A green comet with devil horns is approaching Earth – why did it stun scientists?

Scientists aren't sure why 12P stopped exploding. Source: Rok Balcic/Reisman Observatory

Impressive new images show the Devil's Horned Volcanic Comet approaching a stunning red nebula as it heads toward Earth. The green comet will approach our planet later this year.

The culprit who The comet is called 12P/Pons–Brooks (12P).It is a cold volcano with a diameter of about 17 kilometers. It revolves around the sun once every 71 years. Volcanic comets explode when solar radiation cracks open their solid crust or core. This results in the comet's icy interior being ejected into space.

This leads to the expansion of the comets' coma (i.e. the cloudy envelope around the nucleus) i.e. the clouds of ice, dust and gas that surround it, and makes it appear brighter for short periods of time.

In July 2023, astronomers detected the first large explosion from Comet 12P in 69 years. Several similar explosions followed.

During these events, Extended coma of 12p It took on an irregular shape due to the notch in its wither that resembled a pair of horns and gave the comet its nickname – the Devil.

However, the last explosion of 12P in November He did not create the centuries. This indicates that the culprit may have lost his status. Gravity is expected to push the comet to orbit around the sun in April. It is scheduled to be on June 2 at its closest point to Earth and will be visible with the naked eye.

On January 12, several observers captured images of 12P passing in front of the nebula NGC 6888, a massive cloud of ionized gas located 5,000 light-years from Earth.

Amateur astronomer Michael Jäger captured one of the clearest images of the two celestial bodies together from Martinsburg in Austria, while Rok Palčić from the Reisman Observatory in Slovenia captured an equally impressive shot.

Why, scientists wonder

One of the most Impressive visual elements Are the bright green colors of the 12P coma. This colorful light is emitted by diatomic carbon molecules (two carbon atoms stuck together) and is extremely rare, according to Spaceweather.com.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which passed Earth in February 2023, and Comet Nishimura (C/2023 P1), which passed the Sun in September 2023, had similar green colors.

12P has not exploded since November 14, 2023. Until then, the comet had exploded about every 15 days. The low volcanic activity has puzzled scientists. It is estimated that the comet's explosions will be more frequent and intense as it approaches the Sun and absorbs more solar radiation, according to Spaceweather.com.

If the comet explodes when it is close to Earth, it will give researchers the opportunity to study this phenomenon, about which little is known.