The Explosive Green Comet Racing Towards Earth and Andromeda Galaxy
The night sky is always full of wonders, and this year, it has a special treat in store for us. A green comet, known as 12P/Pons-Brooks, is currently racing towards the sun before its close encounter with Earth later this year. The comet has been nicknamed the devil comet due to its eerie green glow and explosive eruptions.
This 10.5-mile-wide comet circles the sun on a highly elliptical orbit every 71 years or so. It is a cryovolcanic comet, meaning that it occasionally erupts when solar radiation cracks open its icy shell, allowing it to shoot out a combination of ice and gas into space. This eruption creates a bright coma around the nucleus, making the comet appear brighter for a few days.
In July 2023, astronomers witnessed 12P erupting for the first time in almost 70 years. Since then, it has erupted quite frequently, with its most recent eruptions showing a green glow caused by high levels of dicarbon in its coma and tail.
The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on June 2 after slingshotting around the Sun in late April. It will then continue its journey back into the outer reaches of our cosmic neighborhood for the next 70 years.
Currently, 12P can be spotted in the same part of the night sky as the Andromeda galaxy, a spiral galaxy located around 2.5 million light-years from the Milky Way. This cosmic neighbor is set to collide with our own galaxy in around 4.5 billion years.
You can witness this rare conjunction in real time through two upcoming livestreams by the Virtual Telescope Project on March 10 and 12. The project’s observatory in Manciano, Italy will showcase the cosmic spectacle starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
https://www.virtualtelescope.eu
While Andromeda is visible to the naked eye, you will need a good telescope or camera to spot 12P, which is around 10 degrees below the galaxy. The Virtual Telescope Project has already captured a stunning long-exposure shot of the comet and galaxy shining side-by-side.
So mark your calendars and don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness an explosive green comet zooming past our neighboring galaxy. It’s a sight that you won’t want to miss!
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