Astronomers recently made an unusual discovery. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks suddenly not only shone much brighter than normal but also had a bizarre shape. Scientists suspect an ice volcano on the comet that could be responsible for the phenomenon.
The Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was discovered in our solar system in 1812. It takes the tail star 71 years to orbit the sun once. In the summer of 2024, the celestial body should approach the earth and should even be visible with the naked eye. A few weeks ago, however, something extremely unusual happened: the comet suddenly shines 100 times brighter than before and is surrounded by a strange cloud of gas. What happened?
Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks surrounded by galaxies pic.twitter.com/aVtjEtozGS
— Tony Angel (@TonyAngelUK) July 30, 2023
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks with an unusual shape: did an ice volcano explode on the celestial body?
Comets are small celestial bodies made up of ice, dust and loose rock. Close to the sun, the comet nuclei are often surrounded by a misty veil, the so-called coma. With comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, it even happens that the coma shines much brighter from time to time. Astronomers have been speculating about the reasons for decades.
According to Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association, there could be an active ice volcano on the comet, which is shooting liquid out of the interior also liquids inside that give it the behavior,” Miles told “Business Insider“. This phenomenon could also give the comet its currently extremely unusual shape. The coma has a horseshoe-like shape and is reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon from the science fiction epic “Star Wars”. Scientist Carrie Holt from the University of Maryland is certain that kilograms of dust and ice were thrown into space.
“Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, exploded in brightness by an eruption of cryovolcanism, now assumes an unusual shape reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars,” Trust My Science tweeted.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, which exploded in luminosity following a cryovolcanic eruption, is now adopting an unusual shape reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. https://t.co/v4YpSUMXYp
— Trust My Science (@TrustMyScience) July 29, 2023
Also read: 100 shooting stars per hour! All information about the Perseid spectacle
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2023-08-03 11:31:36
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