Oort cloud comets may spin themselves to death
How icy objects from the solar system’s fringe disintegrate is a long-standing mystery
![Comet Leonard streaking across the night sky, with a greenish tinge at its head](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/081222_lg_comet-destruction_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Comet Leonard dazzled last winter before disintegrating as it approached the sun. One astronomer has now proposed an explanation for how comets like this one break apart.
cafuego/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)