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Hubble Observes Stunning Breakup of Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS)

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The spectacular breakup of comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, sheds light on the fragile nature of cometary cores and their evolution.

These Hubble images of the fragmenting comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) were captured from November 8 to 10, 2025. Image credit: NASA / ESA / D. Bodewits, Auburn / J. DePasquale, STScI.

“Sometimes the best science is a serendipitous discovery,” remarks study co-author John Noonan, a professor at Auburn University.

“This comet was initially observed due to new technical constraints that rendered the original target unobservable following our proposal win.”

“We had to find a new target, and just as we began observing it, it remarkably began to disintegrate. This is immensely rare.”

C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) reached perihelion—its closest approach to the Sun—on October 8, 2025, at a distance of 0.33 AU.

This event occurred inside Mercury’s orbit, about a third of the way between Earth and the Sun, where the comet faced extreme heating and stress.

Hubble’s images taken from November 8 to 10, 2025, captured five distinct pieces, offering a high-resolution glimpse of the comet’s core disintegrating.

“Never before have we observed a comet’s breakup with such precision,” Professor Noonan stated.

“Typically, we see such events weeks or even months later. This time, we captured it just days after it happened.”

“This crucial moment enhances our understanding of the physics at play on comet surfaces.”

“We may be observing the timeline required to generate a significant dust layer that can be expelled by gas.”

Currently, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) consists of debris approximately 400 million km from Earth.

This comet, located in the constellation Pisces, is on the verge of exiting the solar system and is not expected to return.

Astronomers suggest that long-period comets like C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) are more prone to breakup compared to short-period comets such as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which was visited by ESA’s Rosetta mission; the reasons for this remain uncertain.

ESA’s Comet Interceptor, set to launch toward the end of the decade, will mark the first mission destined to visit a long-period comet.

Professor Colin Snodgrass from the University of Edinburgh remarked, “Hubble’s fortunate observation of C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) will significantly aid our understanding of the breakup mechanisms in long-period comets, allowing us to investigate their interiors for the first time.”

“These findings will not just complement the detailed investigations of long-period comets expected from Comet Interceptor, but also assist astronomers in selecting future mission targets.”

Refer to the study published in the Journal Icarus on February 6, 2026.

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D. Bodewits et al. Continuous fragmentation after C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) passed near the Sun. Icarus, published online on February 6, 2026. doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2026.116996

Source: www.sci.news

Google’s Chief Warns That Breakup Proposals Could Be Challenging for Business

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On Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed a federal judge, stating that the government’s plan to dissolve the company would significantly obstruct its operations as it seeks to implement changes to remedy alleged illegal monopolies in online search.

Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled last year that Google had violated laws to sustain its search monopoly. This month, he held a hearing to establish a remedy for addressing these unlawful practices.

As the company’s second witness, Pichai argued against aggressive governmental solutions, including the sale of Google’s widely-used Chrome web browser and mandates to share data with competitors. He expressed concern that such proposals would force the company to scale back on investments in new technologies in order to redistribute profits to rivals with minimal fees.

“No combination of bailouts can replace what we have invested in R&D over the past three decades and our ongoing innovation to enhance Google search,” he stated, referring to research and development.

Pichai is expected to testify throughout a landmark three-week hearing. The tech industry is currently racing to develop internet products powered by artificial intelligence, and new restrictions on Google’s business could energize its competitors and hinder its own progress.

This case against Google marks the first substantial examination of the U.S. government’s efforts to rein in the extensive power held by commercial entities in the online information landscape. Recently, a federal judge in Virginia concluded that Google also holds a monopoly over various online advertising technologies.

The Federal Trade Commission is engaged in a legal battle with Meta, scrutinizing whether the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp unlawfully diminished competition. Additional federal antitrust actions against Apple and Amazon are anticipated in the coming years.

The Justice Department initiated a lawsuit against Google regarding search practices during President Trump’s first term in 2020.

