
The comet shouldn’t be confused with interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. K1/ATLAS originated from within the furthest stretches of the solar system, and not interstellar space.
Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope 2.0 Project, which allows public access to remotely-controlled telescopes, captured incredible pictures of the comet on Tuesday, clearly showing that the comet’s nucleus has broken into three fragments. In the pictures, the fragments glow like a car’s halogen headlights with their light piercing the gray black darkness.
“Comet C/2025 K1 ATLAS experienced a dramatic fragmentation event, becoming one of the most interesting objects of its kind seen in recent years,” Masi wrote in a blog post about the event.
Astronomers first spotted the comet in May this year, using the telescope at El Sauce Observatory in Río Hurtado, Chile. They were scanning the skies as part of the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which is meant to serve as an early warning system for any moving objects that may hit Earth.
K1/ATLAS originated in the Oort Cloud, according to Sky & Telescope, a region that surrounds our solar system, made up of icy objects. It slingshot itself into the inner solar system, making its closest approach to the Sun on October 8.
Then, in late October and early November, astronomers detected two outbursts of light from the comet and discovered it was breaking apart. This often happens when a comet — mostly made up of rock, ice, and dust — approaches the Sun and starts to glow and disintegrate due to the effects of solar radiation and gravity. In their journey around the Sun, these cosmic objects also develop a prototypical tail of gas and dust, giving them their telltale shape.
If you don’t have access to a telescope, anybody can log onto the website of the Virtual Telescope 2.0 Project, which Masi founded, and watch live footage of the comet on November 25 when it makes its nearest approach to Earth.
This is far from the first time a comet has broken apart while traveling through the solar system. Back in 1994, the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke apart into almost two dozen pieces and then struck Jupiter, marking the first time humans ever observed a comet hitting a planet, according to NASA.
As for K1/ATLAS, scientists don’t expect it to hit any planet during its passage through our cosmic neighborhood. But it’s an excellent opportunity to study these mysterious visitors — and witness a rare phenomenon taking place more than 60 million kilometers from Earth.
More on comets: Scientists Intrigued by Comet With Jets Blasting From Its Interior
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