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Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS' 'near-death encounter' with the sun may have blown it apart, new photos suggest

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Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) made its closest approach to Earth on Jan. 14 and reached its minimum distance from the sun.

As a result, it shone as bright as Venus for several days and was visible across the globe.

Hungarian astrophotographer Lionel Majzik photographed the comet from the dark skies of Chile over three consecutive nights , between Jan. 18 and Jan. 20 .

He noticed that the comet's coma — the cloud around its nucleus — had dimmed significantly during this time, hinting that its head may have started breaking apart.