WASHINGTON — 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.
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.
