Hubble catches rare view of a comet crumbling

Hubble accidentally captured extremely rare footage of Comet K1 breaking apart into at least four pieces over three days in November as it exited the solar system. The 5-mile-wide comet wasn't the original target of study, but researchers had to switch due to technical constraints and happened to witness the breakup by sheer chance. The disintegration offers unprecedented insights into comet physics and early universe formation, particularly since K1's unusual lack of carbon makes it chemically strange and scientifically valuable.