Hubble Provides Spectacular Detail of a Comet's Breakup

Running Time: 33 seconds

Zoom from a ground-based view of Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3's fragments B, G and R to a close-up of fragment B. Observations taken April 18 to 20, 2006, with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys reveal that the fragment is continuing to break into smaller chunks. Several dozen house-sized "mini-fragments" are found trailing behind the main fragment.

Credit: NASA, ESA and G. Bacon (STScI)