A comet nicknamed the “Halloween comet” has fallen apart just before Halloween.
NASA confirmed that its spacecraft captured the comet, called C/2024 S1, breaking into pieces as it zoomed too close to the sun this week.
The comet was first discovered in September by a telescope in Hawaii, and many astronomers hoped it would be visible during Halloween. However, the heat and gravity from the sun caused the comet to disintegrate before it could be seen from Earth.
NASA, along with the European Space Agency, observed the comet’s final moments using a space-based observatory. Scientists believe this comet is part of a group that flies very close to the sun, making them difficult to survive.
Even though the “Halloween comet” won’t appear in the night sky, astronomers are continuing to study comets like it to understand how these space objects behave near the sun.
