A newly identified comet, which many skywatchers were eager to observe during Halloween week, has broken apart just before the spooky holiday.

NASA announced on Tuesday that its solar observation spacecraft recorded the moment when comet Atlas fragmented earlier this week while making a close approach to the sun.

This comet, referred to as the Halloween comet and designated C/2024 S1, was first detected in September by a telescope located in Hawaii, and astronomers have been diligently monitoring its trajectory since then.

During its rapid journey toward the sun, a space observatory that is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency witnessed the comet’s disintegration.

It is believed that this comet belongs to a group of celestial bodies that make very close encounters with the sun.