Comet C/2024 S1 Disintegrates Near Sun

Comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS), discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System in Hawaii, disintegrated on October 28 as it approached the sun. Dubbed the 'Halloween comet,' it had sparked hopes of being visible and even brighter than Venus around Halloween. However, the comet, part of the Kreutz sungrazer family, succumbed to the sun's intense heat and radiation, as captured by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) from NASA and the European Space Agency. Astronomers observed that C/2024 S1, already showing signs of instability, vaporized completely as it passed within 1% of Earth's distance to the sun. This event highlights the dynamic nature of comets and their often perilous journeys near our star. Despite its demise, Comet ATLAS offered valuable insights into the composition and behavior of celestial bodies in our solar system.