Rare Footage: Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) Splits Into Three After Close Solar Pass

Italian Astronomers Capture Rare Real-Time Breakup

Italian astronomers recorded rare, real-time footage of Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) tearing itself apart after a close passage by the Sun. Observers at the Asiago Observatory used the 1.82 m Copernicus telescope to film the nucleus fragmenting on the nights of November 11–12. Data indicate the comet’s October 8 perihelion heated subsurface ice, vaporizing it and building internal pressure that likely cracked the nucleus from within. Although the structural failure appears to have begun in October, visible fragmentation was first captured a month later.

A translated statement from the Italian Institute of National Astrophysics reports the three fragments are now separated by roughly 1,250 miles (2,000 km) — comparable to the distance from Chicago to Miami — with the pieces continuing to drift apart at high velocity. Imagery shows two larger, brighter fragments and one smaller, dimmer piece trailing behind. Additional observations by Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project on November 12–13 documented continued separation over a 24-hour window.

Why This Breakup Matters

The comet is believed to have originated in the Kuiper Belt, the reservoir of icy bodies beyond Neptune. While its exact age cannot be measured directly, scientists estimate C/2025 K1 is roughly as old as the Solar System (~4.6 billion years). That ancient origin makes the event scientifically valuable: the breakup exposes interior material that has been shielded from solar radiation and cosmic rays for billions of years, providing a rare opportunity to study pristine primordial compounds.

"Freshly exposed interior material gives researchers direct access to the chemical ingredients of the early Solar System," scientists say. Spectroscopic analysis of these fragments can reveal elements and molecules present in the original solar nebula.

Multi-night, high-resolution observations like those from Asiago are uncommon because most comet breakups occur too quickly or too far away for detailed study. Clear, stable skies during the November observations allowed astronomers to capture fine structural detail and to track how the debris field expanded over time.

Next steps: Researchers plan spectroscopic follow-up to determine the chemical composition of the exposed material. Despite the dramatic breakup, the fragments remain far from Earth and pose no danger to our planet.

Key facts: discovered May 2025; never became visible to the naked eye; likely Kuiper Belt origin; breakup first captured Nov. 11–12; fragments ~2,000 km apart; spectroscopic analysis planned.