Comet Atlas might not be visible to the naked eye as scientists think it is disintegrating

Scientists were hopeful that “Comet Atlas” would become visible to the naked eye in the northern hemisphere towards the end of April. 

However, in recent days the comet has faded, and scientists hypothesize that it is disintegrating. Comets are well known for unpredictable behavior and few become visible to the naked eye.

Planetary photographer Damian Peach has taken an image of Comet Atlas, or C/2019 Y4. The photograph shows a greenish spot streaking across the sky. The peak intensity is called the coma which has a bit of a fuzzy appearance. The tail is made up of dust and gas that is illuminated by the sun. This comet was featured as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day in March 2020 as it was close to the Cigar Galaxy. NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System was the first to report Comet Atlas on December 28, 2019.

If you’re interested in seeing Comet Atlas, you might want to follow the comet’s Twitter account (@c2019Y4) where it communicates with its internet followers. If you use a sky chart, you may be able to see Comet Atlas with the aid of a telescope or binoculars in the Camelopardalis constellation during the month of April.