71-year comet is firing mysterious radio signals, and scientists are stunned

Forget 3I/ATLAS for a minute and pay attention to the comet that has been regularly visiting us and beams radio signals every time it comes near Earth. Scientists say that Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, a Halley-type comet that returns around every 71 years, has been observed releasing multiple outbursts of brightness and radio signals. The finding was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. A group of astronomers led by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied data from its last approach in 2024 and made the intriguing observation. The Tianma Radio Telescope gathered information about the comet and detected a spike in the spectral line associated with hydroxyl, released when the Sun’s radiation breaks down water vapour.

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Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks became extremely bright in 2024, puzzling scientists. This meant it was outgassing quite wildly. To understand what was going on, the researchers at the observatory created a model gauging changes in the rates of water production with every outburst. Tianma examined L-band and K-band radio waves. At a distance of one astronomical unit, the comet was found to be releasing more than five tons of water vapour, beyond anything ever observed in other comets belonging to this group. They ascertained that Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is much more active than other Halley-type comets. They also found ammonia molecules for the first time in a Halley-type comet.

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Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has water nearly identical to Earth's

The researchers are hoping to learn more about Halley-type comets using the observations of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. “These results could further our understanding of the composition and activity of Halley-type comets," they wrote. This comet also displayed some intriguing features during earlier observations. A few months ago, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center researcher Martin Cordiner stated that the comet contains water that’s almost identical to what is present on Earth. This, combined with the recent finding of the fast release of a free radical made up of a hydrogen and oxygen atom, strengthens the idea that some comets brought water to Earth, making it habitable.