Astronomers have seen a comet that looks like the Millennium Falcon for the first time. The comet, known as Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, suddenly brightened 100 times on July 20 when debris and ice were flung into space.
The comet is thought to have the shape of the Millennium Falcon spaceship from “Star Wars”. Later the comet will approach the sun, but must pass about 144 million miles from the earth. It is predicted that the comet will be visible from Earth on June 2, 2024.
The appearance of this comet will be closer to Earth and can be seen a few weeks after the total solar eclipse in North America on April 8, 2024.
“When the blue moon is visible, you will see a solar eclipse after that,” Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association told Insider, as quoted by Sciencealert.
While it’s possible to see the comet with the naked eye, Miles advises using binoculars. “It should be visible, but it will look clearer and brighter using binoculars,” he said.
Astronomers aren’t sure why Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, which orbits the sun once every 71 years, has become so bright in recent weeks. Miles said there might be active icebergs on the surface, causing them to become bright enough to illuminate the sky.
“It’s a revolutionary idea that you have liquid inside a comet and scientists for decades never really understood it,” he said.
“When you see a comet, you will be curious about the gas and liquid in the comet that makes the comet have an unusual shape and movement,” he continued.
This discovery helps support the theory that comets not only brought water to Earth but also helped spread the germs of life on our planet. Meanwhile, at the Las Cumbres Observatory in Cardiff, Dr Edward Gomez said the comet originated in the Oort cloud, which is far beyond the orbits of Neptune and Uranus.
“Everything that forms into planets has evolved over 4.5 Billion years (eg through geophysical and weather processes) but the Oort cloud is pristine. This gives us a good picture of what conditions were like when planets formed and how planets formed,” said Dr Gomez .
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks explosion was discovered on July 20 by Elek Tamás of the Harsona Observatory, Nyiregyhaza, Hungary. It was later captured by members of the Comet Chasers education and outreach project led by Helen Usher of Cardiff/The Open University in England, using the Foulkes Telescope.
Carrie Holt of the University of Maryland, told Scientific American that the comet may have sent 10 billion kilograms of dust and ice into space.
“Scientists only see comets using telescopes in very dark places. But in April next year people can see the comet clearly because it emits a very bright light, “concluded Dr. Gomez.
source: okezone.com
2023-07-31 14:51:34
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