Devendra Kumar
A comet named 12P/Pons-Brooks, discovered by Jean-Louis Pons and William Robert Brooks, is currently visible in the night sky using binoculars or small telescopes, and astronomers are hopeful that it will become visible to the naked eye in the coming weeks. This comet, which ventures close to Earth every 71 years, is growing brighter and has already experienced several outbursts of activity, causing its brightness to increase periodically. According to Dr. Megan Argo, an astrophysicist at the University of Central Lancashire, the comet’s brightness may increase again in the next few weeks as it passes through the sky.
Comets like 12P/Pons-Brooks are primarily composed of dust, rock, and ice, earning them the nickname “giant dirty snowballs.” They spend most of their time in the outer reaches of the solar system, where it is extremely cold, but as they approach the inner solar system, they are drawn to the warmth of the Sun, causing the ice to melt straight to gas through a process called sublimation.
This gas forms a cloud around the comet’s solid nucleus, known as the coma, and a tail of material that can stretch millions of miles into space. The tail is made up of gas and dust that has been pushed away from the comet by the solar wind, a powerful stream of energy emitted by the Sun.
While 12P/Pons-Brooks is developing a nice tail, it is not yet visible without the aid of binoculars or a telescope. However, those looking to spot the comet can find it below and slightly to the left of the Andromeda galaxy. As the comet continues to approach the Sun, its brightness and visibility are expected to increase, making it a treat for amateur astronomers and sky gazers. For those with access to binoculars or a telescope, the comet is already visible, offering a Look into the celestial wonders that are available for us to observe. As Dr. Argo notes, “You can think of comets as a bit like giant dirty snowballs” – a fascinating and ever-changing aspect of our universe.