Hubble images of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Hubble images of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)

Caption

These two Hubble Space Telescope images of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), taken on April 20 (left) and April 23, 2020, provide the sharpest views yet of the breakup of the solid nucleus of the comet. Hubble's eagle-eye view identifies as many as 30 separate fragments. Hubble distinguishes pieces that are roughly the size of a house. Before the breakup, the entire nucleus of the comet may have been the length of one or two football fields. Astronomers aren't sure why this comet broke apart. The comet was approximately 91 million miles (146 million kilometers) from Earth when the images were taken.

Credit

NASA, ESA, STScI and D. Jewitt (UCLA)

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