Comet Leonard has broken into pieces as it rounds the sun: report - Space.com

The brightest comet of 2021 has disintegrated, according to EarthSky.

An icy wanderer known as Comet Leonard (C/2021 A1) fell apart during its perihelion, or closest approach to the sun, the report said.

The comet's discoverer Gregory Leonard, of the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, told EarthSky the comet's legacy was the tail structures made up of charged particles, known as ions.

19, 2021, when the comet began undergoing strong periodic outburst activity," Leonard told EarthSky.org.

Related: Amazing photos of Comet Leonard in the night sky.

"Observers — mainly amateur astronomers who carefully view and image these objects — began to wonder if the comet was beginning to disintegrate," EarthSky reported. "Several signs of unusual behavior caused this alert. The brightness trend slowed, the head of the comet no longer appeared round, and the comet’s path seemed to be veering off course.".

Related: Comet Leonard's discoverer shares tips to spot it in the night sky now.

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— 'Outbursts' from Comet Leonard spotted by NASA satellite (video).

"The comet's tail began to show some complicated structure, possibly due to pieces breaking off the nucleus, revealing new areas that the sun would then heat," EarthSky said. .

Other observers, including the SLOOH telescope in Chile, obtained images showing the comet is little more than a "ghostly streak," EarthSky said.

The comet's discoverer, however, said he was glad to have had the opportunity to see an object that was a remnant of the early solar system.

Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing comet or night sky picture and would like to share it with Space.com readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.