A team of astronomers was able to capture a bright cosmic event, namely the disintegration of the comet ATLAS during its flight towards the Sun.
This year, both professionals and amateurs in the field of astronomy are closely watching the comet ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. The comet is codenamed C / 2019 Y4, but was named ATLAS after the telescope system of the same name.
The cosmic body was first discovered on March 5, 2019. The astronomical community was thrilled when it learned that the comet was heading directly towards the Sun, crossing the Earth's orbit.
After a year of flight, the comet flew past Mars the other day and astronomers confirmed that it is falling apart and the end of the journey is near. The icy comet was expected to hold out until it got close enough to the sun to be as visible in the night sky as Venus, which looks like a bright star.
However, recent observations have shown that ATLAS has begun to fragment. Astronomers believed that it crumbled into pieces, as the brightness of the object began to rapidly fall, and the size decreased.
Photographer astronomers José De Queiroz and Michael Dyerler of the Mirasteilas Observatory in Switzerland have captured this remarkable event. Here's what the Space Weather website says about it:
“Amateur astronomers looking closely at the comet's nucleus see two nearly identical fragments heading toward the sun.”
'We used the observatory's 90cm remote-controlled telescope with an SBIG STL-11000 camera. We have been observing the comet with this large publicly available telescope since early April. Our images show the beginning of ATLAS decay on April 1, followed by an increase in fragmentation on April 11, 14 and 15 '.
However, the astronomical community is not discouraged as another comet, designated SWAN (C / 2020 F8), was discovered on April 11. It is assumed that she, like ATLAS, will enter the orbit of Mercury at the end of May.
