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Hubble catches rare view of a comet crumbling

Hubble catches rare view of a comet crumbling

NASA and ESA have released new images from the Hubble Space Telescope of a comet breaking up as it exits the solar system, captured as part of study recently published in the journal Icarus . The images are notable not only because they offer a more detailed view of the inside of a comet, which could offer new information about the early days of the universe, but also because they were taken by accident. Photographing K1, or "Comet C/2025 K1" as it's officially known, wasn't the original intention of the study. "This comet [was] observed because our original comet was not viewable due to some new technical constraints after we won our proposal," John Noonan, a research professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University in Alabama said. "We had to find a new target — and right when we observed it, it happened to break apart, which is the slimmest of slim chances." The comet broke up over a period of days into "at least four pieces," each with a "fuzzy envelope of gas and dust" around them, with Hubble specifically capturing the disassembly from November 8 through November 10, 2025. K1 was interesting before it started to crumble because at "around 8 kilometers across" (about 5 miles), it's larger than the average comet, and having footage of it shattering will likely offer new insights into the physics of comets in general. Additionally, the lack of carbon in the gases released by the comet as it broke is apparently "chemically very strange," which suggests the composition of K1 could bear scientific fruit, too. Hubble has tracked comets of different sizes and compositions for years. Studying them remains a focus because comets are frequently made of ice and rock from the primordial period when solar systems were first forming. The ESA hopes to dramatically expand our understanding of that period with its "Comet Interceptor" mission, which is supposed to launch in 2028 or 2029 , and aims to use photos captured from multiple angles to create a 3D model of a comet. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/hubble-catches-rare-view-of-a-comet-crumbling-185817544.html?src=rss

Family Sharing no longer means sharing a credit card in iOS 26.4

Family Sharing no longer means sharing a credit card in iOS 26.4

Apple is finally fixing one of Family Sharing's most awkward limitations in iOS 26.4 , letting multiple adults on one family pay for their own purchases without breaking shared access. Apple updates payments for Family Sharing For years, Family Sharing forced everyone into a single payment method whenever purchase sharing was enabled. The approach worked for traditional households, but it created friction for anyone sharing with friends, partners, or extended family. One person effectively became the default payer, even when it made no practical sense. iOS 26.4 changes the structure by letting adult members use their own payment methods while still joining shared purchases. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Keyboard accuracy bug quashed in iOS 26.4

Keyboard accuracy bug quashed in iOS 26.4

Apple is gearing up to release iOS 26.4 soon, and with it, a fix for a persistent, pesky bug that has plagued iOS 26 . Apple quashes keyboard bug that lead to decreased accuracy in iOS 26 Many iPhone users have been complaining that the iOS keyboard has gotten worse in iOS 26. For many users, typing quickly would cause the software to miss characters. While it would appear that the user had tapped the character, it ultimately would fail to insert into the text field. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums