Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is returning in a 71-year cycle
NPR reported on March 18 that a rare comet famous for its colorful flashes is approaching the sun in a 71-year cycle and can be seen from Earth.
More unusual than its previous close approach, comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is expected to appear alongside a total solar eclipse next month, making it possible to observe two events at once.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), comets are icy celestial bodies formed during the formation of the solar system, made up of dust, rock and ice. With a width of up to tens of kilometers and a tail several kilometers long, comets heat up and become brighter as they approach the sun.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks takes 71 years to orbit the sun and will next reach perihelion, the point in its elliptical orbit when it is closest to the sun, on April 21.
According to Space.com , comet 12P/Pons-Brooks recently flashed brightly on January 18, after several flares between October and December 2023. The area around the spiral comet can glow green, red and create a long blue tail.
The outburst of 12P/Pons-Brooks may also have given the comet a horseshoe-like shape with horns, giving it the nickname "the devil's comet".
Stargazers can now catch a glimpse of the comet by pointing a telescope or binoculars toward the constellation Pisces in the early evening. Astronomers say it will soon be visible to the naked eye too.
The comet was first observed by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons in 1812, and was later accidentally rediscovered by American astronomer William Brooks in 1883.
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