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Fragmenting Comet C/2025 K1

This animation steps through the three images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of the fragmenting comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or K1 for short, taken consecutively on Nov. 8, 9, and 10, 2025. Captured by Hubble’s STIS (Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph) instrument, the sequence shows the progressive disintegration of the comet over the three-day period. This is the first time Hubble has witnessed a comet so early in the process of breaking up.

Hubble caught K1 fragmenting into at least four pieces, each with a distinct coma, the fuzzy envelope of gas and dust that surrounds a comet’s icy nucleus. Hubble cleanly resolved the fragments, but from the ground they only appeared at that time as barely distinguishable blobs. Hubble chronicled the sequence of events and showed exactly how the breakup happened.

  • Release Date
    March 18, 2026
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Unexpectedly Catches Comet Breaking Up
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Video: NASA, ESA, Dennis Bodewits (AU), Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

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Related Images & Videos

A time sequence of three panels side by side. From left to right, the panels are labeled November 8, 2025; November 9, 2025; and November 10, 2025. This series of images from NASAu2019s Hubble Space Telescope of the fragmenting comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or K1 for short, was taken over the course of three consecutive days. The sequence shows the progressive disintegration of the comet over this brief period. nnEach panel features several bright, fuzzy, blue, streaking lights in a diagonal line from the upper left to the lower right of a black background. In the first panel, four comet-like objects appear. The largest is the second from the upper left. In the second panel, the largest object has broken into two pieces. In the third panel, the pieces appear to be moving away from each other along the invisible diagonal line.

Fragmentation of Comet C/2025 K1

This series of images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of the fragmenting comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) was taken over the course of three consecutive days: Nov. 8, 9, and 10, 2025. This is the first time Hubble has witnessed a comet so early in the process of breaking up.

Diagram shows K1u2019s path. With Sun near middle right of image, truncated nearly circular orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars appear against black background. K1u2019s tight parabolic curve, marked by solid, light blue curving line, illustrates how K1 swooped toward the Sun from above. It curved around the Sun, coming closest inside Mercuryu2019s orbit, and continued its outbound journey.nAfter passing the Sun, as K1 approached Venusu2019 orbit, NASAu2019s Hubble Space Telescope captured the inset image of comet. Five, bright, fuzzy, blue, comet-like objects streak diagonally from upper left to lower right of a black box outlined in white. At outside top of box is label C/2025 K1 (ATLAS). Outside the right side of box is a white, horizontal line labeled November 10, 2025. To right of this line is a perpendicular, vertical line pointing to a white glow just inside Mercuryu2019s orbit that illustrates K1. To left of this glow, the cometu2019s outbound path is marked by a dashed gray line that continues off the image.

Comet C/2025 K1 Orbit Illustration

This diagram shows the path Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or K1, took as it swung past the Sun and began its journey out of the solar system. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured the inset image of the fragmenting comet just a month after K1’s closest approach to the Sun.

Three annotated panels side by side show K1 fragmenting over three consecutive days. Arrows show the orientation of object on sky.u00a0At top left of first panel, label on first line reads Fragmentation of Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS). Second line reads HST STIS MIRVIS. From left to right, panels are labeled November 8, 2025; November 9, 2025; and November 10, 2025.nnEach panel shows several bright, fuzzy, blue objects streaking diagonally from upper left to lower right of black background. In first panel, four comet-like objects are numbered 1 thru 4. In second panel, the largest object has broken into two pieces, 2a and 2b. In third panel, pieces appear to be moving away from each other diagonally.nnu00a0nnArrows on last panel show orientation of image on sky. Arrow labeled N points to 8:30. Arrow labeled E points to 5:30. Relationship between north and east on the sky as seen from below is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground as seen from above.

Comet C/2025 K1 Compass Image

This annotated series of images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of the fragmenting comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or K1 for short, was taken over the course of three consecutive days: Nov. 8, 9, and 10, 2025. Arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky.

A time sequence of three panels side by side. From left to right, the panels are labeled November 8, 2025; November 9, 2025; and November 10, 2025. This series of images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of the fragmenting comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or K1 for short, was taken over the course of three consecutive days. The sequence shows the progressive disintegration of the comet over this brief period. Each panel features several bright, fuzzy, blue, streaking lights in a diagonal line from the upper left to the lower right of a black background. In the first panel, four comet-like objects appear. The largest is the second from the upper left. In the second panel, the largest object has broken into two pieces. In the third panel, the pieces appear to be moving away from each other along the invisible diagonal line.

Video: Hubble Accidentally Catches Comet Breaking Up

In a happy twist of fate, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope just witnessed a comet in the act of breaking apart. The chance of that happening while Hubble watched is extraordinarily miniscule.

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 18, 2026
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

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

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