Sunday, June 7, 2020

Comet Atlas isn't holding up well


This is a post about the observed fragmentation of Comet Atlas, which was written about on May 18, 2020. 

Comet Atlas has become a bizarre comet within a comet

Basically, a chunk of Atlas came loose and fell off the main body, and was following Atlas in orbit.

So another way of saying that the comet is breaking apart is to euphemistically state that the comet "isn't holding up well", i.e., the stress of the solar wind is getting to it.

Now, if you recall who Atlas was, mythologically, you must admire the title of this post for a moment.

(moment)

There, that's done.  So what happened to Comet Atlas since May 18? (I am sure you are wondering that.)

As the previous link was from cnet, let's go back there for an update.

NASA solar spacecraft captures comet Atlas streaking past the Sun

It may not have been holding up well, but it didn't turn into a clump of space rubble either (yet).

According to THIS article, the European Solar Orbiter spacecraft flew through the ion tail of Atlas in May, and should have flown through the dust tail of Atlas yesterday (June 6).

NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Watches Comet ATLAS As Solar Orbiter Crosses Its Tail

After all of this information, we deserve a picture here.

Comet Atlas on April 16, with a little fragment in its tail.

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