Soon we will see a breathtaking spectacle. A rare space body will fly by the Earth next year. The “Devil’s” comet, which is several times larger than Mount Everest, will also be visible with the naked eye.
The comet with the scientific designation 12P/Pons-Brooks ranks among cryovolcanic, or cold volcanic objects. Like other comets, this one is made up of a solid core filled with a mixture of ice, dust and gas. It is surrounded by a nebulous cloud of gas called a coma, the portal writes Live Science.
It is called “devilish” because of its so-called horns. They grow during eruptions. “They arise because the large nucleus of the comet has an unusual ‘notch’ on its surface, which blocks the flow of cryomagma into space and causes the coma to grow in an irregular shape,” the experts explained.
At the same time, experts recorded three such explosions in July and October. The flares cause the comet’s coma to expand and brighten as it reflects far more sunlight toward our planet.
According to astronomers, the body is many times larger than Mount Everest. They estimated that the core could be up to 19.9 kilometers in diameter, the portal said Buisiness Insider. Usually, comets are between 0.9 and 2.9 kilometers wide.
But people needn’t be afraid. According to Lovell Observatory scientist Teddy Kareta, despite its size and unusual shape, it is not a threat to Earth. “We know it’s big and rare,” Kareta said.
The object was discovered by experts in 1812 and will fly around the Earth again after 71 years. That’s how long it takes to complete one full trip around the Sun. During its current flyby, the comet should reach its closest point to the Sun on April 21, 2024. It will be closest to Earth on June 2, 2024, and according to experts, it will be visible with the naked eye. It will approach our planet at a distance of 231 million kilometers.
Chinese astronauts have returned to Earth after several months in space. Check it out (10/2023):
TN.cz
2023-11-09 17:09:00
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