A city-sized comet headed toward Earth has erupted dozens of times this year, leading scientists to discover a pattern to its outbursts — and that’s because it “explodes” every two weeks.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, dubbed the “devil’s comet” because it grows horns during outbursts, appears to violently expel ice and gas every 15 days. The last event occurred on December 14, which means the next event is tomorrow, Friday, December 29, or Saturday, December 30.

Last October this comet, which is three times the size of Mount Everest, exploded in space and although it is heading towards Earth, as astronomers have revealed, it will not actually hit us, but it can be visible to the naked eye when he reaches Earth. the closest point to our planet on April 21, 2024. The space rock, called 12P/Pons-Brooks, is what is known as a cryovolcanic comet (or cold volcano).

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is also known to be the likely parent body of the κ-Draconid meteor shower.

The ice volcanoes of comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will have erupted six times in 2023. “The latest eruptions occurred in a rhythm of fifteen days,” reports Nick James of the British Astronomical Association (BAA), “and it is possible that we are approaching a different process,” as highlighted SpaceWeather.com

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, named after two astronomers, is a periodic Halley-type comet discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812 and then independently rediscovered in 1883 by William Robert Brooks. solar system every 71 years.

It has an orbital period of approximately 71.3 years. During its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, the comet comes within about 0.78 astronomical units (AU) of the Sun, while at its farthest point, or aphelion, it is about 17.2 AU.

The ‘Devil’s Comet’ will return in 2024 and is expected to reach its maximum brightness (potentially visible to the naked eye) in the month of April. Because the closest approach occurs just a few days before the expected total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, it provides a unique opportunity for sky observers to view the comet during the eclipse.

Eruptions other than terrestrial volcanoes

12P/Pons-Brooks is known as a cryovolcanic comet (or cold volcano) that exhibits volcanic activity, but instead of spewing molten rock and lava like a volcano on Earth, a cryovolcanic comet releases a mixture of gases and ice. When a cryovolcanic comet approaches the Sun, as 12P/Pons-Brooks does, it heats up and builds pressure in its core. The pressure builds until the nitrogen and carbon monoxide explode, spewing ice debris through large cracks in the core layer.

These gas streams can take on striking shapes when viewed through a telescope, such as the devil’s horns, also known as a horseshoe, or the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.

The space rock is about the size of Halley’s famous comet and was last visible to the naked eye on Earth in 1954. It is also called a ‘Halley-type comet’ because its 71-year orbit around the sun brings it to the center of the Earth. the same class as history’s most famous space rock, which takes about 75 years to orbit our star, as opposed to thousands of years like most comets.

Although Pons-Brooks will be at its closest point to Earth in April 2024, it is expected to reach magnitude +4, so it could also be visible to the naked eye in May and June 2024. It will be brightest in the night sky on June 2, 2024. (JO)