Devil Comet has had two outbursts in the last 4 months, will be visible from Earth. Here's when

A huge comet approaching Earth will be visible in 2024 when it makes its closest approach to the sun. On its way, the comet has already made two explosions in four months, as per the British Astronomy Association (BAA).

The comet named 12P/Pons-Brooks made sudden “outbursts” of dust and gas while travelling towardsEarth. Astronomers say that the comet now looks like the Millennium Falcon or a devil with horns.

CBS News quoted Richard Miles of BAA saying that the comet is about 18 to 25 miles across and is “surrounded by a very much largely tenuous cloud of dust and gas.”

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Also Read |Oh, Crab! James Webb reveals never-before-seen details of Crab Nebula

The reports of the comet’s outburst are based on the observation by several telescopes, including Faulkes Telescope North in Maui. As per BAA, the comet bursttwice in the months of July and October.

What does the comet look like after outbursts?

According to Spaceweather.com, during the July outburst, the comet looked like the Millennium Falcon as it burst out of debris in a way that it took the shape of the spacecraft. Other observers thought the pointed beams of light that came out of the rounded comet looked like devil horns, as per Live Science.

Outbursts are not very common in comets; the phenomenon happens only about 3-4 per cent of the time. When that happens, the particles ejected travel away from the nucleus, or centre of the comet and become diluted over time.

Also Read |X-ray of hand-shaped structure in space reveals 'bones of a ghostly cosmic hand'

In the case of 12P/Pons Brooks, the large nucleus of the comet casts a shadow around the cloud of gas and dust from the outburst, Miles explained while talking to CBS News. The sweeping dust created “the hollowed-out shape and horns so that the whole outburst coma looks a bit like the Millenium Falcon spaceship," he said.

The comet has also been described as “Halley-like”. The term was coined by Miles to describe comets that revolve in long elliptical orbits around the sun where it takes the comet between 20 and 200 years to go around once. But here, there’s a slight difference, as Miles said that Halley has an orbital period of 76 years whereas Pons Brook has an orbital period of 71 years.

Also Read |Where exactly on Mars should humans go? NASA scientists release a map

When will the Devil Comet be visible?

The comet will pass closest to the sun around Apr 21 and will pass closest to Earth around June 2, Miles told the news outlet. It may be visible when it is closer to the sun.

While NASA has called 12P/Pons-Brooks a "near-Earth comet", Miles said it is about 70 times further from Earth than our moon is. "So a collision is entirely out of the question," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.