Posted on 10/19/2023 10:35:38 AM PDT by Red Badger
Scientists are reporting that a “horned” comet three times bigger than Mount Everest is hurtling toward Earth after encountering a large explosion.
The blast originated on October 5 from 12P/Pons-Brooks a cryovolcanic — or cold volcano — comet.
According to Live Science, the comet, nicknamed the “Devil” due to its apparent horns, measures a colossal 18.6 miles in diameter, or the size of a small city.
For reference, Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, is about 5.5 miles high.
This marked the second time this interstellar ice cube erupted in the last four months.
The Science Times reports that the last celestial event occurred in July.
The British Astronomical Association, which is closely monitoring 12P, identified this explosion after noticing that it appeared dozens of times brighter.
The extra light was caused by reflections by the cloud of gas surrounding its center, known as the coma.
For the uninitiated, such eruptions occur when a large level of gas and ice amasses and combusts like a frozen soda can.
The eruptions cause the comet’s frosty insides to burst out of large cracks that form in the nucleus crust.
In this instance, the arctic blast caused the coma to sprout “Devil horns,” as seen in accompanying photos.
Scientists also compared the satanic shape to the Millennium Falcon spaceship from “Star Wars,” Space Weather Archive reported.
The cause of the horns is unclear, however, experts believe that it could be caused by the shape of 12P’s nucleus — à la an interstellar pasta strainer.
“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,” said Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association.
Despite 12P’s ominous trajectory and shape, there’s no need to brace for “Deep Impact” just yet.
The celestial hailstone — which orbits around the sun every 71 years — won’t reach its closest point to Earth until 2024.
When it passes by Earth next year, it will become visible to the naked eye.
This comet will then be catapulted back into the solar system and won’t be again by humans until the year 2095.
This is 12P’s second explosion since July 20, when the interstellar snowball blew its stack for the first time in 69 years.
During this eruption, the horn-like emissions were 7,000 times wider than the comet itself.
The coma has since shrunk back to its regular size but could attract more interest next year if it continues to explode — which will likely be the case, per Space Weather Archive.
First discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812, 12P is reportedly one of 20 known comets with active ice volcanoes, Miles claims.
Perhaps the most famous is 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, a volcanically active body that expelled approximately 1 million tons of cryomagma into space this past December, marking its largest eruption in 12 years.
Maybe I’ll reread those before long. It’s been a while.
It's more of a "what's happening" than a who-dun-it. Fun to watch.
TPTB wouldn’t tell us until you hear on the radio “a giant comet is set to hit the earth in 45 minutes!”
They couldn’t keep it a secret. Too many amateur astronomers out there......................
If the Lions win Super Bowl it’s Revelations time.🤣🤣
This author has gone completely berserk with the metaphors. Celestial hailstone, cosmic ice cube, blew its stack, hurtling towards Earth. It is not hurtling towards Earth, and the rest of the writing is a reporter trying to sound smart.
The Devil Comet will break into dozens of baby demon comets and they'll all plunge toward earth in a pitchfork pattern.
Yeah, this comet bears watching. It hopefully put on a good show for us next year.
Unless some of our descendants are out there before then.
It’s a mind-bender, alright.
#19 Can you imagine the hysteria if this comet were actually headed to Earth in 2024?...................
It means no fishing limits.
I only know that acronym as it relates to Nissan Frontiers of a certain vintage.
Sweet
Meteor
Of
Death
.
SMOD
The Gripping Hand is unreadable.
How much toilet paper should I buy?
Will I need a vaccine and some boosters?
I guess I’d better get a stash of masks.
What an utterly sophistic headline. How do you determine how “big” a 29,000-foot high mountain is when it’s sitting on a 15,000-foot high plateau? After all, Mauna Kea is “bigger” from its base to its summit.
Not quite, but close. They should have left Mote as a standalone.
Lets call it ....>Wormwood.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a Halley-type periodic comet that was first discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812 and then independently rediscovered by William Robert Brooks in 1883. It has an orbital period of about 71.3 years. During its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, the comet comes within about 0.78 astronomical units (AU) of the Sun, while at its furthest point, or aphelion, it is located at a distance of about 17.2 AU. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is also known for being the probable parent body causing the κ-Draconids meteor shower. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will make its return in 2024 and it is expected to reach its maximum brightness (potentially visible to the naked eye) during the month of April. With its closest approach occurring just a few days before a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, it presents a unique opportunity for skywatchers to potentially view the comet during the eclipse.
https://theskylive.com/12p-info
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has been identified as a comet observed in 1385 and in 1457. The 1385 apparition was very favourable and the comet was recorded by the Chinese in Ming Shilu and was also mentioned in some European sources. A comet observed by Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli in January 1457 and also mentioned in Chinese sources is also identified as comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. In both apparitions the comet had a magnitude of 3 or brighter, not accounting for possible outbursts. It is possible that it was also a comet recorded in Chinese sources in September 245 CE.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12P/Pons%E2%80%93Brooks#Before_1812
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