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Comet Atlas is falling apart



He Kite C / 2019 Y4 ATLAS was one of the most promising. Discovered in late 2019, astronomers predicted that on May 31 this would be the brightest in our sky for decadesHowever, recent photographs of the space phenomenon show that it is falling apart.

This situation is supported by the astronomer Gianluca Masi, member of the Virtual Telescope Project 2.0, who assures that new images taken by remote controlled telescopes to see the space, detected that the comet has been experiencing several episodes of rupture.

The images belong to April 11 and 12, 2020.

Comet Atlas “has shattered his heart and ours,” Masi said in a press release.

“Its core disintegrated, and last night I could see three, possibly four major fragments,” said the expert.

The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0 / Gianluca Masi

Atlas was discovered by the Asteroid Ultimate Earth Impact Alert System (Atlas), hence the name of the comet.

From December, the date it was detected, until mid-March, its brightness increased, according to Space.com. That is why astronomers talked about its potential.

According to research, ruptures are common in comets since they spend most of their lives in the extreme cold of the Solar System. The Sun is one of the main dangers that they face, as it gets closer to them.

The comet is now expected to deteriorate rapidly.

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