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C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) – April 23, 2020

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) - April 23, 2020
This Hubble Space Telescope image of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) was taken on April 23, 2020.

About the Object

  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    At the time of observations, the comet was 1.06 AU from Earth (98 million miles).

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The HST observations include those from program 16111 (D. Jewitt)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    April 23, 2020
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F350LP
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Fragmented comet
  • Release Date
    April 28, 2020
  • Science Release
    Hubble Watches Comet ATLAS Disintegrate Into More Than Two Dozen Pieces
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, STScI, and D. Jewitt (UCLA)

Downloads

  • Full Res, 1252 × 736
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  • Full Res, 1252 × 736
    tif (2.66 MB)
C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) - April 23, 2020
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning the color blue to a monochromatic (grayscale) image.

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) - April 20, 2020 and April 23, 2020

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) - April 20, 2020 and April 23, 2020

This pair of Hubble Space Telescope images of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), taken on April 20 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...

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) - April 20, 2020

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) - April 20, 2020

This Hubble Space Telescope image of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) was taken on April 20, 2020.

Comet ATLAS Fade Between April 20th and April 23rd Observations

Comet ATLAS Fade Between April 20th and April 23rd Observations

This animation dissolves between two Hubble Space Telescope photos of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), taken on April 20 and 23, 2020. Hubble provides the sharpest views yet of the breakup of the solid nucleus of the comet, identifying as many as 30 separate fragments. Hubble...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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