- 4234 - COMET - the devil is making closest approach? The 'devil comet' headed for Earth loses its horns and turns green after latest volcanic eruption. This violent eruption of the cryo-volcanic comet “12P/Pons-Brooks”, will make its long-awaited closest approach to Earth next year, 2025.
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4234 - COMET
- the devil is making closest
approach?
-
- The horns of the
devil comet were missing after its latest eruption. But the comet's coma, or
atmosphere, did have a green glow and sported a shadowy streak.
-
- The massive
volcanic "devil comet," that is racing toward the sun may have lost
the distinctive horns that earned it its sinister nickname. November 15,
2023, after the comet's latest and most
violent outburst, its trademark head spikes did not appear as they did after
previous eruptions.
-
- The comet is a massive 10.5-mile-wide. It is on course to make its closest approach
to Earth for more than 70 years next summer.
The comet is a cryovolcanic, or cold volcano, comet that consists of an
icy shell, or nucleus, filled with ice and gas.
-
- When the comet
soaks up enough of the sun's radiation, its frosty innards, or cryomagma, get
superheated. Pressure builds up within the nucleus until the shell cracks and
the comet's icy guts spray into space.
-
- After an
eruption, the comet's coma, a fuzzy, reflective cloud of cryomagma and dust,
expands and makes the comet appear much brighter to astronomers as it reflects
the sun's rays.
-
- It has had three
major eruptions: On July 20, when it was spotted exploding for the first time
in 69 years; on October 5, when it erupted even more vigorously; and on
Halloween (Oct. 31), which was a less intense outburst. Each time the comet
blew its top, its coma expanded into an irregular shape with a "dark
lane" that made it appear to have grown a pair of horns.
-
- On November14, 12P
experienced another major eruption, the most extreme outburst so far.
Astronomers watched as the comet temporarily became more than 100 times
brighter than normal in the following days as its coma expanded. But this time, its distinctive horns were
nowhere to be seen.
-
- The comet's horns
are the result of an irregularity in the shape of 12P's nucleus. The outflowing gas is likely being partially
obstructed by a notch sticking out on the nucleus. It is currently unclear why the horns have
disappeared.
-
- The frequent
eruptions may have destroyed the notch that was blocking the outflow of
cryomagma. During the third eruption on Halloween, the horns were much less
distinct that they were in the first two eruptions, which suggests that notch
may have already been damaged after the comet's first two outbursts.
-
- 12P will be the
latest green comet to zoom by Earth next year.
Images also revealed another surprise, a green hue in the comet's coma.
This rare coloration is given off by comets with high levels of dicarbon, a
chemical that emits green light when broken down by sunlight.
-
- Several green
comets have flown by Earth this year, including the "green comet"
C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which made its closest approach to Earth for 50,000 years in
February, and Comet Nishimura, which flew by our planet for the first time in
430 years in September.
-
- Another strange
dark patch in the comet's colorful coma looks like a curved gap. But unlike the
misshaped dark lane that previously gave the coma its horns, experts believe
that this unusual shape is a shadow cast by the outflowing cryomagma.
-
- 12P is currently
speeding toward the sun at around 40,000 mph as it nears the end of its 71-year
orbit around the sun.
-
- On April 24, 2024,
the comet will reach its closest point to the sun, or perihelion, before being
slingshotted around our home star and into the outer solar system where it
spends a majority of its orbit. It likely won't return to the inner solar
system until 2094.
-
- 12P will make its
closest approach to Earth on June 2 next year, when it will hopefully be
visible to the naked eye.
-
-
November 22, 2023
COMET - the devil is making closest approach? 4234
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