The other comet named C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) has been seen disintegrating and changing into a cloud of debris in deep space as it heads towards Earth.
The comet was detected by the astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). It made its closest approach to the sun on October 8, leading to the fragmentation of the comet.
The breaking point of the comet was captured by the researchers through the 1.82 m Copernicus telescope at the Asiago Observatory in Italy.
According to the telescopic observations, splintering of the comet occurred in three large pieces.
Research astronomer Mazzotta Epifani issued a statement, “From a first quick analysis of the images, we can confirm that there are definitely two fairly similar pieces, whose maximum brightness is separated by about 2,000 km.”
“Furthermore, we suspect the presence of a third, smaller and fainter fragment to the left of the pair," added Epifani.
As per Gianluca Masi’s findings, the founder of The Virtual Telescope Project, the fragmentation process was characterized by clouds of debris and “a plume just below the leading fragment.”
The origin of the comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) is generally associated with a distant part of the solar system known as the Kuiper belt. The comet also reveals the composition of the planetary nebula that led to the formation of the worlds.