BOGOR-RADAR BOGOR, A giant volcanic comet, the size of a city, exploded violently for the second time in four months as it hurtled towards the sun.
Similar to previous eruptions, this eruption released a cloud of gas and ice that looked like a pair of giant horns.
The comet, named 12P/Pons-Brooks, is a cryovolcanic or cold volcanic comet.
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This comet has a solid core estimated to be 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) in diameter, and contains a mixture of dust, gas and ice known as cryomagma.
Quoting from the wionews page, the comet’s nucleus is surrounded by a cloud of hazy gas known as a coma, which leaks out from the comet’s interior.
When the interior of a comet is heated by solar radiation, pressure increases and the comet explodes violently, releasing its frozen insides through gaps in the core shell into space.
On October 5, a huge burst from 12P was detected by astronomers after the comet turned dozens of times brighter due to additional light reflected from its expanding coma.
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This was explained by the British Astronomical Association (BAA), which has observed the comet closely.
In the next few days, the comet’s coma expanded further and grew its “strange horns,” reports Spaceweather.com.
Some experts say that the irregular shape of the comma makes it look like a science fiction spaceship, like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.
Editor: Rany Puspitasari
2023-10-20 12:44:00
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