An already
broken comet shatters into even more pieces as it slowly disintegrates in the
night sky.
Comet P73/Schwassmann-Wachmann
3 (SW 3) has been giving astronomers and amateur skywatchers a nightly show as
it breaks apart.
The comet’s
fragmenting nature was spotted in early March, when no less than seven separate
chunks were seen where a once-whole SW 3 one flew.
SW 3 is
periodic comet that circles the Sun every 5.4 years in an orbit that swings out
near Jupiter’s orbit and further inward than Earth’s orbit. The comet and its
fragments will be closest to Earth between May 11 and May 14.
Astronomers
used the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile to
catch this view of SW 3 Fragment B. While not the brightest comet piece – that title
belongs to Fragment C – Fragment B includes itself and seven other bits of SW
3, ESO said.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: ESO/FORS/VLT.
Return each weekday for a new SPACE.com Image of the Day.
| 
