NASA captures sungrazer C/2026 A1 (MAPS) breaking apart near Sun
Technology
NASA just caught a rare space event: the sungrazer comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) broke apart as it got close to the sun in April.
First spotted by amateur astronomers, this icy traveler fell apart before reaching its closest point, called perihelion.
SOHO and STEREO spacecraft captured the whole thing, offering a cool look at how comets behave near our star.
PUNCH images comet to track tail
NASA's PUNCH mission imaged the comet before close approach and will track its tail under the influence of the solar wind.
The Parker Solar Probe saw something similar back in 2020 with another sungrazer.
These findings show just how fragile these comets are when they get too close to the Sun, helping scientists piece together more about our solar system's early days.