Astronomers discovered a comet called C/2019 Y4 in December last year, and had predicted that it would become very bright this summer. Hence, this comet was once hailed as the most anticipated comet in 2020.

What's surprising is that C/2019 Y4 had brightened gradually before the end of March, but then its brightness started to decrease in April. As seen from the images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on 20 April and 23 April, the comet has broken apart on its journey to the Sun. Although some experts found that the comet has become brighter again in May, it is still unknown whether it can recover from death.

While C/2019 Y4 may disappoint many astronomy enthusiasts, another comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN), which was discovered in March this year, is getting brighter gradually that it is visible to the naked eye. However, as it is too close to the Sun, normal citizen may not be able to observe it, but we can still enjoy the beautiful photos taken by professional astrophotographers.

More information: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200514.html