In April 2024, a total solar eclipse was the center of celestial attention, but the “Devil Comet” also attracted the attention of astronomy enthusiasts.
Officially and scientifically known as 12P/Ponds-Brooks, a nickname that alludes to its downfall, the unusual comet has made its first close approach to Earth in 71 years.
What makes this comet particularly unique is that the object appears “horn-shaped.”
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Let’s take a closer look here.
NASA calls this comet a “cosmic snowball.”, Comets are made up of dust, rocks and ice. They travel in elliptical orbits around the Sun and spend many years deep in the solar system before returning to the Sun.
They vary in size, some as small as a few miles in diameter, but the width of their nuclei usually does not exceed six miles.
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A comet’s solid central core, known as its nucleus, remains relatively unchanged, but the size of its outer layer, or coma, can increase dramatically as it approaches the Sun.
The heat causes the ice to sublime into gas, ejecting dust and expanding the coma, causing it to grow in volume larger than the largest planets, although its mass and density remain the same.
The Devil Comet, officially known as 12P/Ponds-Brooks Comet, orbits the Sun every 71 years. (Jan-Erik Ballestad via nasa.gov)
Comet Pons-Brooks is known for appearing relatively bright when it approaches Earth. According to NASA, the comet’s orbit brings it close to Earth approximately every 71 years, which is the comet’s periodic close approach period.
The Devil Comet is similar to Halley’s Comet in that both are short-period comets that periodically return to the inner solar system.
Comet Pons-Brooks was first discovered in 1812 by comet hunter Jean-Louis Pons. However, his observations were unable to predict when and where the comet would return. In 1883, William Brooks discovered the comet a second time.
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Like other comets, 12P/Ponds-Brooks is composed mostly of ice, dust, and rock.
Also known as cryovolcanoes, they function as a type of volcano, except instead of spewing lava, they spew water, ammonia, and methane.
In July 2023, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was nicknamed the “Devil Comet” due to an outburst that showed asymmetrical structure and horn-like features.
The explosion released ice and gas, making the comet about 100 times more bright than usual.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is the brightest comet known. It was nicknamed the “Devil Comet” because of an explosion of gas and dust that will form corners in 2023. (Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Astronomers are unsure of the exact cause of the horn-like structures, but suggest they could be the result of uneven ejections of gas and dust.
Another theory is that there may be a shadow effect when observed from Earth.
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After the explosion, the comet returned to normal again, but later experienced similar distortions that gave the comet the horns that gave it its nickname.
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The comet’s other name is “Mother of Dragons” due to its association with the Kappa Draconid meteor shower, which is active every November and December.
The comet will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere around the time of the solar eclipse in the spring of 2024.
According to Space Daily, the comet was best viewed with binoculars or a small telescope after the Sun had dipped below the horizon.
In July, the comet was not bright enough to be observed using these instruments.
This comet will not cross Earth’s orbit and therefore poses no danger to Earth. (Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Comet 12P/Ponds-Brooks reached peak visibility on Sunday, April 21, 2024, appearing brightest from Earth in 71 years.
At this point, the comet has reached perihelion, the point in its orbit that is closest to the sun, according to Space.com’s Samantha Mathewson.
Despite its ominous nickname, Comet Pons-Brooks poses no threat to Earth: its orbit will bring it close to Earth but will never cross its path.
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According to an article on astronomy.com, the comet’s inclined orbit will cause it to travel between the orbits of Earth and Venus before leaving our solar system.
