Comet break-up
A comet break-up is when a comet splits into fragments, often because of heating, spinning or tidal forces.
Comets are fragile, and many break up. Their nuclei are porous and weak, and they can split when gas pressure from heated ice, fast spinning or the tidal pull of a planet or the Sun becomes too much.
Comet Biela, which orbited the Sun every 6.6 years, was seen to split into two in 1846. By 1852 the two pieces were far apart, and the comet was never seen again. Instead, spectacular meteor storms, the Andromedids, appeared in 1872 and 1885 as Earth passed through its debris. Comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 3 broke into dozens of pieces in 1995 and 2006, and Comet ISON disintegrated near the Sun in 2013.
Break-ups release large amounts of dust and fragments, which can create new meteoroid streams. The Quadrantids and the Taurid complex may both have formed this way. Watching comets break up also helps scientists understand how weak their interiors are.
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