At the 2023 trial, government attorneys contended that Google has effectively highjacked other search engines by compensating companies like Apple, Samsung, and Mozilla to ensure that its search engine appears as the default on browsers and smartphones. Evidence submitted indicated that this amounted to $26.3 billion in payments in 2021.

In August, Judge Mehta expressed opposition towards the company. Last week, he conducted a three-week hearing aimed at determining an appropriate relief strategy.

The Department of Justice’s suggestions are extensive. The government has asserted that Google must divest Chrome since user queries are automatically directed to its search engine.

During approximately 90 minutes of testimony, Pichai emphasized the company’s significant investments in Chrome, citing its effectiveness in safeguarding users against cyber threats. When government attorneys probed whether future browser owners would manage cybersecurity, Pichai responded assertively, drawing on his deep knowledge of the field.

“Based on my extensive expertise and the understanding of other companies’ capabilities regarding web security, I can confidently discuss this,” he noted.

The government also desires that Google provide search result data to its rivals, a move that would grant other search engines access to information about user searches and clicked websites.

Pichai criticized the proposal for mandatory data sharing, suggesting it effectively threatens the company’s intellectual property, enabling others to reverse-engineer its comprehensive technology stack.

In contrast, Google’s proposal is more limited. He stated that the company should be permitted to continue compensating other businesses for search engine placements, with some arrangements open for annual renegotiation. He also emphasized that smartphone manufacturers should have greater autonomy in selecting which Google applications to install on their devices.

Judge Mehta inquired how other search engines might compete with Google.

“We can hardly rely on the notion that ‘the best product wins,'” Pichai later remarked.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Just Dance Saves Christmas in the Face of Family Breakup and Frozen Wellington

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TAs my children grow up, it gets more challenging to involve them in Christmas and our old traditions. My youngest daughter, who was traveling, sent me a text from a nightclub in Bangkok with a photo and a comment about a spliff. My middle son went to be with his girlfriend on Boxing Day. My eldest daughter had to work a shift at the veterinary hospital on Christmas Day, so she was only available for a few hours. We had a small argument on the 23rd, which limited our communication.

Making Christmas memorable this year was tough. But I had a plan. And that plan was “Just Dance 2025.”

Initially hesitant to play arcade dance games, I was amazed to see someone showcasing their Dance Dance Revolution skills in London. This inspired me to set up Dancing Stage MegaMix on a PS2 at home. Despite neglecting my gym equipment, I focused on dancing on the mat daily and even perfected my moves on Cure’s The Love Cats in the mid-2000s.

For this year’s Christmas, I planned a leisurely breakfast, prepared Mushroom Wellington as a peace offering for my vegan daughter, woke up my son, exchanged gifts, surprised them with Just Dance, prepared dinner, and danced until late evening before taking my daughter home.

A snowstorm and multiple phone calls on Christmas Eve and Day added chaos to our plans. I had to make last-minute adjustments, like borrowing a truck to pick up my daughter, leading to a stressful situation akin to Nakatomi Plaza from Die Hard.

Despite the chaotic unwrapping of gifts, we managed to enjoy playing Just Dance as a family, even if dinner plans went awry. It was a tough decision to prioritize the game over dinner, but sometimes as a father, you have to make those tough calls.

However, technical difficulties arose with setting up the game, including the need for additional controllers and charging issues. Eventually, we managed to overcome these hurdles and have a memorable Christmas dance-off.

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Using our phones as controllers, we managed to play and enjoy Just Dance as a family. It brought us closer together and added a spark of joy to our Christmas celebration, despite the initial challenges.

By dancing to some classic tunes like Abba, we found a common ground and shared moments of laughter and fun. Just Dance truly saved our Christmas and created lasting memories for us to cherish.

Abba saved Christmas again. Photo: Alamy

Despite the challenges and chaos, we managed to find joy and connection through music and dance, reaffirming the true spirit of Christmas for our family.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Study suggests that the majority of Earth’s meteorites come from the breakup events of only a few asteroids

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A new study shows that about 70% of meteorites originate from at least three recent breakups of giant asteroids.

This is the artist's impression of the asteroid as it breaks apart. Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology.

