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An explosive , green comet racing toward Earth is presently zoom past the nearby Andromeda galaxy in the night sky , setting the stage for some stunning photographs . you may also watch the comet fell past our spiral astronomic neighbour in existent time , thanks to an upcoming livestream .
Comet 12P / Pons Brooks ( 12P ) , also bed as the devil comet , is a 10.5 - mi - wide ( 17 km ) comet that circlesthe sunon a extremely elliptical orbit every 71 years or so . 12P is a cryovolcanic , or ice volcano , comet . This means that it once in a while erupts when solar actinotherapy cracks open its frigid cuticle , or karyon , allowing it to shoot out a combination of ice and gas , known as cryomagma , into outer space . When this happens , the cryomagma massively expands 12P ’s coma — the swarm of gas and dust ring the core group — defecate the comet appear much brighter for the next few day .
The green colored comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is currently racing toward the sun before a close encounter with Earth later this year (pictured March 4).
In July 2023 , astronomers watched 12Pblow its top for the first time in almost 70 years , and it has erupted reasonably often ever since . During the comet ’s early irruption , 12P ’s expanded coma grew skew-whiff thanks to a notch in its nucleus , making itlook like it had grow a pair of unholy horns . However , follow more - recent eruption , the hornsseem to have disappeared for good . Newer photograph of the comet also show that it has developed a green glowing , which is because of gamey levels of dicarbon ( two carbon atoms stuck together ) in its coma and tail , which is quite rarified .
12P is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on June 2 after first slingshotting around the sun in belated April . After it drop dead us , it will then journey back into the outer reaches of our cosmic region , where it will spend a majority of the next 70 years .
As it continue to hurtle toward the innersolar organization , 12P can now be spotted in the same part of the night sky as the Andromeda galaxy — a spiral wandflower located around 2.5 million light - old age from theMilky Way , which isdestined to collide with our own galax in around 4.5 billion years .
12P (bottom right) is currently in close proximity to the Andromeda galaxy (top left) in the night sky.
you may ascertain this extremely rarefied conjunction ( an astronomic phenomenon that takes place when two object appear close in the sky , despite being trillion of miles asunder ) take post in real time thanks to livestreams from theVirtual Telescope Project , which will showcase the cosmic spectacle as seen from the project ’s observatory in Manciano , Italy from 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday ( March 10 ) and Tuesday ( March 12 ) .
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For now , the blanket conjunction is most clearly visible just above the view after sunset , according toSpaceweather.com . Andromeda is visible to the naked optic with clear sky but you will needa good telescope , photographic camera ordecent brace of stargazing binocularsto speckle 12P , which is around 10 degrees below the galaxy . ( That ’s approximately the same width as your fist when hold up to the sky , harmonize toTime and Date . )
12P (bottom right) is currently in close proximity to the Andromeda galaxy (top left) in the night sky.
The Virtual Telescope Project has already captured a stunning long - vulnerability slam of 12P and Andromeda shining side - by - side ( see above ) .
AstrophotographerPetr Horálek , has also captured aseries of arresting imagesof the pair from Slovakia . The Triangulum galaxy ( M33 ) and the star Mirach , often used as a " guide " to find Andromeda , are also clearly seeable in these photos .
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This is not the first time that 12P has photobombed a cosmic structure : In January , the cometpassed in front of the Crescent Nebula — a massive cloud of ionized red gas settle 5,000 light - days from Earth .
Astrophotographers are alsohoping to flick the cometduring the upcomingtotal solar occultation on April 8 , when 12P will be orient very tight to the temporarily hinder sun . If it break in the days leading up to the eclipse , the comet may also be visible to the naked eyeduring entirety .
