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‘Halloween comet’ breaks apart after flying close to the sun

Published

2 weeks ago

October 29, 2024

'Halloween comet' breaks apart after flying close to the sun

A just lately found comet that some stargazers had hoped to see throughout Halloween week has disintegrated earlier than the day of ghosts and ghouls.

NASA confirmed Tuesday its sun-observing spacecraft captured the second when the comet Atlas broke into chunks this week because it handed near the solar.

Astronomers have been monitoring the so-called Halloween comet, also called C/2024 S1, because it was found in September by a telescope in Hawaii.

Because it raced towards the solar, an area observatory operated by NASA and the European Area Company spied its demise.

The comet is considered a part of a household of comets that go extremely near the solar.

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