--- title: Asteroid Breaking Up in Space Captured by Hubble Telescope description: New images reveal an asteroid crumbling to approximately 10 smaller pieces, a space scene never before captured in such dramatic detail. canonical: https://time.com/14338/asteroid-breakup-hubble-space-telescope-nasa/ author: Alex Fitzpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-06T18:22:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:37:31.721Z article:section: Science og:title: Watch this asteroid break up into tiny pieces og:description: New images reveal an asteroid crumbling to approximately 10 smaller pieces, a space scene never before captured in such dramatic detail. og:url: https://time.com/14338/asteroid-breakup-hubble-space-telescope-nasa/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch this asteroid break up into tiny pieces twitter:description: New images reveal an asteroid crumbling to approximately 10 smaller pieces, a space scene never before captured in such dramatic detail. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Hubble GIF Shows Never-Before-Seen Asteroid Breaking Up In Space > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=a753ab45-3bfd-422b-a653-a2a47816de6e&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Future Proof is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=a753ab45-3bfd-422b-a653-a2a47816de6e&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=a753ab45-3bfd-422b-a653-a2a47816de6e&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=a753ab45-3bfd-422b-a653-a2a47816de6e&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1)  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Mar 6, 2014 6:22 PM UTC  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Mar 6, 2014 6:22 PM UTC NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is more than two decades old, but it still rarely ceases to amaze. A new series of images released Thursday reveals an asteroid crumbling into approximately 10 smaller pieces, a space scene never before captured in such dramatic detail. The asteroid isn’t likely breaking up because of an impact, NASA says, but rather because of a “subtle effect of sunlight” on the rock’s rotation. “This is a rock. Seeing it fall apart before our eyes is pretty amazing,” said David Jewitt, head of the investigation into the breakup of asteroid P/2013 R3, in a [NASA statement](http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2014/15/full/). Amazing indeed: Watch TIME’s GIF, above, which shows the asteroid’s month-long disintegration compressed into just a few seconds. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/14338/asteroid-breakup-hubble-space-telescope-nasa/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/14338/asteroid-breakup-hubble-space-telescope-nasa/"},"headline":"Hubble GIF Shows Never-Before-Seen Asteroid Breaking Up In Space","datePublished":"2014-03-06T18:22:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:37:31.721Z","description":"New images reveal an asteroid crumbling to approximately 10 smaller pieces, a space scene never before captured in such dramatic detail.","url":"https://time.com/14338/asteroid-breakup-hubble-space-telescope-nasa/","keywords":["Space","NASA","asteroid"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/14338/asteroid-breakup-hubble-space-telescope-nasa/","name":"Hubble GIF Shows Never-Before-Seen Asteroid Breaking Up In Space"}}]}] ```