Space enthusiasts pricked up their ears when the recent news of a gigantic comet, supposedly three times the size of Mount Everest, exploding in space hit the Internet. Astronomers now predict that this comet is heading directly toward Earth.
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- Who noticed comet ‘Diablo’?
- What is the ‘horned’ comet?
- Where it originated?
- When will the comet approach Earth?
- Why is it called the ‘horned’ comet?
- How did the comet grow ‘horns’?
Who noticed comet ‘Diablo’?
Comet Hunters/Richard Miles
The British Astronomical Association, which was closely monitoring 12P, detected the explosion when they observed it becoming significantly brighter. This glow was caused by the reflection of light from its coma, the gas cloud surrounding its core.
What is the ‘horned’ comet?
Eliot Herman
In the midst of an already terrifying atmosphere, the scientific community has revealed an extraordinary fact: a formidable “horned” comet, larger than Mount Everest, has fractured and is hurtling ominously towards our planet.
For context, the iconic Mount Everest, revered as the tallest mountain on Earth, rises to a towering height of 29,029 feet, spanning approximately 5.5 miles. This was the comet’s second explosion in the last four months, with the previous one occurring in July, according to the Science times.
Where it originated?
According to Live Science, the explosive event, originating from the cryovolcanic comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, measures a staggering 30 kilometers in diameter, equivalent to the size of a modest urban settlement like a city.
When will the comet approach Earth?
spatial reference.org
Even with 12P’s sinister path and structure, there aren’t any red flags for “Deep Impact” at this point. This cosmic wanderer, with its 71-year orbit around the Sun, will not get closer to Earth until 2024, when it will be observable without the help of any technical instruments.
Subsequently, the comet will be thrown 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 noted by astronomers occur when a large amount of gas and ice builds up and explodes, similar to a frozen Coca-Cola can, causing the comet’s icy interior to explode through large cracks in its surface.
In this case, the icy explosion caused the gas cloud around the core to form “horns,” resembling an intergalactic creature, as shown in the attached photographs.
According to the Space Weather Archive, scientists compared the shape to the Millennium Falcon spaceship from Star Wars.
How did the comet grow ‘horns’?
Twitter
The reason for the formation of these horns remains uncertain. However, specialists speculate that it could be due to the configuration of the 12P core, similar 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 type of blockage causing material to be ejected in a strange flow pattern.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn