"Halloween comet" disintegrates after flying close to the sun, video shows

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.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured the comet as it zoomed toward the sun, posting video of its flight on social media.

At the time, NASA noted that the comet reached its perihelion, or closest approach of the sun, on Monday at 7:30am ET.

"Over the past few days, it has broken into chunks as it approached the sun," NASA said.

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.

This image provided by NASA shows Comet Atlas, nicknamed the "Halloween comet", approaching its closest to the sun, October 2024, as seen in this real-time image from NASA's orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.  / AP

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