[The Epoch Times, November 11, 2023](Epoch Times reporter Chen Juncun reported) A huge comet with two horn-shaped structures, equivalent to the size of a small city, is flying towards the Earth. This is the first time in its 71 years that Visit the Earth again. It will approach Earth next year, giving people a chance to see it with the naked eye.
According to the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the comet named 12P/Pons-Brooks has two horn-shaped structures made of ice and gas, so it is also called the “devil comet”.
（Click here to see photos of 12P/Pons-Brooks）
12P/Pons-Brooks was first discovered in 1812 and is a Halley-type comet, which is a comet with an orbital period between 20 and 200 years. 12P/Pons-Brooks has a 71-year cycle and last flew by Earth in 1954.
Traditionally, as comets approach the sun, they slowly become warmer and brighter. After the comet’s ice turns into gas and carries away dust under the sun’s rays, it forms a long tail, called a comet’s tail.
But 12P/Pons-Brooks is a cold volcanic comet that can explode violently at any time. It exploded twice in July and October this year, so its brightness suddenly increased a lot and it grew horn-like structures.
Theodore Kareta, a postdoctoral researcher at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, told the TV station that such an explosion would change the comet from very faint (only visible through professional telescopes) to very bright (sometimes visible) visible with the naked eye).
Carretta said that not many comets explode like 12P/Pons-Brooks and suddenly increase in brightness. 12P/Pons-Brooks seems to be very active.
Eliot Herman, a retired professor and amateur astronomer at the University of Arizona, used a telescope to take the photo of 12P/Pons-Brooks. According to him, it would be very interesting if the comet exploded again in the coming months and sprouted horn-like structures.
Is 12P/Pons-Brooks a threat to the earth?
Distant comets are usually invisible to the naked eye, but on April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will occur. Residents of Canada, the United States, and Mexico will be able to see the total solar eclipse, and it is possible to use binoculars in cloudless weather conditions. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks can even be seen with the naked eye through a telescope.
Around that time, 12P/Pons-Brooks will pass perihelion. Its date of passing perihelion is April 21. It will pass through perigee, that is, the closest time to the Earth, on June 2. It may be visible to the naked eye, which provides people with another opportunity to observe.
Scientists say 12P/Pons-Brooks is at least 17 kilometers in diameter, about the size of a small city. Despite its size and scary nickname of the “Devil’s Comet,” it will not hit the Earth and pose no threat to humans.
After 12P/Pons-Brooks moves away from the Earth, humans will have to wait until 2095 to see it again.
Hermann said that the history of human observation of celestial phenomena can be traced back to prehistoric times. “The universe is very big, and there are a lot of amazing things happening around us. It’s worth getting out and looking at it and feeling the wonder.”◇
Editor in charge: Li Ming
