2-701-523 - Heritage Space/Heritage Images

Comet West near the Sun, 1976. Comet West was described as one of the brightest objects to pass through the inner solar system in 1976. The ion tale of a comet usually appears more blue and always points away from the Sun. The nucleus was seen by astronomers to split into four fragments. This was, at the time, one of very few comet breakups observed.