A type of meteorite, commonly called a chondrite, accounts for about 80% of all meteorites that hit Earth, including those that were involved in the violent impact period about 466 million years ago that is thought to have started the Ice Age. Included.

Previous studies have demonstrated that approximately 70% of meteorites on Earth have compositions known as H and L chondrites.

Argon-argon dating of L-chondrite meteorites on Earth suggests that these samples may have originated from the catastrophic destruction of a single asteroid that experienced a supersonic impact approximately 470 million years ago. It turned out to be high.

in new researchESO and MIT researcher Dr. Michael Marcet and colleagues have compiled spectroscopic data from asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.

They found that a group of asteroids known as the Massalia family is very similar in composition to L-chondrite meteorites on Earth.

Through computer modeling, they propose that an impact event about 450 million years ago destroyed an L-chondrite asteroid, forming the Massalia family and providing debris that fueled the influx of meteorites.

in second studyCharles University researcher Miroslav Broz and his colleagues found that the current influx of H and L chondrite meteorites was likely caused by three recent breakups.

These events occurred about 5.8, 7.6 and 40 million years ago and involved the destruction of asteroids over 30 km (18.6 miles) in diameter.

More specifically, they suggest that the impact formation of the relatively young Karin and Coronis asteroid families and a second impact event (about 40 million years ago) in the older Massalia asteroids are currently falling to Earth. I guessed that explained most of the meteorites.

in Third, follow-upDr. Brož and his co-authors extended their approach to the entire meteorite family, revealing the major origins of carbonaceous chondrites and achondrites, in addition to those from the Moon, Mars, and Vesta.

“Our discovery provides insight into the mystery of where the most common meteorites that have ever hit Earth came from and how those impacts shaped Earth's history.” ,” the researchers said.

The results are published in three papers. journal nature and journal astronomy and astrophysics.

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M. Marcet others. 2024. Massalia asteroid family as the origin of ordinary L chondrites. nature 634, 561-565; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08007-6

M. Broz others. 2024. Young asteroids as the main source of meteorites. nature 634, 566-571; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08006-7

M. Broz others. 2024. Source region of carbonaceous meteorites and near-Earth objects. A&A 689, A183; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202450532

Source: www.sci.news

Berlin witnesses fastest spinning asteroid breakup in recorded history

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A long exposure photo showing the trajectory of asteroid 2024 BX1 just before impact. Changes in brightness are caused by the asteroid’s rotation

L. Buzzi, Schiaparelli Observatory, Italy (MPC 204)

The asteroid that entered Earth’s atmosphere this year was spinning at a rate of 2.6 seconds per rotation, faster than any known asteroid.

The object, known as 2024 BX1, was likely less than one meter wide and entered Earth’s atmosphere on January 21. It disintegrated over Berlin, Germany. Some debris survived the fireball and was retrieved. This is a rare instance of a monitored asteroid fall, where the incoming rock was detected before impact, in this case, just three hours prior to impact.

Maxime Devogele and his team at the European Space Agency’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Center in Italy captured images of the asteroid before impact. Despite traveling at around 50,000 kilometers per hour, the elongated shape of the asteroid made changes in brightness due to rotation quite noticeable in these images.

These changes in brightness corresponded to a rotation time of 2.588 seconds, equivalent to approximately 30,000 rotations per day. “This is the fastest rotation we have observed to date,” Devogele remarked.

Asteroids rotate for various reasons, including early-life collisions. In general, a space rock larger than one kilometer cannot rotate more than once every 2.2 hours, as it would disintegrate. However, smaller asteroids like 2024 BX1 are more resilient and can withstand much faster rotations. “They have internal strength, allowing them to rotate at higher speeds,” Devogele explained.

Measuring the rotation of such objects could be beneficial for planetary defense, providing insights into the durability of small asteroids and their likelihood of surviving passage through Earth’s atmosphere. “If you have hard snow, it will react differently than if you have snow with no internal strength,” Devogele stated.

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Source: www.newscientist.com