The dramatic death of comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) caught on camera — Space Photos of the Week

Just as the mythical Icarus flew too close to the sun and had his feathers and wax wings melt, comets are often affected by orbiting too close to our star. That was certainly the case with comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), which was split by the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, late last year.

Comet K1, first discovered in May 2025 by the Asteroid Earth Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), was best visible from the southern hemisphere.

Hopes weren’t high that the ball of ice and dust would survive its closest approach to the sun on October 8, 2025, at a distance of just 31 million miles (5,000 kilometers). Comets that survive a close approach to the Sun often become noticeably brighter afterward, as their ice constituents sublimate into gas. Surprisingly, Comet K1 emerged from behind the Sun intact, but never brightened enough to be visible to the naked eye.

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In early November, the comet’s core began to split. This is not unusual for comets. Extreme solar heating causes the core to emit jets of gas and dust (called outgassing), which combine with gravity from the Sun to weaken the comet’s structure. Most comets either survive or fail to emerge from the far side of the Sun, but Comet K1 did. And telescopes around the world were in the perfect position to photograph its spectacular breakup.

The zoomable version of the Gemini North image clearly shows three fragments.

Following the dramatic collapse of comet K1, another high-stakes encounter with the Sun may occur soon. Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS), the Kreuz-Sunglaser comet discovered on January 13, is currently hurtling towards the Sun and is scheduled to come dangerously close to the Sun’s surface on April 4, coming within 465,000 miles (748,000 km) of it.

If it survives this dangerous encounter, some astronomers predict that the comet could reach magnitude -4, about the same brightness as Venus. It would be a spectacular sight, but like Comet K1, Comet A1 would have to face scorching heat and intense gravity, and could either burst into flames or succumb to the Sun’s fury.

For more sublime space images, check out this week’s space photo archive.