On Friday or Saturday, a horned “Devil Comet” that has been speeding toward Earth is expected to “blow,” marking its second explosion in less than two weeks.
According to Nick James of the British Astronomical Association (BAA), “we might be coming up to another outburst.” The previous outbursts have been occurring on a 15-day rhythm.
This comet, designated 12P, is a cryovolcano, or cold comet, that bursts into flames akin to a frozen Coke can when a significant amount of gas and ice accumulates.
As a result, the comet’s icy interior, which has a diameter of 18.6 miles, or the size of a small city, emerges from wide fissures in the crust of the nucleus.
This intergalactic snowball last erupted into an icy ball on December 14, so the next one might occur as soon as December 29 or 30, according to the astronomy website.
According to the website, the reason for the celestial hailstone’s biweekly combustions is that it rotates on a two-week cycle. The eruptions occur approximately every fifteen days when sunlight strikes a cryovolcanic vent on the surface of the comet.
Comet 12P is similar to “Old Faithful” in that it possesses a super cryogeyser whose eruption is set off after local daybreak at its location, according to BAA section director Richard Miles.
According to WION, this may be the largest eruption of the ice ball since November 14, when the comet shone 100 times brighter than usual for several days.
It’s interesting to note that 12P was known as the “Devil Comet” during earlier outbursts because the arctic blast had caused the coma, or gas cloud in the comet’s center, to sprout “horns.”
Astronomers noticed that during recent eruptions, these appendages were less noticeable; the one on November 14 seemed to have an almost completely spherical atmosphere.
Though the shape and direction of this evil space ball are concerning, there’s no need to prepare for a deep impact just yet.
The cosmic ice cube will not be visible to the unaided eye until spring 2024, when it will have traveled 71 years to reach its closest point to Earth.