A comet which is reportedly thrice the size of Mount Everest is headed towards Earth. The unusual comet underwent a second round of major outburst after the first massive explosion in July, the British Astronomical Association (BAA) said. The latest outburst was detected earlier this month in images taken on a telescope on Maui in Hawaii, US.
A comet is a small celestial body that orbits the Sun in an elongated and highly elliptical orbit. The closer they get to the sun, the more visible it becomes from Earth, sometimes even with the naked eye.
The comet in question is called 12P/Pons-Brooks and is well positioned for observation from the northern hemisphere, the astronomical said in a report. Comets are believed to be frozen remains left over from the formation of the solar system some 4.5 billion years ago.
12P/Pons-Brooks has an estimated diameter of 30 kilometers, or 18.6 miles, Live Science reported. It is reportedly filled with a mix of ice, dust and gas known as cryomagma.
The comet's teardrop-shaped coma - the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet - has developed two horns on the two sides, just like it had after the first outburst in July. The coma is expanding in size, BAA said.
The comet will becomes closest to Earth on April 21, 2024, when it could be visible to the naked eye, according to the Live Science report. It will not return before 2095.
"Throughout 2023, 12P had been slowly brightening and becoming more active," BAA said in its August report.
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