Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. The first piece to break off is visible on the upper left of the above false-color image by a Very Large Telescope , while additional fragmentation is inferred from the brightness and elongation of the spot on the lower right. When a comet nucleus splits, new surfaces are exposed and previously trapped ice and gas are released that evaporate and brighten in the energetic sunlight.
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