He comet 12P/Pons-Brookspopularly known as the “devil kite“, makes his closest approach to Earth the early morning of this Sunday, June 2.
So, amateurs to the astronomy They have the opportunity to see “live and direct” this comet, considered among the brightest known comets, according to information from the media outlet Actualidad RT.
The ‘devil comet’ It reached its perihelion (the point in its elliptical orbit when it is closest to the Sun) on April 21. It approached within 119.7 million kilometers of our star, the Sun.
The above made this comet, which It is 17 kilometers wideappears bright enough to be observed with the naked eye.
After being too close to the Sunbegan to become less bright as it moves away from the star, it is added.
Even though the POT Initially suggested that the “Devil’s Comet” could be seen from the Northern Hemisphere with binoculars or a small telescope, there were reports that since the first week of May the comet has not been visible to people living in that part of the planet.
However, observers in the southern hemisphere have a better chance of seeing the “Devil’s Comet” this Sunday with small telescopes or binoculars.
“For people below the equator, the coming weeks and months could be their first good chance to see this since the 1950s,” said Teddy Kareta, an astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in the United States. .
When observing a comet with binoculars or a home telescope, some people have difficulty identifying it in the sky; they may only see a spot of light and not realize it is the comet, NASA clarifies.
By next July, the comet will be too dark to be seen from Earth, NASA indicated.
Why the nickname?
12P/Pons-Brooks earned the nickname “devil comet” in 2023, when a gas explosion caused it to have an asymmetrical appearance, as if it had horns.
The next time it will be seen will be in the 2090s, 71 years from now, which is the amount of time it takes to complete one orbit around the Sun.
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