Comet ATLAS disintegrates as it approaches the sun in dramatic footage

Comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) has disintegrated as it approached the sun on October 28, 2024. Earlier hopes for it to be visible to the naked eye were dashed as astronomers noted its breakdown earlier this month. The comet, discovered on September 27, was too dim to see without telescopes, reaching a magnitude of 8.7 during its closest approach to Earth on October 23. It belonged to a group of comets known as Kreutz sungrazers. Kreutz sungrazers are thought to be fragments of a single comet that broke apart long ago. Unlike some comets that take centuries to orbit the sun, ATLAS was on a much shorter path, ultimately leading to its demise.