Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also nicknamed “Devil's Comet,” has dazzled skywatchers in recent months with its stunning display of the night sky and sudden flares. But as it approaches perihelion – its closest distance to the sun – on April 21, will it survive the encounter or suffer a fiery fate?
Well, there's good news and bad news.
The good news is that Comet The chances of 12P/Pons-Brooks remaining are as promising as they'll give the sun A wide birth during perihelion, as it passes at a distance of about 72.6 million miles (116.8 million km), equivalent to three-quarters of the distance. Earth's distance from the sun.
Related: Stunning images of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks from around the world
Comet Satan orbits the Sun about every 71 years, so this isn't its first encounter with our star. “It has clearly suffered no ill effects from its previous visits to the sun, and there does not appear to be any reason anything should have happened to it during its current appearance,” meteorologist and skywatch columnist Joe Rao told Space.com.
The bad news for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers is that after its flyby of the Sun, the comet “will fade away very quickly and become largely a target for Southern Hemisphere observers,” Rao commented in a commentary. Previous article.
Comets generally “bloom” to peak brightness within several weeks of perihelion, and then as they move away from the Sun's warmth, the volatile gases energized by the Sun's heat and light will gradually recede. Rao continued.
It's not too late to see the “Devilish Comet” in the northern sky before it disappears completely in the glow of sunset.
Rao estimates that comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will likely fall to sixth or seventh place Magnitude By the end of May and strength 8 or 9 by the end of June.
Residents of the Southern Hemisphere had to wait patiently for 12P/Pons-Brooks and can only now get started We see it in the southern sky.
after Perihelion On April 21, the Celestial Vagabond will continue its journey across the world Solar System Before returning to our skies in 2095.
Not every comet passing by the Sun is lucky enough to continue its journey. When comets come closer to the Sun than the planet Mercury (36 million miles or 58 million kilometers), they are exposed to a much larger dose of heat that can destroy them.
Most comets spend most of their time in the outer regions of the solar system and are exposed to temperatures ranging from -300 to -400 degrees Fahrenheit (-184 to -240 degrees Celsius). When they come close to the Sun, they can heat up very quickly, putting enormous thermal pressure on the comet.
“Fortunately, 12P/Pons-Brooks always stays far enough from the Sun to avoid such a catastrophic scenario,” Rao said.
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