A comet heading towards Earth grew “horns” after a volcanic eruption. PHOTO
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A cryovolcanic comet called 12P spewed streams of cold “magma” into space during its flight. They looked like “horns”. Scientists have not observed similar phenomena in the last 69 years, writes Space. 12P consists of a solid core filled with a mixture of ice, dust and gas. Its diameter reaches about 30 km. Around it is a cloud of gas that flows from the interior of the comet. Scientists call it a coma. Photo: Comet Chasers/Richard Miles Several astronomers recorded a powerful flash from a comet on July 20: it was about 100 times brighter than usual. This is due to the fact that the comet’s coma suddenly swelled due to gas and ice crystals and was able to “reflect” more sunlight than was seen on Earth. As of July 26, the comet’s coma has grown to approximately 230,000 kilometers in diameter, or 7,000 times the size of its nucleus. According to British Astronomical Association astronomer Richard Miles, the unusual shape of the comet’s coma is likely due to the irregular shape of the 12P nucleus. Photo: The Dark Side Observatory Eventually, the extended coma will disappear as the gas and ice become too diffuse to reflect sunlight. According to astronomers’ calculations, the comet will reach its closest point to the Sun on April 21, 2024 and approach the Earth on June 2, 2024. Read also: Volcanic comet spewed magma from ice and stones: the tail of debris stretches for 56 thousand km
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