Scientists announced that the comet, which orbits the Sun and is seen every 71 years, is approaching the Earth. It was stated that the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks (12P) with its ‘horns popping out’ as a result of a sudden explosion was almost the size of a city. Scientists said this was the first major eruption detected from 12P in 69 years.
APPROACHING THE WORLD
The star, which is likened to the ‘Millennium Falcon’ in Star Wars in terms of shape, is expected to reach its closest position to Earth in 2024.
Like all other comets, this icy object consists of a solid core filled with a mixture of ice, dust and gas. It’s also surrounded by a gas cloud called a coma that seeps out of the comet’s interior.
According to the news in the Newspaper Wall, however, unlike most comets, a lot of gas and ice is accumulating in the core of 12P. As a result, the celestial body can explode violently and the materials in the core’s shell come out. It takes 71 years for 12P to orbit the Sun. During this time, the object passes through the farthest reaches of the Solar System.
On July 20, astronomers reported that 12P became 100 times brighter than it appears. Behind the increase in luminosity is the sudden swelling of the coma, with gas and ice crystals released from within the comet, thereby reflecting more sunlight on the object to Earth. As of July 26, the comet’s coma has reached a length of about 230,000 kilometers, or 7,000 times the size of its core.
2023-07-31 05:14:00
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