Ice Volcanoes on 'Devil Comet' Set to Erupt Near Earth, Astronomers Urge Amateurs to Monitor Sky This Weekend
Astronomers believe a massive comet headed toward Earth is set to explode within a window of time this weekend starting Friday, December 29.
The horned “devil comet” larger than Mount Everest erupts regularly, and Knewz.com has learned that experts may have identified its unique celestial cycle.
A massive horned
The cosmic object — officially named “Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks” — periodically spews geysers of ice and gas out of its volcano-like “horns.” These “ice volcanoes” erupted half a dozen times in 2023, revealing a pattern that may help astronomers predict its future explosions.
“The last few outbursts have been on a 15 day cadence,” Nick James of the British Astronomical Association (BAA) told SpaceWeather.com, “and we might be coming up to another one.”
With the most recent eruption taking place around Thursday, December 14, experts predict the next one is due on either Friday, December 29, or Saturday, December 30.
With the most recent outburst taking place around Thursday, December 14, experts predict the comet will erupt again either Friday, December 29, or Saturday, December 30. By: SpaceReference.org
“It’s like ‘Old Faithful’,” Richard Miles of the BAA also reportedly told the outlet. “Comet 12P has a super cryogeyser, eruption of which is triggered after local sunrise at its location.”
Knewz.com reported in October that some observers say with the horns, the comet looks a bit like the “Millennium Falcon,” the spaceship famous from Star Wars movies.
Experts believe the explosions occur when the spinning object’s “cryovolcanic vent” faces the sun.
“Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor 12P in the nights ahead,” the report by SpaceWeather.com said. “Precision timing of the next outburst could help astronomers pinpoint the location of the geyser on the comet’s surface.”
Astronomers say the comet will be visible with binoculars or a small telescope. By: MEGA
The comet is part of the Cygnus constellation that can be pinpointed with TheSkyLive’s celestial guide, which states that “given its current brightness (magnitude 10.0), 12P/Pons-Brooks is visible with the help of a binocular with a 80mm aperture or a small telescope.”
The object was first discovered in 1812 and its nucleus, or chunk of ice and rock, has been estimated to span 10.5 miles across. To put that in perspective, Mount Everest stands about 5.5 miles tall.
“Since the 19th century, at least seven significant outbursts have been observed [by the comet],” SpaceWeather.com reported.
Experts say a solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 will also offer a unique opportunity to see the comet with binoculars, a telescope or even a camera as several of the brightest stars and planets also come into view, according to Astronomy.com.