The Devil’s Comet, predicted to be bigger than Mount Everest will be passing by Earth for the first time in this century.
What is a comet?
Comets are small celestial bodies that orbit the Sun in an elongated, elliptical orbit. They are composed of ice, dust, and volatile gasses. When a comet approaches the Sun, the heat causes the ices in the nucleus to vaporize, releasing gas and dust (a process called outgassing), forming a glowing coma (a cloud of gas and dust) around the nucleus.
The bright, visible part of a comet is called the coma, and it may also have a tail that points away from the Sun due to the solar wind and radiation pressure. The tail of a comet is composed of ionized gasses and dust particles reflecting sunlight.
Comets are believed to be remnants from the early solar system, and their composition can provide insights into the conditions that existed during the formation of the solar system. Some comets have highly elliptical orbits that bring them close to the Sun, while others have more circular orbits and remain farther away.
About 12P/Pons-Brooks:
12P/Pons-Brooks or Devil’s Comet as it is known more popularly, is a Halley-type comet (an orbital period between 20 and 200 years) and is bigger than Mount Everest with an estimated diameter of 18 miles. 12P/Pons-Brooks orbits the sun every 26,000 days (71.18 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU from the sun during it’s perihelion and reaching as far as 33.58 AU from the sun during it’s aphelion. Its orbit is highly elliptical.
12P/Pons–Brooks is predicted to be the possible parent body of the weak December κ-Draconids meteor shower that is active from about November 29 to December 13 and generates less than 2 meteors/hour. This is the most abundant of the meteor showers predicted to be related to the comet. One more night time meteor shower has been tentatively associated with 12P/Pons–Brooks, the northern June Aquilids, although most probably isn’t the parent body.
Discovery:
12P/Pons-Brooks was discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812. Independently, this comet was later found by Vincent Wisniewski on August 1, and Alexis Bouvard on August 2 the same year. The comet was spotted with the naked eye on 13 August and by the end of the month a tail measuring 2 degrees in length was reported.
Shortly after its initial discovery it was found to have an orbital period of about 70 years with an error of about 5 years. Johann Franz Encke determined a definitive orbit with a period of 70.68 years. It was accidentally discovered by William Robert Brooks in 1883 as a faint comet and later identified with the comet of 1812. It last appeared in 1954.
Why Devil’s Comet?
The Devil’s Comet gets its unusual nickname from its distinctive shape. Unlike most comets, which have a single, glowing tail, the Devil’s Comet has a bifurcated or “split” tail, due to concurrent eruptions. This gives it the appearance of having horns, leading to its unusual name. This unique feature has made it a subject of interest for both professional and amateur astronomers alike.
Passage in 2024
Despite its ominous name, the Devil’s Comet poses no threat to Earth. Its orbit does not intersect with Earth’s, and it maintains a safe distance from our planet. In fact, its appearances are eagerly anticipated by skywatchers. The comet’s next perihelion passage is on 21 April 2024 with it’s closest approach to Earth is expected in June 2024, when it will be visible to the naked eye. This event is sure to be a highlight for stargazers around the world.
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