–
Credit, NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva
—
Nicknamed Bernardinelli-Bernstein, celestial body is 150 km in diameter, but will not collide with our planet
–
One of the largest comets ever observed is coming from the edge of the solar system towards Earth and is expected to get even closer in the next ten years.
–
At 150 km in diameter, it is about 31 times larger than the comets commonly seen by astronomers.
–
It was first detected in 2014, but only now — seven years later — have scientists been able to identify it.
–
Named Bernardinelli-Bernstein in honor of the scientists who discovered it, including a Brazilian, it was first confused with a small planet known as a dwarf planet.
–
As it approaches our planet, scientists will be able to observe it and learn more about the formation of the solar system.
–
One of the astronomers who discovered the comet, Gary Bernstein, said: “We are privileged to have discovered perhaps the biggest comet ever seen — or at least bigger than any well-studied one — and we caught it early enough for people to see it. evolve as it gets closer and warms up.
–
“He hasn’t visited the solar system in over 3 million years.”
–
Like planets, comets orbit the Sun.
–
They are different from asteroids, however, because of their composition.
–
Asteroids are usually made of rocky and metallic materials.
–
Whereas comets are a bit like a massive snowball, made of ice and dust, and some rocky material.
–
You can recognize them in the night sky by their long tails, which can extend for millions of kilometers.
–
What is so special about comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein?
–
According to NASA, the American space agency, there are currently 3,743 known comets.
–
Typically, comets are about three to five km in diameter, the size of a village.
–
But the Bernardinelli-Bernstein is about 150 km in diameter, the distance between Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Frio or São Paulo and Bertioga.
–
And there’s no reason to panic: its orbit is too far away, which means it won’t collide with Earth.
–
In fact, it’s so far away that astronomers estimate that it takes millions of years to circle the Sun — while the Earth takes about 365 days.
–
In the next decade, as comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein moves closer to the sun, scientists will be able to observe it more closely.
–
It will come closer to Earth on January 21, 2031.
–
Despite this, on that date, the comet will still be about 1.6 billion miles away from the sun.
–
—
