November 11, 2005—The largest free-floating object on the planet—an iceberg roughly the size of Long Island, New York—suddenly broke apart on October 28. The massive berg, dubbed B-15A, had been lurking off the coast of Antarctica since 2000. In 2004 the berg began trapping excess sea ice near Ross Island, the site of the U.S. Antarctic Program's McMurdo Research Station. The extra ice had been hampering shipping routes for the researchers and blocking Adélie penguins from returning to the open ocean for food. Watch animation compiled from NASA satellite images of the berg taking up residence near Ross Island, then unexpectedly crumbling apart and being swept out to sea.