In the early hours of Saturday, November 22, while Jordan slept, King’s Academy’s observatory quietly scanned the distant universe in search of a comet that has captured the attention of astronomers worldwide. The observatory succeeded in detecting Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), a rare and scientifically significant object whose nucleus recently split into multiple fragments after passing near the sun. The comet, located about 61 million kilometers from earth, is far too faint to be seen with the naked eye, requiring a high-specification telescope to observe.

This marks the first time King’s Academy’s observatory has captured such a phenomenon, highlighting the growing capabilities of the school’s astronomy program. C/2025 K1 will remain observable through December before fading from view, and it will not return within our lifetime.

Watch the observatory’s time-lapse video of the comet here.

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