 A comet that was only just discovered in December of 2019 is fast approaching our planet and astronomers monitoring the comet known as C-2019 Atlas say it has begun to change dramatically. Wait, do you hear this? Atlas stands for the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System. This is the robotic system that detected the small-scale near-Earth object. The system was designed to detect objects in space with an advancement of preparedness before impacts occur. And this has led to a few to suggest that this thing is on a collision course with our planet. The rapidly brightening comet will pass the Earth in May at a distance of 73 million miles – 93 million miles being the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The close approach means it will be visible to astronomers from the Earth next month but there may be a twist to the tale, literally. Astronomers believe the weirdly high levels of brightness are being caused by the comet's massive atmospheric cloud that surrounds it. This may also be the source of the object's demise as it approaches the Sun and begins to flare with the Sun's heat. Because of this 448,000 miles atmospheric cloud, they believe the comet will be torn apart making for a spectacular showdown with Venus as the Sun is setting. Carl Badams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. noted that there is a chance that the comet might completely break apart before it reaches the Sun. Also, Atlas trajectory might change due to the surface he missions triggered by its fragmentation. Carl was quoted as saying that I wouldn't be surprised to see comet Atlas start to fail rapidly and possibly even disintegrate before reaching the Sun. I very much hope I'm wrong but, Comet Ellinon did something similar several years ago, holding lots of promise and then just fizzling. In recent months, Comet Atlas galvanized astronomers as it fell toward the Sun, skyrocketing in brightness like few comets before it. By late May 2020, it promised to reveal Venus in the sunset sky as it approaches Perihelion, but recent developments belied that possibility. Caltech and the University of Maryland recently posted new data of comet Atlas in which the comet's core appears to be elongating according to the report, this is as would be expected from a major disruption of the nucleus. The comet's orbit now being influenced by non-gravitational forces, these forces are the result of gases lifting off the comet's nucleus and causing the nucleus to move slightly in the opposite direction like a powerful jet engine. Most active comets experience this to some degree, but Atlas non-gravitational forces have kicked in very abruptly and are quite strong. This supports a narrative of a small nucleus being pushed very strongly by extreme outgassing, probably along with fragmentation according to reports from SpaceWeather.com. Several predictions showed the comet coming closest to the Earth on May 23rd and closest to the Sun on May 31st. Its orbital path means it may have been a fragment of the Great Comet of 1844 and this caused much excitement. Both comets appear to be following trajectories which swing out far beyond the outer reaches of the solar system and taking around 6000 years to make one complete orbital circuit. In essence, both comets have circled the Sun at least once, if not more than a few times. Should it continue on this path, it might be bright enough to be visible to the unaided human eye on or around May 1st, but further observations are required as the object could now fragment. Based on the observations, it is now shifting in a way that is consistent with a pattern of sudden decline and this suggests the nucleus of the comet has suffered a major disruption to its dust production. The comet is currently visible to telescopes and binoculars, but just like the decline of other comets in the past, including the Issun comet, it does seem decent to make a less spectacular viewing opportunity than what was previously assumed. We will wait and see what developments may unfold and we will bring any major updates that may unfold, but what do you guys think about this one anyway? Thanks below and as always, thank you for watching.