https://hgastro.github.io/tags/c/2019-y4/Recent content in C/2019 Y4 on Suburban Backyard Astro SightsHugo -- gohugo.ioenhgastroblog@gmail.comhgastroblog@gmail.comAll images and content on this website © 2025 Howard GramsFri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000https://hgastro.github.io/posts/2020-05-01-comet-atlas/Fri, 01 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000hgastroblog@gmail.comhttps://hgastro.github.io/posts/2020-05-01-comet-atlas/<p>Comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS has been a big disappointment. It was discovered just four months ago, on December 28, 2019. Initially it brightened much more quickly than expected, and there were hopes that it might reach naked-eye visibility in late May when it will pass closest to the sun and to the earth. However its nucleus was observed to fragment by early April, and as a result it started getting dimmer instead of brighter. You can see pictures of the fragments taken by the Hubble Space Telescope by clicking on <a href="https://astronomy.com/news/2020/05/hubble-captures-breakup-of-comet-atlas" target="_blank">this link</a>.</p>