“Devil’s Comet,” twice the size of Mount Everest, is hurtling towards Earth but is unlikely to pose any threat to humans, according to an astronomer.
“It might be bright enough that you can see it with your naked eye or with binoculars, but that’s not because it’s going to be very close,” Teddy Kareta, a postdoctoral researcher at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, told Insider. “It’s because it’s generally very bright.”
Better known in the scientific community as 12P/Pons-Brooks, the so-called “Devil’s Comet” was first discovered in 1812 before it was spotted again in 1883, SkyLive reported.
It is known as a periodic comet with an orbital period of about 71 years.
It is also thought to be one of about 20 other comets with active ice volcanoes, according to the British Astronomical Society.
Cold volcanic comets contain a mixture of ice, dust and gas known as cryomagma, and are surrounded by gases leaking out from within, Live Science reports.
The comet will be at its brightest for Earthlings next year in mid-April, when it will be about 232 million kilometers, or 144,158,116 miles, from Earth.
“Devil’s Comet,” twice the size of Mount Everest, is hurtling towards Earth but is unlikely to pose any threat to humans, according to an astronomer. Getty Images
“It’s possible that Pons-Brooks will be bright enough to see with your naked eye next spring, but it’s almost certainly bright enough to see even with a small set of binoculars or a beginner’s backyard telescope. The big space news next April is obviously the total solar eclipse, so people should consider marking their calendars to try to see the comet if it doesn’t get a lot of news,” Kareta told Fox News Digital.
Astronomers note that comets are “notoriously unpredictable” when it comes to gauging how bright they will be when they approach Earth, arguing that it is a “wait and see” moment for sky watchers.
The comet earned the nickname “demon” in July when astronomers saw “horns” around its nucleus and some compared it to the Millennium Falcon spaceship in “Star Wars,” Forbes replied at the time.
The so-called “Devil’s Comet” was first discovered in 1812 before it was spotted again in 1883, according to reports. Reuters
Kareta explains that the horn is actually a tail of gas and dust from an extraordinary explosion that scientists are still studying to understand.
Astronomers told Insider that a burst is when “a comet suddenly becomes more active,” and ejects gas and dust at an increased rate.
“The comet brightened quickly and then faded back to its previous brightness,” he told the outlet. “And in Pons-Brooks, it’s really, really bright — really, really big bangs. And that’s what makes these comets so interesting to scientists.”
Astronomer Teddy Kareta notes that comets are “notoriously unpredictable” when it comes to measuring how bright they get as they approach Earth. AP Astronomers told Insider that a burst is when “a comet suddenly becomes more active,” and ejects gas and dust at an increased rate. Tryfonov – stock.adobe.com
Kareta advises that the public stay tuned for any updates on the comet in the months leading up to its planned appearance in the sky.
Astronomers estimate that the comet’s nucleus stretches 12.4 miles or about twice the size of Mount Everest.
The comet is huge compared to other fireballs, which typically fall between 0.6 and 1.8 miles wide, according to Kareta.
“We know it’s big. We know it’s unusual. We know it’s rare,” Kareta told Insider, adding that he believes “a lot of people are very excited about” the comet.
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