¡®Devil Comet With Horns' Explodes In Space: It's 3 Times Bigger Than Everest And Is Speeding Toward Earth
Space enthusiasts perked up their ears when recent news of a gigantic comet, reportedly three times larger than Mount Everest, exploding in space reached the internet. Astronomers now predict that this comet is heading directly toward Earth.?
Who Noticed The 'Devil' Comet?
The British Astronomical Association, keeping a close eye on 12P, detected the explosion when they observed it becoming significantly brighter. This brightness was caused by the reflection of light from its coma, the gas cloud encircling its core.
What Is The ¡®Horned¡¯ Comet?
Amid an already scary atmosphere, the scientific community has unveiled an extraordinary development - a formidable "horned" comet, bigger than Mount Everest in size, has fractured and is hurtling ominously towards our planet.
For context, the iconic Mount Everest, revered as the highest mountain on Earth, rises to a towering height of 29,029 feet, roughly spanning 5.5 miles. This was the comet's second explosion in the past four months, with the previous one happening in July, as per the?Science Times.
Where Did It Originate?
According to Live Science, the explosive event, originating from the cryovolcanic comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, measures an astounding 18.6 miles in diameter, equivalent to the size of a modest urban settlement like a city.
When Will The Comet Come Near Earth?
Even with 12P's foreboding path and structure, there's no call for alarm for "Deep Impact" at this moment. This cosmic wanderer, with its 71-year orbit around the sun, won't come closest to Earth until 2024 when it will become observable without the aid of any technical instruments.
Afterwards, the comet will be flung back into the solar system, not to reappear until its cosmic return in the year 2095.
Why Is It Called The ¡®Horned¡¯ Comet?
These explosions that were noticed by astronomers happen when a huge amount of gas and ice gathers and explodes, similar to a frozen Coke can, causing the comet's icy interior to burst through large cracks in its surface.
In this case, the icy explosion caused the gas cloud around the nucleus to form "horns," resembling an intergalactic creature, as depicted in the accompanying photos.
According to the Space Weather Archive, scientists likened the shape to the Millennium Falcon spaceship from Star Wars.
How Did The Comet Grow ¡®Horns?¡¯
The reason behind the formation of these horns remains uncertain. Nonetheless, specialists speculate that it might be due to the configuration of 12P's nucleus, akin to that of an interstellar pasta strainer.
Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association explained, ¡°The two ¡®horns¡¯ may be caused by a peculiarly-shaped cryovolcanic vent with some sort of blockage causing material to be expelled with a weird flow pattern.¡±
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